I'M BACCKKKKKKKKK! My computer is not yet fixed, but my sister is letting me use her's when she's not using it. She uses it quite often though, which means that I have few opportunities to write. It's going to be like this for a while unfortunately, my mom got laid off and we have a million other things that come before a computer that need to be taken care of first. The good news is I was able to get all my stories off my previous computer before it started a fire on the tablecloth. Don't worry, we got it out quickly.
Anyway, enjoy the chapter, it's the longest one yet.
Kari
Leia pulled Obi-Wan and I aside as soon as we were out of the room.
"You two have done very well." She started. I could sense she was going to ask us something. "I hate to ask more of you, but we need your help again."
"Of course, we'll do anything to help your cause." Obi-Wan answered for the both of us.
"Thank you. We've received information by our spies that Vader is planning to leave the ship. We don't know why he's leaving, but we need to keep him on there so we can not only destroy his Death Star, but him as well." Oh, how fun! I hope you know I was being sarcastic just then, because honestly it sounds like a plan to get us both killed.
"It shall be done." Obi-Wan promised.
"Thank you Master Kenobi, Padawan Kari. We have a stealth ship waiting for you two. May the Force be with you." She said with sincerity.
Obi-Wan nodded and started for the hanger. I followed and tried to push aside the bad feeling I was getting in my gut.
"Kari!" Nicky's voice called from behind me. "Hey Kari!" I turned and saw Nicky, Haven and Olivia standing in a circle near some of the ships. Olivia was still in her white jumpsuit (same as Leia's, of course) and Nicky still in her navy shirt and black pants. Their outfits were quite simple. Unlike Haven, who was dressed in a bright orange pilot suit and black boots and held her helmet against her side.
"Get over here!" Olivia called, waving me over.
"I'll be right back, Obi-Wan."
"Don't take long, we have a big job ahead of us." I nodded and hurried over to the group.
"Where are you going?" Haven asked.
"One of the spies on the Death Star learned that Vader is planning on leaving the ship and that's not part of Leia's plan so we're being sent there to keep him busy." They all stared at me for a moment.
"Won't that get you killed?" Olivia finally asked.
"Maybe. I'm counting on George here." I said, trying to be confident. I even took a moment to try and cheer up my worried friends. "You hear that George? I'm counting on you!" I called, partly trying to be funny and partly being serious.
"What do you want?" A pilot called from beside his ship. Apparently his name was George too.
We all burst out laughing. When I stopped I saw Obi-Wan waving me over.
"Well I need to get going." I said, taking a step away from the group. The laughter stopped and their faces turned serious. They pulled me into a hug and I could sense their mass anxiety and worry.
We pulled out and Nicky spoke. "Yeah, Han's probably wondering where I am. Our reward's already been loaded up and we're ready to go, but I told him I had to go to the bathroom and that I refused to use the Falcon's. So I should be going too."
"Well good luck, guys." I told them.
"May the Force be with you." Nicky, Haven and Olivia said in sincere unison. I smiled and walked away from my best friends, and towards an unknown fate.
•••
We managed to make it to the Death Star without being shot down. I was ordered by Obi-Wan to hide my Force signature (whatever that is) as soon as the ship touched the floor of the hanger. I just imagined myself in the Force and then made myself disappear. I hope I did it right.
"Let's go." He said as he pressed the door button.
We carefully snuck out of the still invisible ship (I tried not to freak out as I walked down the invisible stairs) and stalked across the hanger, sticking close to the walls.
"Alright Kari, we'll have to be extremely careful, but at least we know where we're going." He pulled out a holoprojector and pressed a button, turning it on. A blue light formed the shape of multiple hallways, with a green light flashing about 4 inches away and 2 centimeters up from a red light. "We're the green light and Vader is the red. He's a floor up, and if I'm correct, in the reactor shaft."
I nodded and took in every detail. If we can keep him in the shaft area, this should be relatively easy. I'm already forming a plan.
Taking the stairs, a safer idea than the elevator, we arrived at the next floor of the station still unnoticed and crept closer towards the reactor.
Even when we ran into a small squad of troopers we didn't have much trouble. I easily managed to slice through 4 of them in a matter of seconds. Obi-Wan got the other 2, but I was faster.
We finally came to one of the many doors leading into the reactor shaft. We stood on either side of the door and pulled out the holoprojector one last time. Vader's red dot and our green one were almost overlapping. He was exactly where we needed him.
Obi-Wan put away the holoprojector and we lit our lightsabers. I stared at the vibrant purple blade for the next few seconds as the door slid open.
Then we charged in.
Vader stood on a ledge overlooking the seemingly bottomless shaft. His blade was lit and his breathing remained steady as we entered the room.
"I was wondering when you were going to get here." Vader took another loud, deep breath. "I've been waiting for you." He said as he turned to face us. Waiting? Did he know we were coming?
"Waiting?" I asked. "You knew we were coming?"
"Of course I did. Hiding your Force Signature isn't your specialty, is it?" Blast, I had done it wrong! I refused to look in Obi-Wan's direction, afraid of seeing the disappointment and let down in his face. I knew it was there and I didn't want to see it. "I didn't think so. I don't blame you of course, Obi-Wan is a terrible teacher." Now that struck a nerve. I'd only known Obi-Wan for maybe a week, but I felt like he really had raised me. Like he was my fatherly figure and closest friend. And no one made fun of him in my presence.
But I had to remain calm and rational. If I can.
"It was not Obi-Wan's fault!" I shouted at the black clad man. So much for calm.
"It's no use trying to defend him, for I know personally of his failures as a teacher."
I couldn't control myself; I lunged for the Sith lord. Vader easily dodged and I ran hard into the metal railing. My stomach and ribs screamed with pain, but I sensed Vader's blade coming my way and I had to stop it.
Jerking around, I raised my blade and blocked his. Obi-Wan's blue blade impacted with Vader's and the Sith drew his saber away.
Obi-Wan and Vader's blades clashed multiple times, giving me time to recover. During this time I noticed their positions.
They both stood close to the edge and I quickly formed a plan. But Obi-Wan would probably want to know about it first. But how could I tell him?
If a Jedi could hide their force signature, surely they had a way to contact each other without speaking. A sort of telepathic speaking? There had to be a way, after all, this is Star Wars.
"Obi-Wan," I asked experimentally, "can you hear me?"
"Indeed I can. This is quite the mess you've gotten us into. You should have waited for me to make the first move, I wasn't prepared when you lunged." He answered back.
"Sorry about that. But I have a plan;" I thought a second, remembering the holomap I'd seen earlier. "I tackle Vader over the edge, break away from his falling body and pull myself into the small private hanger that connects to this reactor."
"No!" He immediately said back. "It's too risky. We just have to fight him long enough for the ships to get close enough and then-"
"And then what? We blow up with the station? I personally prefer to live through this and not die in a world that isn't mine."
"You're thinking selfishly, Kari, that is not the Jedi way. A Jedi is willing to sacrifice him or herself for the good of others. It doesn't matter what world you're from."
The Jedi way. I'm not sure that fit me. I'm not saying that the Sith path is better, in fact it's far from it, but the Jedi way didn't fully suit me. Maybe that's why I had a purple lightsaber, purple being the color you get when you combined red and blue. Dark and light. Maybe I was somewhere in between.
I drew myself out of my thoughts and back to the battle Vader and Obi-Wan were fighting around me.
"Sorry Obi-Wan." I sent him one last thought before shutting off my blade and charging the unsuspecting Vader.
I rammed into the side of his body and clung to him. This knocked off his balance severely and he stumbled towards the edge, before falling over the railing. I was still hanging onto him.
I felt the wind rush past me as we fell and my thoughts blurred together. I felt sick and I quickly saw black spots floating around my vision. This is not good.
I tried my hardest to collect my thoughts and eventually had enough regained that I was able to detach myself from Darth. I free fell and collected more thoughts.
I soon had the sense to search the Force for Obi-Wan and found that he had jumped after us and was about a half mile above me, falling fast.
I searched the darkness around me and while I was unable to see Vader, I did see the light of the private hanger quickly approaching.
I did a sort of swim (I'm sure it looked hilarious from a distance) and got myself as close to the wall as I dared to get. I prepared to push myself with the Force into the hanger and was about to when something hard impacted with my already injured body.
The next thing I knew I hit something hard and solid. My thoughts swirled and everything was blurry. My whole body hurt now, I'm positive that I had multiple broken bones. Pain was all I could feel at that moment.
After a minute my vision cleared up some. I could tell that I had hit a ship, landed in a pile of crates, lying on my back and that Vader was standing maybe 20 feet away, looking around. Trying to locate me.
"I should have listened to Obi-Wan." I whispered to myself. As much as I hated to admit it, I really should have listened.
Vader turned in my direction and stopped. He knew I was here.
I struggled to stand and when I did I lit my lightsaber. But my struggles to stand had been in vain, as he used the Force to push me against the outer wall of the ship once he was within 5 feet of me. His red blade was lit and facing me.
No matter how hard I struggled and squirmed, I could only move my head. The rest of my body was pinned. It seemed like the world around me slowed down as Vader walked closer and closer.
"Leave her alone Vader." Obi-Wan's voice echoed through the nearly empty hanger.
Vader turned around and I could see Obi-Wan standing at the edge of the hanger that led out to the reactor shaft.
"I said, leave her alone." He repeated. Vader fully turned away and released his Force grasp on me, causing me to sink to the floor. I quickly tried to stand, but felt a wave of nausea pass over me.
Vader was now walking towards Obi-Wan, both ready for a fight. I relit my lightsaber, which had been turned off and knocked out of my hand when I went against the wall, and took a few steps forward.
"Kari, get out of here." Obi-Wan instructed calmly. They were now circling each other, ready to strike. Ready to see who would go down first and who would live.
"No, I need to-"
"You need to leave. This is my fight." He cut me off without removing his eyes from Vader's emotionless mask.
"You can't defeat him yourself! Remember, your life is a movie to me. It may have changed some, but you still can't defeat him alone." I said trying to convince him, my lightsaber still lit.
Instead of an answer I felt myself being lifted into the air. Obi-Wan was holding up his hand, pushing me further away.
"Obi-Wan!" I shouted at him. How dare he! I may have gotten us down here and caused a lot more trouble, but still! I deserve some respect!
I was soon in the cockpit of a small, one person ship. The glass hatch closed as soon as I was in the seat and locked. I tried pushing against it, unlocking it and banging on the glass but the ship remain locked as the battle outside began.
"Let me out! You need help!" I shouted, hoping that he could hear me.
"Leave Kari." His voice spoke sternly in my mind.
"No!" I practically screamed. "You're going to die, unlock the ship and let me help!"
My mental scream distracted him and he looked in my direction. Vader saw this as an opportunity.
"Turn around!" I shouted, forgetting to use the Force to speak. I tried to correct myself, but didn't do so in time.
The hilt of Vader lightsaber slammed into the back of Obi-Wan's head and he dropped to the ground.
"Obi-Wan!" I screamed, fearing the worst. A hit like that could kill. Vader used the Force to pick up Obi-Wan and carelessly fling him into the same pile of crates I'd been in not 10 minutes ago.
Vader then turned to me and began walking towards the ship.
I didn't think. I turned the ship on and piloted it out of the hanger without a second thought. I flew straight into the battle around the Death Star and had to start thinking again. It was then I realized my selfishness. How I have left Obi-Wan behind? There was no telling what they were doing to him!
Another thought entered my slowly functioning brain and I turned a switch. A small orange light on the ship's right wing turned on. This was one of the Rebellion's secret signs I'd learned during my short stay on Yavin 4, it was used while in an enemy ship while still on the Rebellion's side.
I was considering turning around and trying not to get hit when I was suddenly sucked into a vision.
Vader stood over his ship, pulling levers and making sure it was ready to escape the battle easily. He stepped down to get something from a storm-trooper. That was when I saw Obi-Wan slumping in between two crates, exactly where he'd been when I abandoned him. The guilt rose when I saw blood staining the crate behind his head.
He surprised me by opening his eyes and blinking. And then he stood! How was he functioning? He had to be close to death, and yet he was walking towards Vader! His lightsaber was lit when he suddenly jumped out from behind the crates at Vader.
Vader whipped around with his blade lit, blocking Obi-Wan. Their blades clashed multiple more times in the next minute, the storm trooper dying in the process.
Red and blue sparks flew for the next 12 minutes. Vader would have the upper hand one minute, the next Obi-Wan would, and then the process would repeat. No one interfered.
After the 12 minutes Vader had had enough. He pushed Obi-Wan away, causing him to fall over, and jumped backwards into his ship. The glass hatch quickly shut and Vader took off. But he didn't get far.
Obi-Wan was still on the ground and holding out a hand, stopping his former Padawan from going anywhere.
And then Luke accomplished his mission.
Fire quickly came up the shaft and consumed my vision. I quickly found myself back in the ship's cockpit, flying in the opposite direction of the exploding Death Star along with every other fighter in the battle.
I suddenly felt a searing pain shoot through me, like my body was on fire. I felt like I was slipping into nonexistence. There was a loud piercing siren, which I realized was my own screaming. This wasn't my pain, it was Obi-Wan's. This was what he felt, right now. He felt like his body was on fire because it was. He felt like he was slipping into nonexistence because he was.
Then it stopped. I looked down at my hands; I was still alive, not burned in anyway. But Obi-Wan was. Obi-Wan Kenobi was dead.
I felt tears soaking my face as I tried to steer myself in the right direction. It was hard, since I had tears clouding my vision and, honestly, I didn't know what the right direction was.
So I rode the outskirts of the battle. I was finally managing to stop sobbing when I saw something that boiled my blood. Vader's ship making a clean exit from the battle.
Wasn't he supposed to be dead? He was in the hanger when the station blew up, how the heck had he escaped? He should be dead!
I didn't self control a single thought as I sped towards Vader. I fired desperately at him, but every shot missed. An idea hit me: the Force.
I thoughtlessly extended my hand at the fleeing ship and channeled my anger. I concentrated and Vader's ship's left wing exploded. I smiled victoriously and felt something come over me. It felt amazing and powerful, but I made me feel like I was doing something I shouldn't. It was like a darkness. It was darkness.
"Yes," A new voice spoke in my head. "Let the dark side feed you, young one. Destroy Darth Vader, kill him and become my apprentice!" Sidious. It had to be.
What was I doing? I was letting it feed me, like Sidious wanted. That was what was over me; the dark side of the Force. I had actually used it to blow up Vader's wing. I don't know if I'd ever been more disappointed in myself.
I leaned back in the seat and refused to touch the controls. At that moment I didn't care if I flew into another ship and blew up. I had used the dark side.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on anything good and pure that I could think of. I had to escape it, the dark side. It would not consume me.
New life, sunshine, love, happiness, freedom, Obi-Wan. All these things ran through my head and soon I felt the weight of the dark side lift.
I opened my eyes. Vader was gone and I was about to reenter the battle zone, but that didn't matter at the moment. I had been taken, but I had freed myself.
I set my hands on the controls and was ready to go when the screens began flashing red. I'd been hit.
Thinking faster now, I picked up the radio and began speaking into an open channel. "Mayday! This is Jedi Padawan Kari Roca, I'm in a stolen enemy ship and I'm going down! Mayday!" I shouted.
The ship shook again, the other wing of my ship was gone.
"Help!" I shouted into the radio.
And then the ship exploded.
Thanks to xxxRavensClawxxx for the ideas used in this chapter!
So? What'd you think of it? Was it too rushed? Not detailed enough? Give me your opinions! What do you think's going to happen next? Is Kari dead? Will my computer ever get fixed/replaced?
I apologize for the awful cliffhanger and I'll see you guys next update :)
-Clover
Anonymous Reviews:
rebel clone: You really liked that story? I didn't think anyone did, it was a bad story overall. I am currently rewriting it, but I don't know when I'll post it, as I have dozens of other stories fighting to get online. It will happen, I just don't know when.