"Uh oh." Solo broke the long silence that had settled like a fog over the Falcon. Chewie grunted interrogatively at him, and then glanced down at the display board, making some quick adjustments.
"What is it?" Bail asked nervously, trying to see exactly what the Wookiee was looking at on the display.
Solo shook his head and pointed out the viewport. "Not there. There." Bail looked up, his eyes widening.
A pair of Star Destroyers cut through the sky above them, close enough to the lower atmosphere to make out the wedge shaped silhouettes. A shadow appeared above them as a third destroyer, dwarfing its escorts, followed along, drawing closer with the ominous certainty of summer whirlwind.
"What the hell…" Solo started. "That thing is kriffing huge." Chewie grunted in agreement.
"We have to go after Luke and Leia," Bail said sharply. "Vader must have called in his troops."
"Yeah, I think you're right," Solo said, moving to start the Falcon's engines. "Hang on- we're going to have to do some fancy flying. Those turbolasers are definitely in range and the Falcon's shields can only handle so much." He patted the control panels affectionately. "Hang in there, girl."
The repulsors bounced as Solo lifted off cold, gunning the throttle in the direction Luke had hiked. "Chewie," he said, "Go get ready for a pick up. We might need to lift them in through the lower porthole." Chewbacca stood, preparing to head for the center of the ship when they were buffeted by a blast that burst from one of the destroyers, sending shards of glassy melted sand spraying out of the canyon and across the desert. Breha screamed.
"What are they doing? They're going to take out their own guy…" Solo muttered.
"I imagine that's the intent," Bail responded coldly, settling into the copilot's seat as Chewbacca continued back towards the porthole.
"Not following you here," Han responded, guiding the ship around a pair of high mesas.
"The Jedi wanted us to keep Leia and Luke away from Vader and the Emperor to protect them," Bail explained, watching Solo carefully as he gently eased the Falcon closer to the ground. "I think Vader was going to try to use them to depose the Emperor."
"So now old Palpy is having his revenge?" He pointed to a second control panel in front of Bail. "By the way, you know how to fly? Wanna help me out here?"
"I thought you'd never ask," responded Bail with a tight smile, "Awaiting your orders, Captain."
"Slow us down to 30 knots," Solo said. "I'm not sure how we're going to find them in all this." The dust clouds kicked up by the star destroyer's barrage were thicker as they closed in on the canyon edge. From his experience on Tatooine, Solo knew these canyons crisscrossed for hundreds of kilometers like cracks in glass across the surface. The Kid could be anywhere.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxx
The force of the blast flung Luke into Leia, sending them both flying headlong towards the canyon wall. Instinctively, Luke wrapped his body around his sister as hot sand poured down on them. As the reverberations quieted, he stood, coughing in the dust.
"What was that? Did you do that?" he asked, trying to keep the accusation out of his voice. Leia shook her head wildly, trying to get her ears to stop ringing.
"It's the Emperor," she shouted. She pointed upwards, where a shadow was beginning to blot out the suns, plunging the canyon into darkness. "It's my fault. We have to get out of here."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Vader lost consciousness as the blast threw him into one of the canyon walls, partially burying him under a deluge of small boulders. A moment later, he awoke, searching the filthy air desperately for a sign of his children. The fight with Leia faded into the back of his memory as he screamed their names into the cloud of dirt. He saw a shadow to one side and turned his head, wiping grit off his mask as he tried to discern the image. For just a moment, he thought he could see his mother standing there, calm in the swirling dust, holding her arms out to him. Another blink and the image vanished.
He screamed again into the dust, fighting his way forward. He'd already lost everything: must he lose his children again too? In a blaze of fury and terror, he flung the sand and dirt out of his way using the Force, delving deeper into the canyon. There….he thought, the terror of loss squeezing his head like a vise….voices.
"Love is stronger than fear." It was Luke, his words carrying on the blast driven wind. "When fear takes over, you think you're helping those you love, but you're really driving them away. You have to look to the light."
Padme, he thought, remembering the images of her serene body marched solemnly down the streets of Theed before her burial. It was my fault. I killed you. And now his daughter wouldn't even acknowledge him. He'd only been trying to do the right thing. He relaxed his hands, letting the winds swirl around him unchecked once more, and made his way back to the shuttle. There was something he needed to do.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Not without Father." Luke grabbed her hands, turning her to look into his eyes. "Please, Leia. You were going to let him live. I know you were." She looked down, tears in her eyes. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. You're so strong, Leia. But we have to do this. We can't leave him."
"I won't forgive him," she shouted, following Luke back into the maelstrom of dust. "I'm doing this for you."
"That's all I would ask."
"Just so we're clear."
They pulled their shirts over their faces, blinking away grit as they made their way back towards the shuttle and the clearing where they had last seen Vader.
"He was up," Leia said, looking over her shoulder. "What makes you think he couldn't get himself out? What makes you think he isn't coming after us?" She began scanning wildly, gripping Luke's hand like a vise. "He could be right behind us."
Luke draped an arm around her, pulling her close. "Don't be afraid. Remember, love is stronger than fear."
"I'm not quite sure what the practical application of that platitude is right now," Leia muttered grumpily.
"Just don't let the fear overwhelm you. Feel the Light." He held her closer, guiding her forward as he flooded her with the Force. "See…" She could only nod silently.
They nearly ran smack into the side of the shuttle, and used their hands to probe the hull until they found the telltale seam of the entry. Not wanting to search for controls, Luke used the Force to yank it open, leading Leia inside.
Leia sucked in her breath sharply as she heard a noise from the cockpit. Luke waved for her to stay where she was and went to investigate.
He was sprawled in the pilot's seat, his breath still uneven as he fumbled for the controls. "Luke," he said, not turning around. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Luke responded stiffly.
"And your sister?"
"I think she's all right too."
"Palpatine is coming," he sighed.
"I know."
"It's my fault. It's all my fault."
Luke chuckled mirthlessly. "Funny, Leia said the same thing."
"I never should have hurt her. I only wanted to save her."
"Father?" Luke stepped over to the pilot's seat with a concerned look. "What do you mean?"
"It was my dreams. She was going to die. I thought I had to do it."
"Father, I don't understand." Luke's mind went to Yoda's story of his father's fall from grace. Was he talking about Leia, or their mother?
The sound of a light footstep caught Luke's attention, and he noticed that Leia had crept into the cockpit to join them. As she caught sight of the black suited man slumped in the pilot's seat, and Leia leapt back, pressing herself against the wall.
"What's going on?" she asked quietly.
"I don't know," Luke responded.
"I won't let him take you," their father rasped. "He took me, but I won't let him take you." He reached a hand into his belt, and pulled out the lightsaber he had confiscated from Leia. "Here. You might need this someday….if you are to train, like your brother."
She took the proffered weapon gingerly, as though it might be a trick, and he collapsed back into the seat. "Listen to your brother, Leia. Don't be like me, weak and afraid. That's what turned me into this. The Dark Side lost me everything. Don't let it do the same to you."
"But…it's too late," Leia protested, "The Emperor…."
"Leave him to me," her father responded firmly. "Just….please. Let me touch you, just once, before you go."
Luke knelt down, squeezing his hand firmly as Leia stayed firmly pressed up against the wall. "Be careful, Father."
"Son, take good care of your sister," He told him. "It's up to you now."
Luke looked pleadingly at Leia. "Do it for me," he whispered.
Tentatively, she held out a hand towards her father, trying not to shudder as he peeled off his glove, revealing a palm webbed with scars. Gently, he set his hand on top of hers. She prayed that he wouldn't try to say that he loved her, or to apologize now. Empty words would only hurt more.
"Now go," he said. "Go."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxx
The moment the twin's feet hit the dusty ground, they heard the shuttle's engines rumble to life. Dashing away, Leia turned to Luke. "Where is he going? And how the hell are we going to get out of here?"
"I brought a ride," he grinned, pulling her forward while watching anxiously as the shuttle sped in the direction of the enormous ships hovering above them.
"I think I see it," Leia smiled, as a familiar ship appeared over the edge of the canyon. She stepped forward and waved as it dipped down for a landing. Luke looked back, suddenly wary.
"Lei-" He only got a syllable of her name out before one of the star destroyers fired again, blasting rock from the side of the canyon and sending it tumbling down on them.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Solo couldn't contain his grin when he made out the two dust covered figures hiking through the center of the canyon. Both pure brown from head to toe, it was obviously the Kid and the Princess. As an unnecessary confirmation, Leia began waving, her broad smile showing through the dust coating her face. "Almost there," he thought, settling down to land and reaching forward to disengage the shields.
Usually it was the fact that he was a second ahead of the game that saved Solo's life, but in the case his delay was what preserved them all to fight another round. Another shot from the star destroyer crackled around them, straining the shields almost to failure as he saw rocks falling like rain around them.
Frozen, he watched as the cliff face took the brunt of the shot, cracking under the heat and pressure and falling in a heap right where his friends stood waiting.