Sorry it's taken so long. Here's the next chapter.
Star Wars: Remix version
Chapter Twenty One: The Rebel Alliance
The battered pirateship drifted into orbit around the planet Yavin and proceeded to one of its tiny green moons. The Millenium Falcon soared over the dense jungle.
An alert guard, his blaster in hand, scanned the countryside. He set the gun down and looked toward the temple, barely visible in the foliage. Rotting in a forest of gargantuan trees, an ancient temple lay shrouded in an eerie mist. The air was heavy with the fantastic cries of unimaginable creatures. Han, Luke and the
others were greeted by the Rebel troops. Luke and the group rode into the massive temple on an armored military speeder. The military speeder stopped in a huge spaceship hangar, set up in the interior of the crumbling temple. Willard, the commander of the Rebel forces, rushed up to the group and gave Anna a big hug. Every one was pleased to see her.
"You're safe! We had feared the worst" He said. Once he had composed himself, he stepped back and bowed formally. "When we heard about Alderaan, we were afraid that you were...lost along with your father" Anna shook her head.
"We don't have time for our sorrows, Commander. The battle station has surely tracked us here. It's the only explanation for the ease of our escape. You must use the information in this R2 unit to plan the attack. It is our only hope" Anna said.
"Padme will want to take a look at it" Williard replied, unaware of what hearing her name meant to Luke and Leia. Anna nodded.
"I take it she had not returned to Alderann when it blew apart" She said softly. Williard shook his head.
"She was still in conference on Naboo. She has been sick with worry about you" Anna nodded and they followed Williard.
The surface of the Death Star ominously approached the red planet Yavin. Grand Moff Tarkin and Lord Sky were interrupted in their discussion by the buzz of the comlink. Tarkin moved to answer the call.
"Yes"
"We are approaching the planet Yavin. The Rebel base is on a moon on the far side. We are preparing to orbit the planet" A voice on the other end told him.
A lone guard stood in a tower high above the Yavin landscape, surveying the countryside. A mist hung over the jungle of twisted green.
Padme stood before a large electronic wall display. Anna and several other senators were to one side of the giant readout. The low-ceilinged room was filled with starpilots, navigators, and a sprinkling of R2-type robots. Everyone was listening intently to what Padme is saying. Han and Chewbacca were standing near the back. Luke and Leia stared at the woman, wondering if she would remember them. They were positive that she was thier mother, considering that her last name was Skywalker.
"The battle station is heavily shielded and carries a firepower greater than half the star fleet. It's defenses are designed around a direct large-scale assault. A small one-man fighter should be able to penetrate the outer defense" Padme instructed. Gold Leader, a rough looking man in his early thirties, stood and addressed Padme.
"Pardon me for asking, Senator, but what good are snub fighters going to be against that?" He asked.
"Well, the Empire doesn't consider a small one-man fighter to be any threat, or they'd have a tighter defense. An analysis of the plans provided by Princess Anna has demonstrated a weakness in the battle station" Padme replied. Artoo-Detoo stood next to a similar robot and made beeping sounds, and turned his head from right to left. "The approach will not be easy. You are required to maneuver straight down this trench and skim the surface to this point. The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station"
A murmer of disbelief ran through the room.
"Only a precise hit will set up a chain reaction. The shaft is ray-shielded, so you'll have to use proton torpedoes" Padme continued. Luke was sitting next to Wedge Antilles, a hotshot pilot about sixteen years old.
"That's impossible, even for a computer" Wedge said in disbelief.
"It's not impossible. I used to bull's-eye womp rats in my T-sixteen back home. They're not much bigger than two meters" Luke whispered back. Padme turned and caught Luke's eye and smiled.
"Man your ships! And may the Force be with you!" She said quickly. As the group rose to leave she beckoned to Luke, Leia and Han.
As they came to the front of them room, she put her hands on her hips and stared at Han in mock anger.
"You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye now, were you?" She asked, grinning. Han smirked.
"As you wish, your highness" He said, giving her a hug. Padme laughed, but then turned serious.
"Thank you Han, for everything" Han shrugged.
"No need to thank me" Padme grasped Han's hand.
"There is every reason to thank you. You have saved me so many times, and now you rescued the princess, with the help of my children" She smiled at Luke and Leia. Han smiled.
"I'll leave you with them for awhile" He said. Once he left the room, Padme turned to Luke and Leia.
"Threepio told me you were alive" Leia whispered. "But I never imagined meeting you" Padme sighed.
"You knew she was alive?" Luke asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"There wasn't a good time" Leia replied.
"I will always regret having to send you away" Padme said softly. "I missed you, tremendously"
"How do you know Han?" Luke asked. Padme smiled.
"Believe it or not, Han was once a jedi knight in training" She said. "He was the only youngling jedi to survive. He was five when all the jedi were killed. I tried to keep him under my wing, but he threw away his talent and lightsaber and ran away, joining a smuggling crew. I've run into him alot since then, and he has helped me out a great deal. If it weren't for him, you two would not have born" She smiled. "Luke are you planning on flying one of ships?" Luke nodded.
"We'd better go then" Padme said. "We'll talk more later"
The Death Star began to move around the planet toward the tiny green moon. Tarkin and Vader watch the computer projected screen with interest, as a circle of lights intertwines around one another on the screen showing it's position in relation to Yavin and the forth moon.
"Orbiting the planet at maximum velocity. The moon with the Rebel base will be in range in thirty minutes" A voice said over the intercom.
"This will be a day long remembered. It has seen the end of Kenobi and it will soon see the end of the Rebellion" Darth Sky said.
Luke, Threepio and little Artoo entered the huge spaceship hangar and hurried along a long line of gleaming spacefighters. Flight crews rushed around loading last-minute armaments and unlocking power couplings. In an area isolated from this activity Luke found Han and Chewbacca loading small boxes onto
an armored speeder.
"All flight trooper, man your stations. All flight troops, man your stations" A voice said over the loud speaker. Han was deliberately ignoring the activity of the fighter pilots' preparation. Luke was quite saddened at the sight of his friend's departure.
'So...you got your reward and you're just leaving then?" Luke asked, knowing what was in those boxes.
"That's right, yeah! I got some old debts I've got to pay off with this stuff. Even if I didn't, you don't think I'd be fool enough to stick around here, do you? Why don't you come with us? You're pretty good in a fight. I could use you" Han said, turning to look at Luke.
"Come on! Why don't you take a look around? You know what's about to happen, what they're up against. They could use a good pilot like you. You're turning your back on them" Luke said, getting angry.
"What good's a reward if you ain't around to use it? Besides, attacking that battle station ain't my idea of courage. It's more like suicide" Han retorted.
"All right" Luke said, resigned. "Well, take care of yourself, Han. I guess that's what you're best at, isn't it?" Luke turned to leave and Han hesitated, then called to him.
"Hey, Luke...may the Force be with you!" He said. Luke turned and saw Han wink at him. Luke lifted his hand in a small wave and then left. Han turned to Chewie who growled at his captain,
"What're you lookin' at? I know what I'm doing" Han snapped.
Luke, Leia, Anna and Padme met under a huge space fighter.
"What's wrong?" Leia asked.
"Oh, it's Han! I don't know, I really thought he'd change his mind" Luke muttered.
"He's got to follow his own path. No one can choose it for him" Anna said softly.
"I only wish Ben were here" Luke said softly. Padme smiled gently at her son. Anna gave Luke a little kiss, turned, and left. As Luke headed for his ship, another pilot rushed up to him and grabbed his arm.
"Luke! I don't believe it! How'd you get here...are you going out with us?!" The pilot asked. It was Luke's old friend Biggs.
"Biggs! Of course, I'll be up there with you! Listen, have I got some stories to tell..." He trailed off as Red Leader, a rugged handsome man in his forties, came up behind Luke and Biggs. He has the confident smile of a born leader.
"Are you...Luke Skywalker?" He asked. Luke nodded. "Have you been checked out on the Incom T-sixty-five?"
"Sir, Luke is the best bushpilot in the outer rim territories" Biggs vouched. Red Leader smiled and patted Luke on the back as they stopped in front of his fighter.
"I met your father once when I was just a boy, he was a great pilot. You'll do all right. If you've got half of your father's skill, you'll do better than all right" Red Leader said confidently.
"Thank you, sir. I'll try" Luke replied. Red Leader hurried to his own ship.
"I've got to get aboard. Listen, you'll tell me your stories when we come back. All right?" Biggs said. Luke grinned.
"I told you I'd make it someday, Biggs"
"You did, all right. It's going to be like old times, Luke. We're a couple of shooting stars that'll never be
stopped!" Biggs said laughing. Luke laughed too and shook his head in agreement. He headed for his ship. As Luke began to climb up the ladder into his sleek, deadly spaceship, the crew chief, who was working on the craft, pointed to little Artoo, who was being hoisted into a socket on the back of the fighter.
"This R2 unit of your seems a bit beat up. Do you want a new one?" The crew chief asked.
"Not on your life!" Luke declared. "That little droid and I have been through a lot together" He turned to Artoo. "You okay, Artoo?" The crewmen lowered Artoo-Detoo into the craft. Now a part of the exterior shell of the starship, the little droid beeped that he was fine. Luke climbed up into the cockpit of his fighter and put an his helmet. Threepio looked on from the floor of the massive hangar as the crewmen secured his little electronic partner into Luke's X-wing. It was an emotional-filled moment as Artoo eeped good-bye.
"Okay, easy she goes!" The crew chief said.
"Hang on tight, Artoo, you've got to come back" Threepio said worriedly. Artoo beeped in agreement.
"you wouldn't want my life to get boring, would you?" Threepio asked. Artoo whistled his response. All final preparations were made for the approaching battle. The hangar was buzzing with the last minute activity as the pilots and crewmen alike made their final adjustments. The hum of activity was occasionally trespassed by the distorted voice of the loudspeaker issuing commands. Coupling hoses were
disconnected from the ships as they were fueled. Cockpit shields rolled smoothly into place over each pilot. A signalman, holding red guiding lights, directed the ships. Luke, a trace of a smile gracing his lips, peered about through his goggles.
"Luke, the Force will be with you" He heard Ben's voice.
Luke was confused at the voice and tapped his headphones. Then he shrugged, ready for action.