The flight from Dagobah back to Mustafar had been uneventful and endured in utter silence, for Vader had not spoken one single word to his son for the duration of their return trip, nor had Luke spoken to him for that matter.
While their mission had been a partial success due to the death of Master Yoda, the escape of Princess Leia had left Vader with a sense of dissatisfaction. While his son had indeed performed well, the Dark Lord could see that there was still room for improvement in spite of his power, and Vader could only wonder if Luke was truly ready to face the Emperor. Moreover, there's no telling how the Princess, now a Jedi, may influence future events.
Once they'd finally arrived back at Fortress Vader, Vader had promptly withdrawn to the comfort and isolation of his bacta tank to treat his wounds and meditate in silence, leaving the medical droids to attend to his son.
But even as Vader floated into the gentle caress of the gelatinous healing fluid, he quickly found himself becoming lost in his own thoughts. What Vader hadn't dared to let his son know was that his battle against Yoda in the center of his mind had left him shaken, for it had reopened old wounds that the Dark Lord had long believed to be buried and forgotten.
Before long, Vader was being bombarded by images and faces from his past as Anakin Skywalker in spite of his efforts to banish them from his mind.
"Stop haunting me! Anakin Skywalker is dead!" he wordlessly snarled at them.
Although the Dark Lord would eventually manage to reach some measure of peace, a sense of doubt and uncertainty continued to linger like a scar on his mind.
How long the Dark Lord remained there, he couldn't say, but it felt like days before he finally sensed the presence of someone kneeling before the bacta tank.
"My lord..." came the voice of Vaneé, his most dedicated servant, "The Emperor commands you to make contact with him."
The words gave Vader a small moment of pause, but within a few moments, the bacta began to slowly drain from the tank, as the Dark Lord prepared to get fitted back into his armor.
A short time later, Vader came into his throne room, and knelt before the holoprojector in the center of the room as the black-hooded image of his master materialized before him.
"What is thy bidding, my master?"
"Lord Vader, the time has come..." Emperor Palpatine announced.
Once Vader heard what his master had to say, he knew that he and his son could hold off on their plans for no longer. The time had indeed finally come...
At the same time, Luke sat silently in his quarters, also lost in his own thoughts, for what had taken place on Dagobah had left him shaken as well.
Raising a hand to the bandage covering the gash on his face where Leia had slashed him, Luke knew that there was truly no going back now. Not that he had actually stood with Vader against his friends. Not that he was an accomplice in the death of Master Yoda.
Leia's mentor... Just as he had been Obi-Wan's.
He had always tried not to think about what would happen when he had finally encountered his friends again, but now, he knew that he shouldn't have expected any other outcome than what had taken place. He'd been set on this path ever since he'd learned the truth about his father back on Hoth, and although Luke had hoped he could convince Leia of the righteousness of his path, he now knew it had been a fool's errand from the start.
He had to accept the fact that he was no longer friends with Leia. Nor was he with Han or Chewie or any of them.
He simply couldn't be. His old life was over.
And Luke now knew that the more he refused to accept that, the more he would only be holding himself back. He knew that now beyond the shadow of any possible doubt.
But then, if that was true then why did a part of him still feel conflicted?
Luke pressed his palms into his eyes; where were these haunting thoughts coming from? Why couldn't he banish them from his mind?
Then, Luke was shocked out of his thoughts when the door to his room suddenly opened without any warning, and there standing before him, was his father.
"Walk with me, my son." Darth Vader said simply.
Luke suddenly felt slightly uneasy. There was something unusual in his father's demeanor, something he just couldn't put his finger on. But dutifully, he got up and followed.
They hadn't been walking for very long, when Vader suddenly stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of a hallway without warning whatever.
"Father?" a confused Luke questioned.
"Your performance on Dagobah was quite impressive, Luke." his father seemed to commend, "However, I remain unsure if you are truly ready to face the emperor, and I thought that perhaps more time was needed to test your skills."
Luke opened his mouth to speak, but had no sooner begun to form the first word when suddenly, out of nowhere, Vader ignited his lightsaber, and spun around to swing at his son's head.
Shocked, Luke just barely ducked under the attack in time, and reflexively ignited his own lightsaber, parrying two more strikes from his father before raising it above his to head to block a powerful downward swing.
"But there is no more time, my son." the Dark Lord said through the blade lock, "Death does not wait for you to be ready. Death is not considerate, nor is it fair! And make no mistake: when you face my master, you will face Death."
What followed was probably the most vicious training session between father and son yet.
That is, if it could even be called a training session, as Vader drove his son back throughout the hallways of his castle, sparks all but exploded around them as their lightsabers clashed, moving at unparalleled speed, tearing up bits of the walls as they went.
All the while, Vader continued his ranting lecture to his son.
"I destroyed his enemies. Forged for him an empire. And yet like the Jedi, he left me a mere shadow of what I had been promised. He has taken everything."
Finally, Luke found an opening, and slashed at his father's side. Grunting in pain, Vader countered by headbutting his son, slamming the dome of his helmet into Luke's skull, sending staggering backwards in a daze.
Then, thrusting his palm outward, Vader then sent Luke flying backwards with a powerful Force push, causing his son to slam into the wall where the hallways terminated into a junction.
Not missing a single beat, the Dark Lord then hurled his lightsaber at his downed son. Struggling to regain his bearings, Luke looked up to see the his father's saber spinning through the air towards him, and just barely managed to roll out of the way before the weapon took his head off.
Calling his weapon back to his hand, Vader advanced on his son, who quickly leapt back to his feet to meet him with another strike.
Eventually, the vicious duel led Vader and Luke out of the hallways and into the grand hall of Vader's castle.
"The emperor took everything from me, my son." Vader resumed his speech, "And he will take everything from you as well. All who you care for will die at his hands, and it will be your doing. Pray you do not fail them as I failed her."
"Who?" Luke stiffened, though he already had an inkling of who his father meant.
For a moment, Vader froze, jarred at what he'd just said.
The Dark Lord had been shaken to the core when Luke had asked about his mother on the way to Dagobah, and had refused to speak on the matter in that moment. But now, caught in the moment, he'd let it slip, and spoken openly about Padme for the first in many years.
Regaining his composure, Vader swung at Luke again, fueled by his fears and anger of revealing everything he'd tried to lock away for so long. But Luke reacted quickly, and parried the strike before delivering a spinning back kick to his father's masked face, staggering him.
Lunging forward with his lightsaber raised, Luke struck at Vader again, but the Dark Lord quickly recovered to block the attack with his own saber before delivering a hard blow with the back of his mechanical hand to his son's jaw, sending him stumbling backwards.
Finally regaining his balance, Luke spat out a gob of blood, before glaring up at his father in increasing anger.
"Who was my mother, father? What happened to her?" he demanded.
For a long moment, Vader said nothing, and only glared back at his son as the two of them stood across from one another at opposite ends of the grand hall.
"Do you truly want to know what happened to your mother, Luke?" the Dark Lord asked, his slowly gradually growing louder as he spoke, "I will tell you. Shortly before your birth, I received visions of her dying in childbirth. My master promised me that with the power of the Dark Side, she could be saved. But instead, he manipulated me into becoming the very instrument of her death!"
Luke could only gape at Vader, "You... You mean that you... you...?"
"THAT is what the emperor will do to you if you fail!" Vader ranted.
"NEVER!" Luke bellowed as rage filled his entire being.
Rage at his father. At the emperor. Even at himself.
Screaming in fury, Luke rushed at his father with a frenzy not seen before. Striking wildly, Luke soon began to drive his father back as Vader suddenly found himself struggling to ward off his son's increasingly powerful blows.
Yes, my son. That's it. Let the power of your hatred flow through you.
But then, Luke made the mistake of overextending himself in his rage, and his father took the opportunity to disarm him by hooking his lightsaber out of his hands just as the Dark Lord had done with Leia on Dagobah.
Grabbing Luke by the neck, Vader then proceeded to throw his son across the grand hall to land hard on the solid stone floor.
As Luke forced himself back to his feet, Vader threw his lightsaber at his son once again, forcing him to leap to the side to avoid the spinning blade. Undaunted, the Dark Lord called his lightsaber back to his hand, and threw it at Luke again, and again Luke dodged out of the way of the flying weapon. Recalling his lightsaber again, Vader watched at Luke suddenly leapt into the air towards him before throwing his lightsaber at his son a third time.
This time however, Luke actually caught the saber in mid-air, and threw the weapon back at his father as he landed back on the ground a short distance away. Vader growled in pained fury as the spinning blade passed sliced through his mechanical hand, severing it for real this time unlike during the vision battle with Yoda. Lunging forward, the Dark Lord swung his remaining metal fist at his son, but Luke ducked under it and rolled around his father before delivering a powerful kick to Vader's back.
As Vader stumbled forward, Luke lunged towards his father again, but the Dark Lord spun around at the last moment, and thrust his hand out in a Force Push, knocking Luke backwards to land on the floor once again.
As Luke again struggled to regain his feet, he watched in growing alarm as his father raised both of his arms, and used the Force to tear a rather large number of sharp metal strips from the walls before sending them all hurtling towards son in deadly hail.
Acting out of pure instinct, Luke drew all the power that he could muster towards the center of his very being, causing it to manifest as a ring of displaced air resembling the shockwave of a sonic boom around his body as he was levitated into the air. Just as the metal strips were only inches away from slicing him to ribbons, Luke suddenly thrust his hands outward, firing Dark Side energy in all directions in a powerful explosive wave, sending all the projectiles flying away from him.
Vader stared in shock as his son landed back on the ground.
Force Repulse... the Dark Lord thought. That wasn't a technique that he'd taught his son.
Before Vader could even react, Luke thrust his hands towards him and unleashed a powerful barrage of crimson Force Lightning at his father. Taken off guard, Vader could only groan in intense pain as the lightning struck directly into his chest panel and soon engulfed his entire body. Letting out a scream of rage, Luke did not let up and continued to blast Vader with the lightning even as his father's breathing grew increasingly labored.
Finally, Vader's cybernetics and life support systems were compromised by the barrage to the point where he could no longer even defend himself, and collapsed to his knees.
Calling both his and his father's lightsabers to his hands, Luke ran up to stand before his defeated Vader, and held both blades in a scissors-cross between the Dark Lord's throat, all the while glaring at his father in anger.
Vader, however, wasn't worried. In fact, in spite of the pain, and the damage to his suit, the Dark Lord felt strangely elated, for he knew it that moment, that he'd finally done it. He had finally turned his son into the ultimate weapon against the Emperor.
"Your skills are complete, my son. You are ready." Vader said, "And the time to strike has come at last."
Luke continued to glare at his father, but said nothing as Vader slowly pulled out a small holoprojector, and held it up for his son to see. Once his father activated it however, Luke could only stare in utter shock at the image that materialized before him.
It was the image of the half-completed structure of a second Death Star...
Once Vader finished explaining the emperor's intentions, as well as his own plan to destroy his master, Luke promptly deactivated both lightsabers, and helped his father back to his feet, for he knew that Vader was right. There truly was no longer any time for any of Luke's personal feelings towards either Vader or his friends.
They had to act NOW.
Because if they didn't, then everything that Luke had ever accomplished, both under the Rebellion and under his father, would be all for nothing. In fact, the entire cause of the Rebellion itself would be all for nothing.
Luke could not, WOULD NOT, allow that happen...
Somewhere in the depths of space, the Millennium Falcon emerged from hyperspace to find the vast Rebel Fleet stretched out as far as the eye could see. A dozen small Corellian battleships flew in close formation, while fighters and battlecruisers were converged around the largest of the Rebel ships, the modified MC80A Home One Type Heavy Star Cruiser known as the Headquarters Frigate.
Making its way towards the massive warship, the Falcon begin it's docking procedures, and carefully entered the Headquarter Frigate's main hanger.
"Home sweet home." Han said as he set the Falcon down, "And it looks like they were nice enough to send us a welcoming committee."
Leia looked out the cockpit window to see that a large group of Rebel leaders and soldiers had gathered near the Falcon's entrance ramp, and the sight filled her with a sudden feeling of apprehension. Other than the message she'd sent through Han to explain her training under Yoda, this was the first time Leia had made direct contact with the Alliance since Hoth, and the truth was, she couldn't help but fear that some may feel that she'd more or less abandoned them.
"Leia?" Han's inquired, snapping her back to the present, "You coming?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry." she replied, seeing that he and the others were already starting to exit the cockpit.
As the group made their way down the entrance ramp, they found Mon Mothma, the political leader of the Rebel Alliance, standing at the head of the group waiting for them. Taking a breath, Leia walked up to her.
"Mon Mothma..." she greeted as respectfully as she could, bracing herself for whatever to come.
But Mon Mothma only smiled, "Welcome back, Princess. Or should I say, Master Jedi?"
All around them, the scores of Rebel soldiers and leaders began to cheer and applaud with no sign of any feelings of resentment whatsoever.
Before Leia had even realized it, she was smiling as well. Taking out her lightsaber, she proudly held it above her head, and ignited the blade for all to see.
The glow of the emerald laser sword caused the cheers of the Rebels to raise to near deafening levels.
For the first time in a long time, Leia felt like she was home.
The monstrous half-completed Death Star II loomed high above the forest moon of Endor, its massive superstructure curling away from the completed section like the arms of some giant octopus.
An Imperial Star Destroyer moves overhead toward the massive armored space station, followed by two zipping TIE fighters. A small Imperial shuttle rockets from the main bay of the ship and hustles toward the Death Star.
Inside the cockpit, the shuttle captain made contact with the massive partially finished battlestation.
"Command station, this is ST 321. Code Clearance Blue. We're starting our approach. Deactivate the security shield."
The reply came a moment later, "The security deflector shield will be deactivated when we have confirmation of your code transmission. Stand by... You are clear to proceed."
"We're starting our approach." confirmed the shuttle captain.
Inside the Death Star control room, operators moved about among the control panels as a control officer barked orders.
"Inform the commander that Lord Vader's shuttle has arrived." a control officer ordered.
"Yes, sir." one of the operators said.
The control officer made his way over to a view port and watched as the Imperial shuttle landed in the massive main docking bay as a squad of Imperial stormtroopers moved into formation before the craft.
The troopers snapped to attention as the exit hatch of the shuttle opened with loud Whoosh to reveal only darkness.
Then, there came the sounds of heavy footsteps and mechanical breathing as Darth Vader, his fully repaired again, emerged from the black void, and looked over the assemblage as he walked down the ramp. As he reached the bottom, the Death Star Commander, Moff Jerjerrod quickly strode through the stormtrooper formation to greet the Dark Lord.
"Lord Vader, this is an unexpected pleasure. We're honored by your presence." he said nervously.
"You may dispense with the pleasantries, Commander." replied Vader, "I'm here to put you back on schedule."
Jerjerrod began turn pale, "I assure you, Lord Vader, my men are working as fast as they can."
"Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them." the Dark Lord retorted.
"I tell you, this station will be operational as planned." insisted Jerjerrod.
"The Emperor does not share your optimistic appraisal of the situation." Vader informed him.
"But he asks the impossible." Jerjerrod protested, "I need more men."
"Then perhaps you can tell him when he arrives." Vader suggested ominously.
Jerjerrod was aghast, "The Emperor's coming here?"
"That is correct, Commander." confirmed Vader, "And he is most displeased with your apparent lack of progress."
"We shall double our efforts." Jerjerrod quickly assured.
"I hope so, Commander, for your sake." warned Vader, "The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am."
Down on the moon of Endor, a lone cloaked and hooded figure sat in deep meditation on the forest floor. Then suddenly, they slowly looked up through the canopy of trees to see the half-completed structure of the second Death Star in the sky as a familiar presence made itself known to them through the Force.
It is time... the hooded figure realized.
Rising to their feet, the figure proceeded to make their way further and further into the forest.
Before long, it began to grow dark as the foliage grew thicker, and the day gradually turned to night. Eventually, the darkness had grown so thick that one couldn't see their own hand in front of their face; moreover, the silence was deafening, the only sounds a slight rustle in the trees and the figure's own footsteps.
But in spite of the growing unease, the figure continued forward on their journey undaunted.
All of a sudden, the loud blast of a distant horn pierced through the silent blackness, causing the figure to finally come to a stop in their tracks.
For a very long moment, the figure stood stock-still, listening intently, and scanning the darkness surrounding them. Before long, there came the sound of voices chattering in an alien language as several sets of glowing eyes became visible between the trees.
And then, a group of small, furry creatures carrying spears emerged from the darkness and cautiously surrounded the hooded figure.
Ewoks. They are called Ewoks.
"There is no need for violence, my friends." the figure said to them gently, raising their hands in a placatory gesture, "In fact, there is much we can do for one another."
Back onboard Headquarters Frigate, hundreds of Rebel commanders of all races were assembling in the war room in preparation for upcoming attack. Moving through the crowd, Lando spotted Han and Chewie standing next to Leia and the two droids, and quickly made his way over to them.
"Well, look at you, a general, huh?" Han said, peering at the new insignia on Lando's chest in amusement.
Lando gave Han a knowing look, "Oh, well, someone must have told them about my little maneuver at the battle of Taanab."
"Well, don't look at me, pal." Han said with defensive sarcasm, "I just said you were a fair pilot. I didn't know they were lookin' for somebody to lead this crazy attack."
"I'm surprised they didn't ask you to do it." replied Lando.
"Well, who says they didn't?" Han grinned as he sat down between Leia and Chewie, "But I ain't crazy. You're the respectable one, remember?"
Then, the room began to fall silent as Mon Mothma entered the room, and signaled for attention. At her side were several military leaders including General Madine and Admiral Ackbar.
"The Emperor has made a critical error and the time for our attack has come." she announced.
In the center of the room is a holographic model depicting the half-completed Imperial Death Star, the nearby Moon of Endor, and the protecting deflector shield was activated for all to see.
"The data brought to us by the Bothan spies pinpoints the exact location of the Emperor's new battle station." continued Mon Mothma, "We also know that the weapon systems of this Death Star are not yet operational. With the Imperial Fleet spread throughout the galaxy in a vain effort to engage us, it is relatively unprotected. But most important of all, we've learned that the Emperor himself will be personally overseeing the final stages of the construction of this Death Star."
A round of spirited chatter erupted from the crowd at the news, but Mon Montha quickly motioned for quiet again, her expression somber.
"Many Bothans died to bring us this information." she said gravely, before ultimately turning towards Admiral Ackbar, "Admiral Ackbar, please."
Ackbar dutifully stepped forward and pointed to the Death Star's force field and the Moon of Endor.
"You can see here the Death Star orbiting the forest Moon of Endor." he explained, "Although the weapon systems on this Death Star are not yet operational, the Death Star does have a strong defense mechanism. It is protected by an energy shield, which is generated from the nearby forest Moon of Endor. The shield must be deactivated if any attack is to be attempted. Once the shield is down, our cruisers will create a perimeter, while the fighters fly into the superstructure and attempt to knock out the main reactor. General Calrissian has volunteered to lead the fighter attack."
Although there was some concerned murmur amongst the gathered, Han gave Lando a look of respect.
"Good luck." the smuggler said, to which Lando nodded his thanks, "You're gonna need it."
Admiral Ackbar then turned to address another one of the Rebel leaders, "General Madine."
General Madine nodded, and moved to stand before the assembly.
"We have stolen a small Imperial shuttle." he said, "Disguised as a cargo ship, and using a secret Imperial code, a strike team will land on the moon and deactivate the shield generator."
The assembly began to mumble among themselves at this.
"Sounds dangerous." C-3PO commented.
Leia leaned towards Han and asked, "I wonder who they found to pull that off."
"General Solo..." General Madine addressed Han, "Is your strike team assembled?
Shocked, Leia stared at Han, her surprise slowly changing to a look of admiration.
Flustered, Han cleared his throat, "Uh, my team's ready. I don't have a command crew for the shuttle."
At this, Chewbacca immediately raised a big, hairy paw and let out a voluntary bark.
Han looked up at him, "Well, it's gonna be rough, pal. I didn't want to speak for you."
Chewie quickly waved it off with a dismissive growl.
"That's one." Han said to General Madine.
"Uh, General..." Leia grinned at Han, "Count me in."
At this, R2 enthusiastically gave his own voluntary beep before turning towards a worried C-3PO.
"'Exciting' is hardly the word I would use." the protocol droid replied, knowing full well that R2 had volunteered him as well.
Grinning, Han turned back towards General Madine, "Well, I guess that's all settled."
"Good." replied the Rebel General, "Also, we have just received word from our agent on Endor that contact has been made with the forest moon's indigenous population, and they have agreed to join in our attack on the shield generator. So your first objective once you have landed will be to link up with our agent and join forces with them."
"Who is this agent?" Han asked inquisitively.
"Unfortunately..." General Madine said, "At the moment, their name is on a need to know basis."
Han blinked, "Then how the hell are we supposed to find them?"
"You won't have to. They'll find you." replied General Madine.
At this, Han could only share a confused look with Leia.
By now, everyone had gathered back in the main hanger of the Headquarters Frigate. The Millennium Falcon rested near the stolen Imperial Shuttle, which looked rather out of place amongst all the Rebel ships inside the vast docking bay of the Headquarters Frigate. Leia and Chewbacca said their goodbyes to Lando before leading R2-D2, and C-3PO up the shuttle ramp along with the Rebel strike team busy loading weapons and supplies.
Han however, had a few last words for Lando.
"Look. I want you to take her." he said, gesturing to the Falcon, "I mean it. Take her. You need all the help you can get. She's the fastest ship in the fleet."
"All right, old buddy. You know, I know what she means to you." assured Lando, "I'll take good care of her. She-she won't get a scratch. All right?"
Han gave Lando a warm smile, "Right. I got your promise now. Not a scratch."
"Look, would you get going, you pirate." urged Lando, giving Han a salute, "Good luck."
"You, too." Han replied, returning the salute.
With that, Han finally began to head up the ramp. Lando watched him go for a moment before ultimately turning away to make his way toward the Falcon.
As Han entered the cockpit of the shuttle, and took his place in the pilot's seat, he found Chewie in the seat next to him, trying to figure out all the Imperial controls.
"You got her warmed?" Han asked his co-pilot.
Chewie gave an affirmative bark, but then growled a complaint.
Han rolled his eyes, "No. I don't think the Empire had Wookiees in mind when they designed her, Chewie."
It was then that Leia, R2-D2, and C-3PO came in from the hold and took their seats behind Han and Chewie.
Chewie hit a few more switches, and barked to announce that all was ready. Han however, sat stock-still for a moment as his gaze seemed to be stuck on something outside the window. It was the Millennium Falcon.
Leia gently nudged him, "Hey, are you awake?"
"Yeah, I just got a funny feeling." Han assured, but his eyes remained locked on his beloved ship, "Like I'm not gonna see her again...
Upon hearing this, Chewbacca took a longing look out at the Falcon as well. Finally, Leia put a hand on Han's shoulder.
"Come on, General, let's move." she said gently.
"Right." Han snapped back to life, "Chewie, let's see what this piece of junk can do. Ready, everybody?"
"Here we go again." C-3PO mused as R2 let out a series of beeps.
With that the stolen Imperial shuttle lifted off from the hanger floor and smoothly made it way out of the main docking bay into the vacuum of space, before finally lowering its wings into flight position.
"All right, hang on." Han told everybody as he pressed the hyperspace throttle, and the shuttle promptly soared forward into lightspeed.
Even as the Rebel strike team made its way through hyperspace, another Imperial Shuttle was in the process of entering the massive docking bay on the second Death Star, where thousands of Imperial troops in tight formation stood waiting.
At the same time, Darth Vader and Commander Jerjerrod walked briskly to the landing platform where the shuttle finally set down to rest.
Slowly, the shuttle's landing ramp lowered, and six crimson-robed Imperial Royal Guards stepped out and proceeded to form a lethal perimeter at the foot of the platform. At this, the assembled troops all stood to rigid attention with a momentous SNAP that resonated throughout the entire hanger.
For a long moment, there was only silence.
Then, Darth Vader and Commander Jerjerrod both knelt down as Emperor Palpatine, the Supreme Ruler of the galaxy, finally appeared, his bent and shriveled black-cloaked form slowly making its way down the ramp with the aid of a gnarled cane.
Upon reaching the bottom, Palpatine beckoned to Darth Vader, "Rise, my friend."
Dutifully, Vader rose and fell in next to the Emperor as the Royal procession began to make it's way along the rows of Imperial troops.
"The Death Star will be completed on schedule" Vader reported.
"You have done well, Lord Vader." Palpatine commended, "And now I trust you wish to continue your search for young Skywalker."
"No, my Master. I captured Skywalker shortly before my reassignment here." Vader replied matter-of-factly.
"Truly?" Palpatine looked up at him, almost stopping in mid-stride.
"I wished to tell you in person, Master." explained Vader, "He is being held on my ship as we speak."
"And where has he been all this time?" Palpatine inquired.
"The Dagobah system." replied Vader, "He was being trained in the ways of the Jedi by Master Yoda."
Palpatine was silent for a long moment as though haunted by the name of the great Jedi Master, and the memory of their vicious duel many years ago.
"So, our little green friend finally resurfaces after all these years." he said at last, "And still causing trouble it seems..."
"No longer, my master. Master Yoda has been destroyed." Vader assured him.
A smile spread across Palpatine's face at the news, "You have preformed even better than I could have imagined, Lord Vader. But you must bring Skywalker before me. Only together can we turn him to the dark side of the Force."
"As you wish, Master." Vader bowed obediently.
"Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen." Palpatine mused, beginning to laugh to himself.
Nearby, disguised as a common stormtrooper, Luke could only watch silently as his father and the Emperor passed along the vast columns of Imperial troops. Though the Emperor's face was shrouded and hard to see, Luke was still able make out Palpatine's piercing yellow eyes.
For a moment, Luke almost thought those terrible eyes actually met his own for one brief instant.
They truly seemed to be the eyes of utter darkness... The very eyes of evil itself...
A true sense of fear began to fill Luke's being, but he quickly fought to force it down.
This was it.
This was their great objective, their chance to end this destructive conflict, and bring order to the galaxy, was within reach at last. If they failed, his friends would die. Countless people across the galaxy would suffer and die under Palpatine's unchallenged reign of terror.
Luke let those terrible thoughts fuel his anger and overcome his fear as he prepared himself for the epic confrontation that was to come.
It was only a short time later that the stolen Imperial Shuttle came out of lightspeed near the second Death Star. Inside the cockpit, Han, Leia, Chewie, C-3PO, and R2-D2 all watched anxiously as the massive half-completed structure ominously loomed before them.
There is a great deal of Imperial traffic in the area as construction on the battlestation proceeded. TIE fighters, Imperial Transports, and a few Star Destroyers moved about the area, but they all suddenly seemed tiny next to the huge Super Star Destroyer that it soon began filling the entire frame of the cockpit window.
"If they don't go for this, we're gonna have to get outta here pretty quick, Chewie." Han warned as he and his copilot began flipping several switches.
Chewbacca growled in agreement.
Within moments, the voice of an Imperial Controller crackled though communications transmitter.
"We have you on our screen now. Please identify."
Clearing his throat, Han replied, "Shuttle Tydirium requesting deactivation of the deflector shield."
"Shuttle Tydirium, transmit the clearance code for shield passage." the Controller requested.
"Transmission commencing." answered Han.
Everyone could only listen tensely as the sound of a high-speed transmission begins.
"Now we find out if that code is worth the price we paid." Leia mused.
Han glanced back at her, "It'll work. It'll work."
"It's an older code, but it should check out." added Leia, to which Chewie whined nervously as the Super Star Destroyer loomed ever larger before them.
"Now don't get jittery, guys." Han tried to assure, "You may want to keep your distance though, Chewie, but don't look like you're trying to keep your distance."
Chewie barked a question.
"I don't know. Fly casual." Han answered.
Leia rolled her eyes, "I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this."
"It's your imagination, sweetheart." "Come on. Let's keep a little optimism here."
But Chewie began barking his own worries as the shuttle flew right by the Super Star Destroyer's command bridge.
"Shuttle Tydirium..." an Imperial officer's voice came through the speaker, "What is your cargo and destination?
"Parts and technical crew for the forest moon." Han replied.
The silence that followed seemed to last an eternity as the group waited tensely.
Finally, Han broke the silence, "They're not going for it, Chewie."
But then the voice of the Imperial Controller suddenly crackled back through the transmitter.
"Shuttle Tydirium, deactivation of the shield will commence immediately. Follow your present course."
At that, everyone let out a collective a sigh of relief. The Rebellion's gambit had worked.
"Okay!" an elated Han said, "I told you it was gonna work. No problem."
As the deflector shield was lowered, the smuggler proceeded to steer the shuttle down towards the green forest moon. The first phase of the plan had gone off without a hitch; they could only hope that the next phase would go just as smoothly.
Dwarfed by the ancient towering trees, the stolen Imperial shuttle sat in a clearing of Endor's dark, primeval forest as the Rebel strike team made its way up a steep trail on a nearby hill. Leia, Han and Chewie took lead while the troops of the Rebel squad followed, with R2-D2 and C-3PO bringing up the rear.
Finally, Han and Leia came to a crest in the hill, suddenly dropped to the ground, signaling for the rest of the team to stop as Chewie and one of the Rebel squad commanders, an older veteran known as Captain Rex, crawled up to take a look.
"Oh, I told you it was dangerous here." C-3PO mused to R2 as everyone took cover.
Han, Leia, Chewie, and Rex all peered down the crest, taking care to stay out of sight. Not far below them, they saw two Imperial Scout Troopers wandering through bushes in the valley below with two Speeder Bikes parked nearby.
"Shall we try and go around?" Leia asked.
"It'll take time." Han shook his head, "This whole party'll be for nothing if they see us."
Captain Rex nodded in agreement and motioned for the rest of the squad to stay put, even as Han and Chewie were preparing to head down there themselves.
"Chewie and I will take care of this. You stay here." Han said.
"Quietly..." Leia warned, "There might be more of them out there."
Han only grinned, "Hey... it's me."
With that, he and Chewie turned and began making their way through the bushes towards the Imperial scouts. Despite herself, Leia could help but grin.
Moving as silently as they could through the underbrush, Han and Chewie finally came to the edge of the clearing not far from their targets, safely hidden behind two massive trees. One of the scouts stood only a short distance away, and both of them were facing away, giving the smuggler and wookie the opening they needed.
Motioning for Chewie to stay put, Han slowly, and quietly began to sneak up behind the scout closest to them...
SNAP!
Han froze in horror as he loudly stepped on a twig, and the startled scout whirled around to face him. Lashing out with the back of his fist, the scout trooper knocked Han backwards into a tree, and shouted for his companion.
"Go for help! Go!" the Imperial shouted.
Up above on the crest, Leia could only roll her eyes again.
"Great. Come on, Captain." she said as she and Captain Rex quickly began to make their way down to assist.
While Han and the first scout engaged in a rousing fistfight, the alerted second scout promptly jumped on his speeder bike and began to take off into the forest. Fortunately for the Rebels, Chewbacca reacted quickly, and immediately ran out with his bowcaster raised. Aiming carefully, the wookie fired a well-placed shot into the back of the fleeing speeder bike, causing the second scout to crash into a tree.
Arriving at the clearing, Captain Rex started heading towards the scuffle to aid Han with Leia following suit. But as they ran through the bushes, Leia suddenly stopped when she spotted two more Scout troopers sitting on their speeder bikes, with a third, unoccupied bike parked nearby.
"Over there! Two more of them!" she shouted as the two Imperials took off.
Stopping in his tracks, Rex turned and raised his blaster rifle, managing to shoot one of the fleeing scouts dead before he was out of range as Leia raced for the remaining speeder bike to chase after the other one.
"Quick! Jam his commlink. Center switch!" Rex advised as she leapt on the bike and started it up.
Leia did so, and then took off into the dense forest foliage in hot pursuit of the escaping scout.
"Hey, wait!" Han shouted after her, looking up from his fight with the first scout.
Given an opening from Han's distraction, the Imperial grabbed a hold of the distracted smuggler from behind. But thankfully, Han managed to overpower his opponent, and flip him to the ground even as Captain Rex and Chewbacca finally came to his aid.
Meanwhile, far ahead in the forest, the fleeing Imperial scout had a good lead on Leia as she pursued him through the forest at high speed, the blasts from her bike's laser cannon hitting nothing but foliage at this distance.
Knowing she had to get closer, Leia gunned it, trying to close the distance as the scout recklessly veered through a narrow gap in the trees leading her on a highspeed weaving course through the death-dealing trunks.
Then, an idea came to Leia, and she steered her speeder bike skyward, rising out of sight.
Up ahead, the scout turned in confusion at being no longer able to see his pursuer, when suddenly, Leia came diving down upon him from above, laser cannon blasting. The scout's bike took a direct hit, and he quickly lost control, causing him to crash and explode against a tree trunk.
Elated at her success, Leia prepared to begin turning her speeder bike back in the direction of the Rebel strike team with the knowledge that they would remain undetected.
But her triumph proved to be short-lived, for only a moment later, she was shocked when the sound a series of laser blasts suddenly rang out, and her speeder bike took a glancing hit from behind. Sparing a quick look behind her, Leia saw with dismay that two more Imperial speeder bikes were on her tail, and before she could properly react, another shot from their blaster cannons scored direct hit on the rear end of her bike, sending spiraling it out of control.
With no other choice, Leia dove off her speeder bike as it crashed into a tree, and she landed hard on the ground as the two Imperial scouts zoomed past her.
Slowly, painfully, Leia pushed herself back to her feet, and looked up to see the two Imperial scouts sweep out and circle back around to finish her off. Showing no fear, Leia ignited her lightsaber, and stepped forward to meet the oncoming threat.
But then, just as the scouts were about to press the triggers on their speeder bikes' blaster cannons, Leia was shocked when a cloaked and hooded figure suddenly dropped down from the trees to land between her and the Imperials.
What shocked Leia even more however was that the figure proceeded to thrust their palms forward, and the two Imperial scouts were suddenly sent careening backwards to crash into the thick trees.
Leia's gratitude was surpassed only by her wonder at the realization that her savior had the Force as their ally.
But just who WAS her savior?
As the figure turned to approach her, Leia was further startled when she noticed that the two of them weren't alone as multiple small, furry creatures carrying spears suddenly emerged from the underbrush to crowd around them.
It was then that the figure lowered their hood to reveal the face of a beautiful orange skinned Togruta with white markings on her face, and white and blue striped montrals and lekku.
"Princess Leia, it is an honor to finally meet you." the Togruta said.
"Who are you? Leia asked, remember what General Madine had told them during the mission briefing, "Are you the agent that General Madine told us about?"
The Togruta smiled, "Ahsoka. My name is Ahsoka Tano."
END OF PART 8