Chapter 24: Cloud City
August 5, 2227.
Another day. Another rotation at the front. Iulius observed the men of the division that had been pushing past the greenhouse. They were battered, and had lost 10% of their companions, however they were in high spirits: that day was package day, when they received food or some trinkets from their loved ones, and the mail was supposed to arrive when the new unit arrived to replace the current one, which would allow the men to enjoy their boxes to the fullest.
On his part, Iulius often received messages from Namedra and Sekta, who were basically the only civilians he had any human relationship with, since his brother was an enemy.
He was quite surprised when not only the assigned division arrived, but also the entire staff of Generals and high officers participating in the campaign, led by none other than Octis himself. The delegation clearly went to him and stood in line with a severe look.
"Hello, sir." Octis started with a cordial tone, but the look in his eyes was clearly reprimanding.
Iulius decided to oversee that. "Captain. I wasn't expecting you...or all of you gentlemen."
"Sir, we need to talk." General Merl of the 193rd Division said.
"About what?"
"You need to take a break." Octis blurted out bluntly. "You can't keep going on like this."
Iulius sighed and rolled his eyes. "This again?"
"Yes, this again! The doctors say it's a miracle that you're still not exhausted, but since your concern for your own health won't cover the bill, allow me to give you another reason."
With that, Octis whipped out a datapad from his pouch. Iulius took it and looked at the data on it. His eyes barred shortly after.
"The rebels are preparing a counterattack." Octis voiced. "We need you back on the Admonitor. Now."
Iulius gave another look, but there was no doubt about it. However, he still didn't like the idea of leaving the soldiers on the ring while he sat on the bridge.
"Sir." Kavener, who had just recovered from his own injury from the battle of the greenhouse, stepped forward and spoke calmly. "Every single one of us, officer or soldier, know just how much you've done for us. Nobody would dare to call you a coward after you alone served on the frontline more than literally all the units of this campaign. But now let us do our job, clear your mind and prepare for the next round. Staying here only jeopardizes the entire battle."
Not like the Lord-Protector didn't get that on his own, but hearing it made him feel better.
He sighed in resignation. "All right. I'll go back with the rest of them."
The officers made an expression of relief. "Thank you." Octis finally said with a frustrated relief.
Next, one of the generals went to yell at the men that the post would be waiting at Dock 4 because of logistical problems, so the departing men eagerly packed their bags, let their comrades take position and finally got on their way. The generals, having reached their objective, had already left, and Iulius waited to move with the troops.
He was only accompanied by Octis, who brought him up to speed about his recent trip to the rebel listening post and the discoveries made about their plans.
"Any idea when the attack could spring?"
"No. I suppose that their attempt during the battle of the greenhouse was just a test to see if they had a chance. But if you ask me, I think they might first try to hit our flanks. Our fleet is already stretched thin, after all." Octis replied.
Iulius hummed in thought. "That would Ackbar's style. But I don't think they have the strength for a real counterattack, yet."
"So why would they do it?"
"They still hold two thirds of this ring. A lot of equipment for shipbuilding." Iulius simply said.
Octis caught up immediately. "Damn it."
Damn it, indeed. The situation on the other fronts was progressing slowly. Rax might have retaken Mygeeto, but the planet would take months to become a valid resource again. Sloane had made some progress along the Hydian Way, retaking some agricultural and manufacturing worlds, but she lacked the strength to make another attempt at Taris; Krybos' forces were also finding a stiff and determined resistance against the Commonwealth.
However, there would be the chance to break the deadlock, if only the Core sent more men and ships, but the civilian government continuously vetoed that. The Joint Chief Commission so far had not received an explanation, but they were clearly too scared of the Emperor to oppose his orders.
So, as of now, the Mid Rim forces had to do with whatever their territory churned out, meaning the bare minimum to replace losses, but not enough to bring on the offensive effectively. So far, the battle of Ringo Vinda was having the beneficial effect of preventing the planet from contributing to the rebels' war effort, but if they managed to dismantle and transfer the shipyards they had still under control, all of this would have been for nothing.
"Return to the Revenant, Vin." Iulius calmly instructed. "I want a squadron on high readiness in case the rebels attack us. I'll contact Krybos and ask him to bring in the Bellators."
Octis promptly made the salute. "Yes, sir. Meanwhile, I think there's something you'd like to see." he added with a smirk before leaving.
Iulius realized they had arrived at Dock 4. There was quite the traffic as the transport with the packages was still being unloaded and the soldiers were basically pressing each other in the hope of getting their own. The crew of the transport was made up of civilians that were taking care of both delivering the mail and unloading the supplies for the rest of the army.
And among the ones unloading supplies, Iulius was taken completely off guard when he saw Namedra among them.
She was directing the works, and helping unload some of the heavier caches, then at one point she crossed his gaze and waved quickly at him with a smile that made way to a more concerned face when he approached.
Granted, he knew he looked like fodder: he hadn't shaven in a month, and not being used to a beard meant that he felt itchy almost constantly. He also didn't remember when it was the last time he took a real shower.
Still, Namedra didn't hesitate to come close and greet him. "Greetings, my Lord."
He smiled. Then he just threw all consideration out of the window and he leaned forward to hug her. He did it gently, only feeling the urge to have her close. Namedra was a little confused, since they had agreed to keep their relationship as low as possible before announcing the wedding, but she had missed him, so she returned the gesture.
"I'm so happy to see you." he whispered.
"Every time I saw you on the HoloNet, I got worried sick." she said instead before they broke the hug.
"So, what brings you here?"
"R&D got a new toy for the troops, so I thought I would show it to you."
"Well, yes please."
Namedra led him to a group of her engineers who were setting up some portable device on the ground, along with a few empty cans on a crate, like they were preparing a shooting range.
"Lord Tanis, may I present you Doctor Vaazik." Namedra introduced him to an Umbaran, which surprised Iulius, considering his species was still mostly resentful of the treatment received by the Empire prior his rule over the Mid Rim. "He's an expert on energy fields and kinetic defenses. And he has something he would like to showcase."
"Greetings, Doctor. I am impatient to see your creation."
"Of course, Lord-Protector." the Umbaran said in deference and invited him next to the devices. "May I introduce you to our newest portable shield generators."
Iulius observed. So far, nothing incredible.
"This technology is based on the one of the Milky Way. The result of two years of reverse-engineering. This barrier doesn't let the bolts come inside...but it allows those who stay insid fire without risk."
Now that picked Iulius' interest. "Go on."
"Until recently, only the Droidekas of the old Separatist were equipped with something similar, but nobody ever managed to create something similar for organics. Now, may I borrow a pistol?"
Without thinking too much, Iulius took out his own and gave it to him. The Umbaran thus went next to one of the devices, knelt down and pressed a button. From the device came up a pillar of energy that created a bubble shield, and the first thing unusual was clearly the color: it was a shallow green, contrasted to the usual blue.
Normally, a shield would either bounce away or disperse a projectile coming from outside, while the ones that were fired from inside would just evaporate once they hit the internal wall.
This time, just as declared, Vaazik fired toward the outside cans from inside the shield, and the projectile passed right through it and hit the mark. He fired two more times. He missed them, but the point was made.
"Now, would you like to try and fire on me, please?" the scientist said.
Iulius thus turned toward his two Death Troopers, who had been following him all this time. He nodded to DT-518, who stepped forward, aimed his rifle and fired a shot.
The blaster bolt simply disappeared once it hit the bubble.
"Very impressive." Iulius said in sincere admiration.
Vaazik reached the device and deactivated it. "Of course, it's not indestructible. Under a sustained fire, it will come down quite rapidly." he explained.
"We will leave it to the ground troops to test its limits, but I'm confident that it will save many lives. Excellent work, Doctor."
"You flatter me, my Lord." the Umbaran replied with a bow and a sincere tone.
"There are 30 of these ready for deployment." Namedra said. "We will leave them to the quartermaster and then you will decide."
"Thank you all. But at the cost of sounding unpleasant, I urge you to hurry with the supplies and then leave the system quickly. I just received word that a rebel attack might be imminent. The space around this ring might become dangerous."
The engineers were taken by surprise, but they got the message immediately.
Namedra looked a bit down. Clearly, she hoped they could spend some time together, and Iulius would have really liked it, too. But he couldn't risk putting her in danger.
He tried to smile at her and squeezed her hand in a modest way, that no one saw them. She returned the faint smile and then returned to work. Iulius felt a strong sense of frustration as she left, but he knew that there was no time to be melancholic: if he wanted a normal life, he needed to win the war, first.
He walked away, calling for a shuttle that would bring him and his guards back to the Admonitor.
Ezra woke up from his meditation with a mind numbed by what he just saw.
"What's the matter?" Jaral, who sat next to him and was still in deep connection with the Force, asked.
Ezra gathered his thoughts. He took a moment more to interpret them, then answered the question. "I feel like Luke is in danger. He is approaching a decisive moment."
"Are you worried?" she asked.
He thought about it. "More like uncertain. All I can do is hope that I prepared him enough."
"He has the most potential among us. You did everything in your power to teach him, but we also went through our hardest trials without Kanan."
"That is true."
There was not way to go around it: Luke would have to face whatever trial he was putting himself into. On one end, he could die, but on the other he might emerge from it more mature than before.
Someone knocked on the door of the meditation room.
"Bridgers? We are receiving a transmission from the Home One." one of the mandalorian warriors aboard said.
"Thank you, we're coming." Ezra replied.
He and his sister stood up and left the room, heading straight for the cockpit of the Silver Bullet. There they found Tristan already discussing with the hologram of Ackbar and a hologram of the Ringo Vinda's ring.
"...while we make an attempt at landing." Tristan was finishing.
"Yes, but I can't spare many ships for an attack against the ring. Your window will be very short."
"Jumping through tight windows is something we're used to." Jaral said as the siblings entered the field of the projector. Around them, Din and the strike team designated to come aboard with them, observed the scene.
"Of that, I am aware." Ackbar said in resignation. "You will have to be quick. Though your transport shouldn't have much problem slipping in while we keep the Empire busy."
"That's all we need, Marshall." Ezra replied. "When will you be ready to launch the attack?"
"Four rotations. I'm preparing an attack on Euceron, first. To increase the chances of your landing, we will have to divert imperial resources away from the ring."
"Meanwhile, we sneak in and see if it's possible to ship the gear away from the planet." Tristan said.
"Yes. Having those shipyards shut down is arguably the greatest damage we're suffering. We need to restart production somewhere else, if we are to prosecute the war into the next year."
That much was evident for anybody with enough conscience about the strategic outlook of the war: the Empire had Kuat, Fondor, Sullust and perhaps another dozen of worlds specialized in massive shipbuilding. The Andromedan signatories of the UACT only had a total of five major shipyards, with Ringo Vinda being the sixth.
The only saving grace was the seemingly endemic factionalism inside the Empire, and the fact that, while the Lord-Protector was trying to win the war, his overlord was deviating countless resources toward the construction of the new Death Star.
At least moving the shipyards away from Ringo Vinda and into some safer portion of the galaxy had become the highest priority for the New Republic and its allies.
"Is there any chance to repel the imperial assault?" Din asked from outside the circle.
"We don't have enough reserves, and the entire reason we are dragging on this battle is to keep the Empire's attention here."
"We will give you an opening, Grand Marshall. This I swear." Jaral said in the end.
"I appreciate your help. Ackbar, out."
After his hologram was gone, Ezra turned toward his AI. "Jinx, how long before we reach the fleet?"
"Two hours and twenty." the AI replied.
"Good. Once we get there, we should find our escort right away."
"I think Rogue Squadron is in the fleet. I hope we get them." Jaral commented.
"Din, Paz. how about you report this news to your tribe, so they prepare the next party?"
"Sure thing. They can't wait." Din replied. He and Paz were the only members of their group who had been allowed to join this first group. Tristan had brought his three bodyguards, who were pretty much a mandatory choice for the Duke of the only major mandalorian House left.
Just as the group started dispersing, Tristan called Ezra. "Hey Ezra, Sabine told me the news." he said in a relatively hushed tone, so that basically only Jaral could hear them talk. "Congratulations."
"Thanks." Ezra replied with a smirk as he was reminded of the good news he received just a few days before. "I suppose she also said how we want to call them." he added, since he wanted to know his opinion.
"Yes. And I want you to know that I support it."
"Why? How do you want to call them?" Jaral asked in a wily tone, since she hadn't been able to tear that information out of them, so far.
Ezra figured there was no point in keeping the secret, so he whispered it. "If they end up being a boy and a girl, we want to give them the name of Kanan and Ursa."
Jaral made a moved face, though it was clear to Ezra that his sister had already guessed that a while before.
While she put an arm around her brother's neck, Jaral turned toward Tristan. "What about Asha, Tristan? How is she doing?"
"Good. I mean, she's in the last trimester, which it's not all easy, but Mira says both her and the boy are perfectly healthy."
"Have you decided on a name?" Ezra asked.
"We don't want to tell until he's born." the Duke replied with a smirk. "It will add more importance once he will be revealed to the rest of the community."
Ezra wasn't entirely sure if he understood that gesture, but if Tristan and Asha wanted to do that, who was him to object?
The Constantinople finally spotted the planet of Bespin. The gas giant had a dark orange color that made it look as if there was a dusk happening behind a curtain of clouds already from the orbit. However, Jordan was surprised and worried that there was no imperial ship around it.
"Luke, are you sure they are here?" he asked as he looked outside the viewport of the cockpit.
But no answer came. He turned toward the Jedi, who was slightly behind him and was looking at the planet too, but with a much deeper apprehension.
"Vader is there." the Jedi said.
The officers on the deck were stunned and looked at him.
"Alone?" Raniza asked.
"It's not like he needs an army to protect him." Jordan said calmly. "But he can't be all on his own." he turned toward the officer commanding the sensor section. "Umbaris, scan for imperial comms."
"Yes, sir." the Turian said before turning toward the seats where his underlings were already at work.
The Captain turned again toward the Jedi, who was still staring at Bespin with a gaze that underlined a resolution mixed to a little bit of concern.
"Talk to me, Luke." Jordan invited, his fatherly instinct saying him that the young man was thinking about doing something crazy.
"I think Vader is laying out a trap. And he wants me." the Jedi replied.
Almost immediately, Jordan grabbed his shoulder. Not violently, but definitely with vigor, to push him toward a corner of the cockpit. "You better not thinking what I think you're thinking!" he admonished in a hushed tone.
Because he knew that Luke's analysis was very plausible. Just two years before, Vader had boarded the Amerigo and was specifically looking for Luke, but that time Ezra fought him off.
"If he wants me, then I can draw him away while you free Leia and the others." Luke said with no hesitation.
"Luke, you're nowhere near ready to face that monster!" Jordan judged, crossing his arms on his chest to indicate that he intended to make a stand on that point.
Luke made a silent sigh, his face betraying his emotions, but he spoke with a clear mind and with no doubt in his voice. "Look, I know I can't defeat him. But we know that he is an obsessive person. If he's focused on me, then you can easily handle the stormtroopers. I promise, I will do everything I can to keep him at a distance. Once you are ready, you bail me out and I won't waste time."
Jordan grunted softly. Technically, they could've just left, but it was true that Leia was a vital member of the New Republic. Losing her would be a crushing blow for the morale of its troops, and there was also the matter that Vader couldn't be allowed to discover that Leia and Luke were actually twins.
It was either snatch her out at that moment, where there seemed to be only a small party of imperial forces, or try to save her at a later moment from some imperial fortress.
He made a resigned face and put his left wrist next to his mouth. A ring of the omni-tool lit up to signal that the communicator was open. "Vetra, get three men and stand ready at the dropship."
"I'll go ahead with my X-Wing." Luke went on to explain. "They will never look for the Kodiak while they are focused on me."
"Copy that." Jordan mumbled.
Luke extended a hand and put it briefly on Jordan's shoulder. He also nodded to him with a hesitant smile, that reminded the Legionnaire of his son. The Jedi walked past him and materialized his suit, heading for the main hatch of the deck, where he could get aboard his hanging X-Wing.
"Luke." Jordan said, turning his upper body.
The Jedi halted and turned to listen.
"Trust in the Force. That's how my kids always get out of trouble." he said, managing to make it sound only partially as a joke.
Luke huffed amused and then left. Jordan then started heading for the elevator, but the comm officer stopped him.
"Captain, we intercepted an imperial transmission. A Lambda-class shuttle is landed at Cloud city and is keeping a regular check with the Executor."
"And where is she?"
"Right into the next system. If she enters hyperspace, we will have twenty-five minutes before the dreadnought gets over Bespin."
"Copy that. Keep your ears open." Jordan concluded before going.
On Deck 5, his two Legionnaires were ready, along with Vetra and three other Marines: Aun'Roi'Ka, Vitrini and Karg. Jordan reached the armory and equipped himself with his favorite Mattock and an Eviscerator shotgun, then reached the Kodiak and quickly explained the objective to the others, then, once the intelligence officers had calculated a valid approach, and Luke's X-Wing was already heading for Cloud City, the Kodiak left the hangar and sped through the nebulous heavens of Bespin.
The shuttle then entered in sight of the city, and the Marines were sincerely stunned by its size.
"Look at that. We got nothing alike in the Milky Way." Vitrini said.
"They know how to settle in every environment, here in Andromeda." Roi'Ka said. "That much we need to recognize."
For sure, the only thing that could compete in the Milky Way was the Citadel, and it was built by the Reapers, not by the galactic species. Cloud City was just huge: it clearly wasn't just a tibanna extraction venture.
"That's nice and all, but how are we going to find Organa and the others in such a huge place?" Michalina correctly brought up.
"A station like that is bound to have some kind of central computer. If we find a terminal, perhaps Jinx can persuade it to give us access to the security footage." Vetra proposed.
"Good enough." said Jordan. "Yuri, bring us down to the maintenance level." he said to the pilot.
He complied. Reaching a secondary landing pad just below the top level of the metropolis. It wasn't difficult for them to enter the orbital settlement as they ran into a group of Ugnaughts.
"Uh, guess we know how they keep this giant thing floating." Thabo commented.
"Does anybody here speak Basic?" Jordan asked to the group.
"I do." the Ugnaught in front said with a stoic tone. He looked middle-aged, for his species, so he presumably was considered some kind of leader by his community.
"I am Captain Jordan Bridger, Alliance Navy." the Legionnaire presented himself.
"My name is Kuill. Your weapons are not a good sign." he said bluntly.
"Some friends of our are in danger. We need to save them." Jordan said, hoping that the alien would believe him.
The Ugnaught stared at the Legionnaire, as if he was trying to somehow read his mind through the helmet. He then turned toward his kin. Whatever they had decided, they all nodded almost in unison. Kuill thus turned again toward the Marines. "Follow me."
"Wait." Jordan said, a little worried for them. "You're already risking too much by talking with us. Just tell us where to go and pretend you didn't see us."
"I have spoken." was Kuill's blunt answer before he turned and started walking down the corridor.
Jordan hoped that the imperials never noticed this gesture in the future, but for now he took it. Kuill led them down a couple of rooms and tight shafts that finally led the team into the main level.
"Your friends are been brought to the central landing platform. From here, you should be able to meet them before they are taken away."
"Thank you, Kuill. Now you better go before someone sees you with us."
"Good luck." the Ugnaught said before disappearing.
Once he was gone, Jordan peeked outside the door they had been led to, saw that the hallway was clear and stepped outside, motioning the others to spread out. "Thabo? Time to work your magic."
The psionic moved into the hallway, standing in the middle of the semi-circle made by his comrades and focused deeply. After a brief moment, he spoke up. "There are millions on this station, but I recognized the aura of a single Wookiee."
"Must be Chewbacca. Lead the way." the Captain said.
Thabo moved out, leading the group down a series of hallways that were eerily deserted. As Thabo said, there were probably at least a million people living in the huge city that could be seen outside the windows. Even if they were probably in an area restricted to the great public, there had to be someone.
Unless everyone had been taken away.
Still, that also meant that there was no risk of involving civilians in what promised to be a firefight, so Jordan was willing to take that.
They kept running until Thabo raised his fist and halted right next to a corner. He peeked a little bit and then whispered behind him. "I see them. Chewbacca and Leia surrounded by a squad of stormtroopers. I can disarm them while you rush them."
"Good. On your mark."
Thabo gathered a small whirlpool of energy. Those were 'bionic whips', one for each trooper he had seen, which were going to aim and take away the rifles. "Three...two...one...go!"
Thabo jumped out and prepared to strike. Jordan rushed out, ready to take aim, but he was completely caught off-guard at what he saw at that moment.
A group of local security guards had suddenly surrounded the stormtroopers and was keeping them at gunpoint while a man with dark skin, Land Calrissian, was confiscating their rifles, giving his back to the Marines.
One of the guards spotted the Legionnaires and alerted the others.
"Don't shoot!" Jordan promptly said, raising his hands with the rifle still in his hands. "We're not your enemies!"
Lando looked at them, at first with confusion, but luckily, Leia's voice broke any suspect. "Jordan!"
Even Chewbacca jumped in and roared happily. Around that moment, Jordan noticed that he was carrying a disassembled C-3PO on his back, but that question would have had to wait. Once the Bespin guards understood that the Legionnaires posed no threat, they immediately turned again toward the stormtroopers before they thought of trying to break free.
Jordan motioned his men to get in the open as he moved toward the group. Lando said something to a cyborg, perhaps his assistant, who then led the prisoners and the guards away.
Lando then proceeded to remove the cuffs from Leia.
"Wait...so many things going on...Lando, what were you doing?" Leia asked.
"Getting you out of here." Lando said as he proceeded to free Chewbacca, as well.
"And you think we'll trust you after what you did to Han?!" she said in an accusatory voice.
In fact, when Chewbacca was free, he immediately started to strangle Lando, adding an angry roar.
"Hey, hey, wait!" Jordan ordered, intervening to remove the Wookiee's arm, but he needed the help of his two kin to finally move him away, while C-3PO lamented to be mistreated.
"What happened here?" Jordan asked firmly while Lando regained some air.
"Oh, I'll tell you what happened!" Leia exclaimed. "This damn blurrg just sold out Han to the Empire!"
Lando coughed once again and then spoke with a hurried gesturing. "We can still save him. East platform!"
"Come on!" Jordan ordered to his team.
After getting left behind by that column of imperials taking Leia and Chewbacca away, Luke wasn't sure where to go. However, he could tell that Jordan and his team was already aboard the station, so it was time for him to go and face the ghost that had been haunting him for so long.
He sent R2 to trace back Leia and Chewie while he headed down into the industrial district of the city. The feeling of cold was ever-present, but Luke was quite surprised in not feeling any hostility, any desire of destruction coming from there. Instead, it seemed like the origin of that cold was waiting for him.
Luke ended up in a dark room, dim orange lights were the only illumination in that place filled with a strange vapor. The circular top of a large machinery dominated mostly of the room.
Then he heard it. A mechanical breathing. He had never heard it before, but it felt like he knew it already from all the times he had been told about it. Luke turned around and saw the silhouette of a man clad in black armor, a cape and what looked like a control panel on his chest.
"The Force is with you, young Skywalker. But you're not a Jedi, yet." Vader said with his robotic tone.
For a moment, Luke hesitated. He had thought about a moment like this for so long, but he still didn't feel ready for this confrontation. He was in front of the Sith Lord who had caused so much suffering in the galaxy, who had just recently killed a Padawan...and that monster was his father.
Luke gripped his lightsaber. "Hello...father."
Another breathing, Vader barely lifted his chin, sign that either he wasn't expecting that or he was thrilled that Luke was aware of that fact.
"So the Jedi told you."
"They did." was Luke's blunt response.
"Then you know that your destiny lies with me."
"I don't have anything to share with you!" Luke firmly returned.
"In time, you will understand. Luke, your power is out of the imagination. The Jedi can only hold you back. Come with me, and I will teach you how to achieve your full potential."
Luke by now had walked up the few stairs that separated him from Vader and was standing in front of the Dark Lord and his father.
"Like you? Being a slave to the Emperor and to the Dark Side is 'achieving you full potential'?" he said as he ignited his lightsaber and pointed it at the Sith.
Vader made another breathing, then ignited his own saber. "Then allow me to rectify your preconceptions."
The Sith then delivered a quick blow, which startled Luke at first, because the movements of his foe seemed slow, but in reality they were quicker than what the eye believed. Nonetheless, Luke had trained countless times with the Bridgers, whose speed and strength was by now on par with that of the cyborg he was now facing, so he easily parried the blow and counterattacked.
Luke also resorted to the omni-tool, sometimes blowing an Incineration or a Cryo blast to slow down his opponent, but it seemed like Vader had grown accustomed to those little surprises, after Ezra and Jaral used them against him so many times, while Luke did not have the experience necessary to use them in such a duel.
It was no wonder, then, that Luke was soon forced to go back. Vader even managed to Force push him down the stairs and then jumped down on him. Luke managed to stand up just in time to intercept the lightsaber.
"Admirable." Vader commented with what sounded like a respectful admiration. "Your skill is already polished."
Then he delivered a series of potent blows that forced Luke on the defensive and almost broke through his guard at one point.
"But you still lack the power to win." the Sith added before making a horizontal gesture with his left hand.
Luke immediately recognized that Vader was using the Force to open something, and he finally noticed where he had been pushed on, but it was too late: the hatch below him opened and he fell inside a hole of the large machinery, and he lost his lightsaber in the process.
Only when he was inside of it, he recognized it from his studies: he was inside a carbon-freezing machine.
"All too easy." Vader said from above, and Luke could tell that he was about to activate the procedure.
With an agility and speed that he didn't even know to have, Luke jumped out of the chamber and reached the intricate web of tubes up above. As the carbonite was released with a loud jet, Vader looked down.
"Perhaps you're not as strong as the Emperor thought."
Luke used that moment to scout around the room as he hanged for dear life. With the scanner of the helmet and the kyber crystal resonating, he quickly spotted his lightsaber and drew it to him with the Force. The weapon landed in his right hand, he reignited it and then let himself fall back on the floor, startling Vader for a second.
"Most impressive." the Sith said before closing the distance and attacking again.
"You've controlled your fear. Now...release your anger."
Vader went on with his assault. "Only your hatred can destroy me."
"Looks to me like your own hatred is doing my job." Luke said back.
No, he wasn't going to give in that easily. He wasn't going to disappoint his Master after everything he had done to prepare him to this very confrontation.
Also, it seemed like the one giving in to anger and rush was Vader. Luke managed to find an opportunity while the Sith kept the barrage up, and finally managed to dodge, putting himself in a position where he could kick Vader on the side and send him down the pit.
The Sith grunted as he fell down and disappeared in the dark hallways below.
Luke knew it wasn't over. He deactivated his saber, and with caution he started to move down.
He didn't take long to reach the maintenance level. He passed through a tunnel and entered a ring-shaped part of the structure that faced directly into the lowest level of the platform, as a large window showed. Below them, there was nothing but the final conduits that led outside the platform and into the endless gas clouds of Bespin.
Another breathing and the crimson blade reignited. Luke promptly activated his saber and intercepted the blow, only to feel a tingle of danger in the Force. What seemed like a small turbine was heading toward him.
Luke broke contact and dodged. He quickly realized that Vader was detaching every possible object in the room and throwing it at him. Luke managed to cut one and dodge a second one, but the latter crashed against the window, creating a vacuum pressure that started to suck both of them into the abyss.
However, Luke had nothing to grab. He put all energy into the magnetic boots, but the rest of his body was unbalanced toward the window, while Vader was close to the walls and easily found a spot where he could weather the change of pressure.
Eventually, the boots alone could not keep him there and Luke yelled of both surprise and fear when he flew out of the crashed window. He still had enough reaction readiness to realign his body in time to see a gangplank below him and grab the rail with his left hand. The whiplash hurt his shoulder, but it was nothing that the IV of the suit couldn't treat with some stimulants. Pushed by the adrenaline, Luke gathered his focus and used the Force to jump back on the gangplank.
In time to receive Vader once again.
This time, the Sith seemingly went all out. Delivering powerful blows left and right, with a speed and precision that didn't give Luke a chance to react.
"It is useless to resist." Vader intimated, but Luke was not budging.
Perhaps to make his point stronger, Vader threw another blow, but instead of moving to make another one, he forced Luke into a saber lock, lowered both blades, and then, with a swift movement…
Luke wasn't even sure what happened precisely. He only knew that, a moment later, he felt a pain that seemed to cut through his very brain and his right hand had gone missing, falling down the abyss alongside his lightsaber. A spontaneous scream came out. The suit was failing, but he still managed to activate a medi-gel capsule, even though the wound was already cauterized.
In search of any support to lean his body, Luke ended up on the thin support of a beacon hanging at the end of the gangplank. When the pain wasn't filling his thoughts, he could feel the air pulling him downward.
On the other end, Vader deactivated his lightsaber and resumed his persuasion attempt.
"Luke. Don't let yourself be destroyed. You do not yet realize your importance."
Luke wasn't exactly in a position to reply. The pain was still unbearable, but as the medi-gel finally kicked in and he took a few deep breaths like he had been taught, he started to regain control over his senses.
"You can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen it."
The Padawan looked up to the Sith. In truth, those last words stirred some kind of doubt into him. Was that true?
"With our powers combined, we can end this destructive conflict, once and for all. It's the only way you can save your friends."
His friends. Right. Luke felt as if everything was clear, now.
Not without difficulty, he managed to stand up and made a few steps away from Vader.
"You're wrong." he said with a peace of mind that seemed to contrast with the pitiful state he was in. "There is another way. It will be difficult, and perhaps more will die...but I already have the power to stop your Emperor. And I will not need you."
Then he let himself fall into the abyss.
It turned out to be too late to save Han, as the ship of the bounty hunter with a green mandalorian armor spirited away with the frozen Solo aboard, all Jordan and Leia could do was to look in frustration right before more stormtroopers arrived and forced them to start shooting.
Going back to the shuttle was out of the question, from there. But the Falcon was not that far. They could take it and rejoin the Constantinople.
The squad kept moving, firing back at the stormtroopers who kept chasing them and who seemed way too many, considering the Marines had only spotted a single Lambda shuttle.
They reached a heavy door. Lando tried to open it, but he couldn't make it. "The security code has been changed." he grunted.
"R2, you can tell the computer to override the security systems." 3PO suggested from Chewbacca's back.
The astromech, who had joined them along the way, neared the panels below the regular safe.
"I wouldn't recommend it." Jinx said from Jordan's omni-tool.
"Why not?" the Legionnaire asked.
"That is a power socket."
R2 was indeed about to plug his jack into the wrong entrance. As he realized it, the astromech retracted the spine and started whirring furiously.
While 3PO justified himself to him, Lando had taken a microphone and started speaking on the PA of the entire station.
"Attention. This is Lando Calrissian. Attention. The Empire has taken control of the city. I advise everyone to leave before more imperial troops arrive." and put back the microphone.
"Which won't take long." Vetra said. "The bridge says the Executor has been alerted. We have twenty minutes before it enters the system."
Jordan was more worried about Luke: he couldn't reach his signal and R2 seemed to have no idea where he was. For the moment, he decided to focus on those he could save. "Get us to the Falcon."
"This way." Lando said.
The man who administered Cloud City brought them a level below, where there was already a large flux of people panicking and trying to reach the spaceships available. It was a terrible scene, especially because most of them would not be able to leave and would thus be left under the imminent imperial occupation.
Things really went south when more stormtroopers intercepted them from a distance. Jordan quickly saw them raised their rifles, aiming right through the mass of people running.
"No, stop!" he yelled, but it was useless.
The stormtroopers opened fire, immediately cutting down at least five people and causing even more panic. They kept firing, completely ignoring the fact that they couldn't possibly hit their targets with so many civilians in the middle.
"Thabo!" Jordan yelled.
The South African Legionnaire, though, had already had the same thought, and was gathering his psionic energy. He then fired a ball that made a parable, avoiding the civilians, and then landed onto the stormtroopers, swallowing them. That was a sort of stasis field, that immobilized the troopers in white for a few seconds, allowing Lando to find another route that wouldn't risk the lives of his people.
"Fucking bastards!" Vitrini commented once they were all out of the imperials' sight.
"They have no honor as warriors!" Aun'Roi'Ka added with a rage that was unusual for him.
"No civilian will pass through here." Lando reassured, but a pain of indignation could be clearly heard. "Come on, they will be back soon."
Indeed, other stormtroopers didn't waste time in chasing them inside the secondary hallways, the firefight kept going, but the imperials never managed to gather enough manpower to provide enough firepower to overwhelm the superior shields of the Marines, and as these enacted a fighting retreat, the stormtroopers were the only ones to take casualties.
The situation became direr once they finally reached the hangar door of the platform that was hosting the Falcon, but that, too, was closed.
"R2, open it, hurry!" 3PO urged.
"Place the covers!" Jordan ordered to his team, who promptly deployed three different omni-tool barriers to block the two sides from which they could be hit.
Though, in the end, the stormtroopers attacked only from one direction, probably because they realized they didn't have the time to circle around.
R2 beeped something alarmed.
"Ah! We're not interested in the Millennium Falcon's hyperdrive, it's been fixed!" 3PO said exasperated.
No. In his mind, Jordan realized that, even if the Falcon had been repaired like Lando said, the imperials would have most likely sabotaged it again.
Now the only way to leave the system was to actually rejoin the Constantinople and attach the freighter with her.
The last few seconds of the firefight were absolutely intense, and they felt like an entire hour, but finally R2 managed to open the door.
"I never doubted you for a second. Wonderful!" 3PO said with his usual change of humor.
"Come on, let's move!" Jordan ordered. He and his Legionnaires took the rearguard while the rest of the group rushed toward the ship.
He then tried another thing. "Luke. Luke, this is Jordan, do you copy?" he asked in the comlink.
The only answer that came was a blaster bolt flying dangerously close to his ear.
While the group was finishing getting aboard, the Legionnaires halted in a file, unleashed another deadly volley that cut down six stormtroopers and then they dashed to the Falcon while the rest of the imperials were keeping their heads well covered.
"Get her flying!" the Captain yelled once he stepped inside.
The engines were already whirring. The ship took only a few moments to take off. Jordan rushed to the cockpit, where Leia was sitting at Han's usual seat, Chewbacca was flying and Lando was sitting in one of the passengers. He linked to the transmitter of the Falcon.
"Jinx, contact the Constantinople and coordinate a docking in orbit."
"Understood." the AI replied.
Then Jordan passed to another frequency. "Luke. Luke, can you hear me?"
Silence fell. Chewbacca kept flying, but was clearly interested in hearing an answer. Leia seemed in a daze.
"Luke, do you copy? Come on, kid, answer me!"
A sense of anxiety started to rise in Jordan's heart. They couldn't wait too long, especially since the radar was picking a squad of TIE Fighters coming their way, but he refused to leave that planet without Luke.
"Luke…" he heard Leia whisper.
With a ray of hope, Jordan looked at her. He then realized that the daze she was into was dictated by the Force bond she shared with her twin brother.
"Leia, do you know where he is?" he asked.
Leia took a moment to collect her thoughts, then vigorously nodded. "Yes. Chewie, get us to the bottom." she instructed.
Putting the pedal to the metal, Chewbacca did his best to move quickly and nimbly, and indeed they found Luke...hanging in the empty sky, with only a thin rack for him to hold and the force field of the station giving him some oxygen to breathe, but even the suit would not protect him from hypothermia.
"I'm taking the hatch. Get us under him." Jordan promptly instructed, and Chewbacca roared a positive.
Jordan reached the central hatch on the rooftop of the Falcon and mounted on the elevator. Once he was out in the open, he extended his arms. Luke saw him and let himself fall.
"I got him! Let's go!"
As soon as the hatch closed again, the Falcon sprinted away, and Jordan could take a moment to realize how badly injured Luke was: his right hand was missing, his suit was so damaged that it was actually deactivated, and once he removed the Jedi's helmet, he saw the first signs of multiple traumas and burns.
The elevator brought them into the common room, where the rest of the team was.
"Seems like he faced a Nathak." Karg commented.
"Worse." Jordan said.
"Luke!" Leia's voice broke in as she ran to help him.
"Take him to the infirmary, Leia." he instructed, and she was more than happy to oblige.
Jordan rushed back to the cockpit in order to coordinate the escape. Just as he did that, the Executor appeared in the distance, clearly approaching them in an attempt to catch them with a tractor beam.
"Jinx?"
"Just one second."
The Constantinople then appeared on the right side of the cockpit, her docking tube already extending and ready to welcome them.
"Let's get out of here." Jordan said with a bit of relief.
Said and done. Chewbacca and Lando brought the Falcon in position, docked her with the Constantinople and she was carried away by the frigate.
August 6, 2227.
The liberation of Tuìnia had gone overall smoothly. After liberating the capital (and neutralizing the command tower), the slavers had been reduced to a few, disparate groups with no coordination, so the joint fleet could proceed and liberate the few other villages who were still under the yoke. John had made sure that the Resistance would be spearheading every intervention, in order to reassure the population and give them the legitimacy they needed to become the new interim government of the now free Prothean.
But most importantly, the data recovered from the mercenaries gave out several hideouts of Balak's own army, and one of those might just reveal the location of the Penumbra Apex.
Jane was standing on top of one of the hills overlooking the capital, now bustling with activity as soldiers of both the Alliance and the Commune were busy helping the Resistance distributing rations to the proved population, deploy prefabs that were much more livable and clean than the slums, and setting up electrical and water systems.
"I knew you would be here, playing the mysterious one."
She huffed, recognizing that voice easily and kept watching until her father went to stand next to her.
"I'm still wondering how these people will ever recover. They spent millennia not even thinking of leaving this planet, and then the first aliens they ever met enslaved them. After seeing the Angara, I wonder what these Prothean will do."
"They got their freedom back." another voice that this time she wasn't expecting, spoke up.
She turned her head slightly on the other side from her father, and saw Javik joining the conversation.
"And I will make sure they know that the galaxy is not just made up of slavers and people bent on conquest."
John chuckled. "The you I met first would never say that."
Javik smirked. "I had my chances to learn many things, in the last forty years."
"We're gonna miss you, Javik." Jane said affectionately.
"It's not like you can't take the Normandy and drop by whenever you like." the Prothean quipped. "Besides, we will need the help of both the Commune and the Federation to rebuild and advance our society. Hopefully, the stellar shock will pass without any major trauma for my people."
"I'm sure you will do a great job. You are a good leader, my friend." said the Admiral.
"Thank you, but it's too soon to be celebrating. The man who did all of this is still out there, and he has the firepower of the ancient empire's most powerful warship."
"Right." said Jane. "We need to find Balak before that psycho burns down a planet or, worse, disappears again."
"Not this time, daughter." John said with a stone cold face that turned up the moment she mentioned that name. "I already have a half-idea, but first we need to find him."
"Then let's not waste any more time. I'll start looking for the Penumbra right away."
Jane thus bid their farewells to Javik and John, then recalled her crew and departed for the Normandy.