Notice: Instead of starting at the beginning of "A New Hope", I decided to start the story in the middle of the scene where the gang barely escapes the Death Star right after Obi-Wan dies since I feel this is where the Rebellion truly begins. Anyhow, leave a comment to let me know what you think and feel free to make suggestions on what Anime character you'd like to see role-play as who in the "Star Wars" universe.
Chapter 1
In the Archangel's main hold, the droids looked at Ash, who sat at the gamble table with a blank expression. Usagi carried a blanket over to Ash, wrapped it around his shoulders, and sat beside him. Ash just stared at the center of the gamble table.
"I'm sorry," Usagi told him.
Even Tails was shocked by his old friend's death. "Why didn't Edward defend himself?" Edward was the last old friend Tails had back from the old days. He couldn't believe it. All his friends were truly gone.
In the cockpit, Moroha was still waiting for the nav computer to come up with a new route into hyperspace when Mamoru spotted four blips on a sensor scope.
"Looks like we've got company," Moroha said.
Mamoru replied, "Hold 'em off. Angle the deflector shields while I charge up the main guns!"
"Don't worry," Moroha assured him. "I've got this covered." Moroha threw switches to adjust the shields.
Mamoru pulled on a pair of skintight leather piloting gloves and bolted out of the cockpit.
Back in the main hold, Usagi continued to sit by Ash. He shook his head sadly and said, "I can't believe he's gone."
Tails took a deep breath with a sad expression on his face. He would miss his friends, all of them: Edward, Boruto, Sarada and Himawari. Alphonse was rarely at a loss for words, but he remained silent and knew now was not the time after enduring such the loss of a friend.
Usagi said, "I know you wanted to help. But there wasn't anything you could have done. Especially against Ulquiorra."
That name caught Ash's attention. So, that was him. Edward's failed apprentice who betrayed the Jedi Order and murdered his father. Now that he knew what he looked like, Ash promised he would take justice for Edward.
Just then, Mamoru rushed into the hold. Looking at Ash, he said, "I don't mean to ruin the emotional moment, but we're in trouble. And I'll need your help on this, kid.
Usagi and Ash jumped up from their seats, leaving the droids at the game table. While Usagi ran to the Archangel's cockpit, Ash shrugged off the blanket that Usagi had given him and followed Mamoru to the access hatch for the gunport turrets.
The access hatch opened to a narrow passage tube with a ladder that traveled between the dorsal and ventral quad laser cannons. Mamoru climbed up the ladder and Ash climbed down. Each arrived in a windowed gunner's enclosure that contained a maneuverable seat with firing controls and targeting instrumentation. Outside each window was a large swivel-mounted quad laser cannon. Ash was pretty sure the cannons were military issue.
"I don't even want to think how Mamoru got these weapons," Ash said to himself.
Ash and Mamoru settled into their seats at each end of the passage tube. Mamoru adjusted his comlink headset and spoke into the attached microphone. "You in, kid?"
"Yeah," Ash replied.
"Alright, keep your eyes peeled," Mamoru told him. "If you're good as you say, this is your chance to prove it."
Ash quickly familiarized himself with the controls. There was a targeting computer that worked in conjunction with the Archangel's navigational computer and sensor array to calculate the trajectories and attack and intercept courses. Grasping twin firing grips, with built-in triggers, Ash shifted his wrists to the right; his seat automatically swiveled to the left, and the cannon's four laser barrels - visible through the ventral window - swung hard to the right. Then he pulled back on the controls and the seat lowered as the cannon raised. Each movement was accompanied by the mechanical whine from the cannon's tracking servos.
Suddenly, the Archangel shuddered as its shields took a laser hit from a distant attacker. In the cockpit, Usagi and Moroha glanced from the scopes to the window, keeping their eyes peeled for the incoming Imperial sentry ships.
Usagi said into the cockpit's comlink, "Here they come!"
"We've got TIE's closing in at East 20 degrees," Moroha confirmed.
The sentry ships were four TIE Fighters. They came in fast, flying in a tight formation towards the Archangel's cockpit before they broke away from each other and fanned out around the freighter. Then the fighters looped back and fired again at their target. Green laserbolts hammered at the Archangel's deflector shields.
The Archangel bounced and vibrated and the ship's power surged. In the Archangel's main hold, Alphonse clung to his seat beside Tails as the lights dimmed and then came back on. Hoping to make himself useful, Tails left the game table to inspect the engineering station. Not wanting to be left alone, Alphonse went with him.
A TIE Fighter maneuvered above the Archangel. Mamoru tracked the fighter and fired at it with his laser cannon, but missed. The TIE Fighter looped back and streaked into Ash's view, and Ash fired, too, without effect.
Two TIE Fighters spat laserfire and the Archangel bounced as it took more hits. Ash hung tight to his controls and fired at one of the passing TIE Fighters as it soared past his window. He shouted, "They're coming in too fast!"
Alphonse and Tails stumbled out of the main hold and into the passage tube just as more Imperial laserfire struck the Archangel. There was a small explosion on the floor. Alphonse shouted, "Whoa!" as he was thrown against the passage tube's wall.
In the cockpit, Usagi watched the computer readouts as Moroha manipulated the ship's controls. "They're really banging up the ship. We've lost 50% power of the deflector shields already."
"Plus we've lost lateral controls," Usagi reported.
Via comlink, Mamoru answered, "Don't worry. She's a tough ship. The Archangel will hold together."
Near the droids, a control panel blew out in a shower of sparks beside the laser cannon access hatch. Mamoru heard the explosion. Speaking directly to his ship, he said, "Come on, baby. Hold together!"
Tails hurried over to the smoking, sparking control panel. Shooting out of his hands was a cloud of spray that worked as fire extinguishers as he put the fire out.
The TIE Fighters continued their attack. Ash and Mamoru swiveled madly in their turrets as they returned fire. Mamoru followed a TIE Fighter in his sights and pumped rapid bursts of laserbolts at it. He connected, and the TIE Fighter exploded. Mamoru laughed victoriously.
A moment later, another TIE Fighter swept into Ash's line of fire. Ash swung the cannon as he squeezed the firing grips and scored a direct hit, shattering the TIE Fighter.
"Yes!" Ash shouted, and turned to Mamoru. "I got one!"
Mamoru glanced down the passage tube, waved at Ash, and said, "Great, kid! Don't celebrate just yet."
From the cockpit, Usagi reported, "There are still two more of them out there!"
The two remaining TIE Fighters crossed in front of the Archangel, then veered away to attack from different directions. Mamoru swiveled his chair and followed one TIE Fighter with blasts from his cannon, and Ash did the same as the other fighter streaked under the Archangel.
Both TIE Fighters looped back, firing more rounds of green laserbolts. One fighter angled into Ash's view, and he fired a laserblast at it. The fighter exploded.
The last of the attacking TIE Fighters zoomed in and fired at the top of the Archangel. Mamoru swiveled behind his laser cannon and squeezed the firing grips. The fighter was instantly consumed in a massive, fiery explosion. Mamoru blew out a relieved breath.
Ash cheered. "Alright! We did it!"
In the cockpit, Usagi embraced Moroha and said, "We did it!"
"Those TIE's never stood a chance," said Moroha.
"Tails, I could use a little help here," said Alphonse, who was tangled in sparking wires on the floor of the passage tube.
Tails merely sighed and got to work on untangling Alphonse. "Honestly, where would you be without me, Al?"
The nav computer found a hyperspace portal. It was only good for a short jump, but Moroha seized the opportunity to gain more distance from the F.L.E.I.J.A. She punched the controls, and the Archangel blasted into hyperspace.
Ulquiorra stood with Charles in the F.L.E.I.J.A. control room. Charles looked at the wide viewscreen and said, "Did they get away?"
"They have just made the jump into hyperspace," Ulquiorra said. "Now, it's only a matter of time until they lead us to the Rebel base."
"You're certain the homing beacon is secure aboard their ship?" Charles said.
Ulquiorra didn't answer. He'd already told Charles that the homing beacon had been placed on the Corellian freighter and did not feel compelled to repeat himself. It had been Ulquiorra's idea to use the rescue of Princess Usagi to the Empire's advantage. It had also been his idea to send the TIE Fighters in pursuit of the freighter; if the princess and her allies suspected they'd been allowed to escape, they might not proceed directly to the Rebel base. The loss of the four TIE Fighters and their pilots was an insignificant price for gaining the base's location.
"This is a big risk we are taking, Ulquiorra," Charles said. "This better work or else it is you who has to explain to the Emperor why you took such a risk."
Ulquiorra replied, "If we'd done things your way, Princess Usagi would have been executed by now. And how would that have helped us find the Rebel base, Governor?"
Charles didn't reply or give a reaction and continued to stare at the viewport.
Traveling through hyperspace was Senator Nunnally vi Britannia. Along with her was her aide, Sayoko Shinozaki. They were in the middle of making contingency plans. At the way things were going, it wasn't not looking too well.
Everything was falling apart and so much was happening all at once. Nunnally was saddened by the death of her sister, Euphemia, who was the Senator who represented the peaceful world of Alderaan. It was just shocking news to find out that the planet itself had been wiped out by the Empire's new powerful space station, the F.L.E.I.J.A.
Not only that, she even received word that her sister's adoptive daughter, Usagi, had been captured by the Empire, trying to deliver the blueprint plans to the F.L.E.I.J.A., in the hopes of finding a weakness in the giant space station. At this point, Nunnally wasn't sure if the Rebel Alliance would prevail.
With the Senate being disbanded by the Emperor himself, she didn't have much of a voice. The Emperor had already reached the point where being reasonable with one another was now over. Now that the galaxy had seen the might of the F.L.E.I.J.A., Madara Uchiha had the entire galaxy on its knees.
"There are four, maybe safe houses in range that we believe are secured and well supplied for the Alliance," Sayoko pointed out on the map of the galaxy that showed a holographic screen. "They should be able to protect us for a couple of years. But I suppose it's better than nothing."
Nunnally listened to Sayoko, but there were other things going on in her mind. How long can they keep this up? Everyday the Empire grows stronger and with the appearance of the F.L.E.I.J.A., people may no longer support the Rebellion and might surrender out of fear.
She figured maybe it was time to be realistic about the situation. As strong as their Rebel Alliance tried to be, there was a time even when they reached their limits. Maybe this was it?"
"No," Nunnally told Sayoko. "I won't suggest any safe houses. Neither will we hide in the deep reaches of space."
Sayoko made another suggestion. "Then perhaps we can get protection from our allies in the Rim worlds. I know it's a bit of a gamble. But it's a start."
"Not the Rim Worlds either," Nunnally said, firmly. "I won't endanger any more lives." She sighed with sadness. "When Euphie and I first started the Rebel Alliance, I assumed he could take down Madara Uchiha and his evil regime in a matter of months. We've been at this for almost 20 years and we've gotten no results."
Confused on where this conversation was going, Sayoko asked, "Senator, what are you saying?"
Nunnally gave a shocking answer. "Set our course for Coruscant. I'm going to surrender myself to the Empire."