Escaping the Death Star
Thanks to wearedeadpool and Master Skywalker 121 for favouriting and following this story
Luke, Han, Chewbacca and the women all stood in the corridor outside the rubbish compactor, R2 having unlocked the door. Juno, Luke and Han had removed their Imperial disguises, while Kali and Leia were brushing themselves off. "If we can just avoid any more female advice, we ought to be able to get outta here." Han said, giving the two Alderaan women a pointed look. Leia responded by giving him one back, while Kali rolled her eyes at him.
"Well, let's get movin'." Luke said.
Suddenly, the creature inside the compactor made a howling noise, startling Chewbacca, who promptly scurried off away from the door. "Where're ya going?" Han huffed, then he aimed his blaster at the creature in the compactor.
"No, wait, they'll hear!" Leia hollered, but it was too late.
Han fired at the creature, the sound of the shot echoing throughout the corridor. Fortunately, no Imperial seemed to hear. "Idiot!" Kali scowled at Han.
"Come here, ya big coward." Han said to Chewbacca, who shook his head stubbornly. "Chewie, come here!"
"Listen..." Leia said to Han as she moved in front of him. "I don't who you are or where you came from, but from now on, you do as I tell you. Ok?" And she walked purposefully down the corridor.
"Look, Your 'Worshipfullness'," Han said indignantly as he walked after her, "let's get one thing straight. I take orders from just one person: me!"
"It's a wonder you're still alive." Leia shot back.
"I was just thinking the same thing myself." Juno remarked nonchalantly.
Han wasn't amused. "No reward is worth this." he grumbled as the group followed Leia.
"Where did ya find that hot-headed idiot?" Kali asked Luke quietly as they brought up the rear.
"Ben hired him to take us to Alderaan." Luke replied. At the mention of her destroyed home planet, Kali's face went solemn. "I'm sorry." Luke said, seeing her reaction and realising her feelings. "You know, I lost my family because of the Empire too."
"I'm gonna make 'em pay for what they've done, you mark my words." Kali said with grim determination.
~8~
Obi-Wan was just finishing disabling the tractor beam when he saw a platoon of Stormtroopers arrive on the walkway. "Give me regular reports, please." the commander said to two of his troops.
"Right." one of the troopers acknowledged, then the commander and the rest of the platoon walked away, leaving the two remaining troopers to guard the walkway.
"Do you know what's going on?" the second trooper asked his mate.
"Maybe it's another drill." the first trooper replied grumpily.
"You see that new VT-16?" the second trooper asked as they both turned around to face the way they'd just come.
"Yeah. Some of the other guys were telling me about it." the first trooper replied, neither of them seeing Obi-Wan shimming around the tractor beam control. "They say it's quite a thing to see..." Obi-Wan tapped the side of the control tower to distract the troopers. "What was that?" the first trooper questioned.
"Ah, it's nothing." the second trooper waved him off. "Outgassing. Don't worry about it."
While the two troopers were distracted, Obi-Wan snuck off across the walkway.
~8~
Luke, Han, Chewbacca and the women crept into the control room overlooking hanger 327. "There she is." Han said, looking out of the window at the Millennium Falcon below.
"C-3PO? Do you copy?" Luke said into his comlink.
"Yes, sir." 3PO acknowledged.
"Are you safe?"
"For the moment." 3PO replied, "We're in the main hangar across from the ship."
"We're right above ya, stand by." Luke said and put the comlink away.
Juno meanwhile had been feeling a dark presence ever since they'd arrived on the Death Star. So far, she'd managed to put it on the back burner, due to them having more pressing issues to worry about, but now the feeling was getting stronger. "You alright?" Kali asked her, noticing that she seemed distracted.
"Yeah, fine." Juno waved her off, focussing again on the current situation.
"You came in that thing?" Leia said to Han, looking at the Falcon incredulously. "You're braver than I thought."
"Nice." Han grunted. "Come on!" And the group hurried off down the corridor.
Presently, they ran right into a group of Stormtroopers. "It's them! Blast 'em!" the commander ordered, only to be promptly blasted by Han.
The rest of the Stormtroopers ran off back the way they came. "Get back to the ship!" Han yelled to Luke and the women as he and Chewbacca ran off after the troopers.
"Where're ya going? Come back!" Luke yelled after them, but the smugglers had already gone.
"He certainly has courage." Leia commented.
"What good will it do us if he gets himself killed?" Luke grumbled.
"Come on, let's keep moving." Juno urged.
"Hang on..." Kali picked up the dead Stormtrooper commander's blaster. "Ok, let's go." And they all hurried off the other way.
~8~
Han chased the Stormtroopers down the hallway, screaming like a nutter. He sped round a corner to see that the troopers had led him to a hangar full of troops. He quickly shot one then doubled back and ran off, reuniting with Chewbacca on the way and they both hurried back the way they'd came, Stormtroopers in close pursuit.
~8~
Luke and the women ran down a sub-hallway, both Luke and Kali exchanging fire with pursuing Stormtroopers, while Juno used her lightsabre to deflect blaster bolts back at the Stormtroopers who were firing them. They sped round a corner, only to find themselves standing on a small platform overlooking a vast core shaft that seemed to go down into infinity. "Whoop! I think we took a wrong turn." Luke said as they screeched to a stop at the edge of the platform. He could see another platform directly opposite, but the bridge across to it had been retracted.
The pursuing Stormtroopers opened fire on the trapped quartet, so Leia quickly shut the door to protect them. "There's no lock!" she groaned as she checked the door controls.
Luke shot the control panel, destroying it. "That oughta hold 'em for a while." he said.
"Quick! We've gotta get across. Find the controls that extend the bridge." Leia ordered.
"I think I just blasted it." Luke realised, looking at the blasted control panel.
"Listen..." Kali said anxiously, hearing ominous drilling and pounding sounds coming from the other side of the door. "They're coming through!"
"Alright, I'll handle this." Juno said, calmly stepping forward.
"What're you gonna do?" Luke asked her.
"There's another control on the other side." Juno told him. "I'm gonna use that to extend the bridge."
"But it's all the way over there!" Leia pointed out.
"Won't be a problem." Juno smiled, then she abruptly leapt off the platform, did a backflip and landed safely on the platform on the other side.
"She's good." an impressed Kali remarked to Luke.
Juno pressed the controls on the other side and the bridge extended across to the others. "Come on, quickly!" she urged, and Luke, Leia and Kali all quickly hurried across to join her.
"Where did ya learn to jump like that?" Luke asked her.
"The Force is a powerful ally." Juno replied simply, retracting the bridge again.
Just then, the Stormtroopers on the other side broke through the door and began firing on the quartet. "This is for Alderaan." Kali spat as she returned fire, downing one of the troopers.
"Let's go." Juno urged, using her lightsabre to fend off the blaster fire as the group hurried off.
~8~
As Obi-Wan made his way back towards hanger 327, he saw a platoon of Stormtroopers hurry past, none of them even noticing the Jedi. "We think they may be splitting up." one of the troopers said to their commander. "They may be on levels 5 and 6 now, sir."
As the troopers disappeared down the corridor, Obi-Wan could sense that Vader was near, so he took his lightsabre from his belt and continued on his way, knowing that his destiny was coming closer and closer.
~8~
Han and Chewbacca raced down a corridor, Stormtroopers in close pursuit. "Close the blast doors!" one ordered, and a pair of blast doors began to close.
Han and Chewbacca sped up their sprint and dived through the blast doors which closed behind them, trapping the troopers on the other side. "Open the blast doors! Open the blast doors!" one hollered.
~8~
As Obi-Wan reached the last corridor before hangar 327, he stopped in his tracks. There in from of him was Darth Vader, a red-bladed lightsabre in his hand. As the Sith Lord walked slowly towards him, Obi-Wan ignited his blue-bladed lightsabre and prepared himself for what he knew would be his final fight. "I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan." Vader said. "We meet again at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner. Now I am the master."
"Only a master of evil, Darth." Obi-Wan said grimly, and swung a blow at Vader, who blocked it. Master and former apprentice then exchanged lightsabre blows, their blades clashing.
Obi-Wan held his own splendidly despite his age, but Vader had the upper hand. "Your powers are weak, old man." he taunted.
"You can't win, Darth." Obi-Wan retorted calmly. "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine." And he and Vader exchanged more lightsabre blows.
"You should not have come back." Vader told his former master, relishing in this chance to get back at Obi-Wan for what he had done to him on Mustafar 19 years ago, which had left him in need of his life support suit to stay alive.
And so the two old enemies continued their fight, the Light and Dark sides of the Force meeting in combat.
~8~
Han and Chewbacca reached hanger 327 to find five Stormtroopers guarding the Falcon. "Didn't we just leave this party?" Han grumbled, then he saw Luke and the women come hurrying up. "What kept you?" he asked them
"We, uh, ran into some old friends." Leia answered.
"The ship alright?" Luke asked.
"Seems ok, if we can get to it." Han replied. "Just hope the old man got that tractor beam outta commission."
"He's done it, you can rest assured." Juno told him. "I just hope he's alright."
Suddenly, the five troopers on guard moved away. "Look, they're going." Kali said.
"Now's our chance. Go!" Han urged, and the group made a break for it.
~8~
"Come on, R2, we're going." 3PO said to his counterpart, and the two droids scurried across the hanger towards the Falcon.
~8~
As Luke and Juno hurried across the hanger, they suddenly saw why the Stormtroopers had moved; for Obi-Wan and Vader were duelling right in front of the hanger and the troopers had gone to spectate. "Ben?" Luke stared.
"Master..." Juno breathed.
Obi-Wan saw Luke in the corner of his eye and gave a knowing smirk. He drew his lightsabre back and closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate. Vader swung a blow at Obi-Wan and struck him in the shoulders. Obi-Wan's empty cloak and lightsabre dropped to the floor.
"NO!" Luke cried in despair, while Juno fell to her knees in shock and horror. Luke's cry attracted the Stormtroopers' attention and they swiftly turned on Luke, who furiously returned fire.
"Come on!" Han urged.
"Luke, Juno, come on!" Leia called, "It's too late!" But Luke was too enraged to listen and continued to blast away at the Stormtroopers, while Juno was in shock and barely seemed to notice as Kali practically dragged her away.
"Blast the door, kid!" Han called, and Luke fired at the door controls, which sealed the blast doors and prevented Vader from getting to them.
Luke then continued to fire his blaster angrily at the Stormtroopers. Suddenly, he heard Obi-Wan's voice call out to him, "Run, Luke, run!"
Snapping out of his fury, Luke turned and raced up the Falcon's ramp.
~8~
Han and Chewbacca took their places in the Falcon's cockpit. "I hope that old man got the tractor beam outta commission or this is gonna be a real short trip." Han said. "Ok, hit it!"
Chewbacca pulled a lever and the Falcon's engines powered up. The freighter reversed out of the hanger, turned on it's axis and sped away.
~8~
Luke and Juno, both saddened at the loss of their mentor, sat at the dejarik table. Luke was looking down gloomily at the table, while Juno was just staring blankly into space. Leia and Kali came either side of them and threw blankets over their shoulders to comfort them, while the droids remained respectfully silent.
~8~
"We're coming up on their sentry ships." Han said grimly, checking the scopes. "Hold 'em off. Angle the deflector shields while I charge up the main guns." he ordered Chewbacca as he got to his feet and moved to the back of the ship.
~8~
"I'm so sorry." Kali said to Luke and Juno.
"I can't believe he's gone." Luke said sadly.
"There wasn't anything you could've done." Leia consoled him.
"I should've gone with him." Juno sighed, leaning against the table with her head in her hands.
"It wouldn't have made any difference." Kali told her. "Vader would've killed you too."
Just then, Han joined them. "Come on, buddy. We're not outta this yet." he said to Luke, moving to a ladder. "Any of you girls know how to pilot?" he asked the women.
"I do." Juno answered, deciding that she would have to grieve her mentor later.
"Right, you help Chewie." Han ordered. And so Luke joined Han by the ladder, while the women all went to the cockpit.
Luke climbed down the ladder to the Falcon's ventral quad laser canon turret while Han climbed up to the dorsal turret. Both men took their seats, put on headsets and prepared their cannons. "You in, kid?" Han asked into his headset. "Ok, stay sharp."
The Falcon shuddered from distant laser blasts as Juno, Kali and Leia joined Chewbacca in the cockpit. Juno took the pilot's seat, while Kali and Leia took the passenger seats. "Here they come." Leia said grimly as four TIE Fighters swooped past the windscreen and opened fire on the Falcon, one of the shots striking the ship's aft section. 3PO and R2 watched as the lights went out for a moment, then came back on as the auxiliary power kicked in.
Luke and Han opened fire on the TIEs, their quad lasers pounding away at the hostiles. "They're coming in too fast!" Luke grumbled.
Two of the TIEs made a strafing run and struck the Falcon's underside, the resulted shudder knocking 3PO off his feet and he tumbled into a storage cabinet.
"Damage report?" Juno asked as she and Chewbacca did their best to keep the ship flying.
"We've lost the lateral controls!" Leia reported, checking the computer readout.
"I just hope this bucket of bolts can take it." Kali muttered.
"Don't worry. She'll hold together." Han told them over the radio. "Hear me, baby? Hold together." he muttered to his ship as he continued to fire at the attacking TIEs.
R2 used his fire extinguisher to tackle a fire that enemy fire had caused.
The TIEs continued to buzz around the Falcon, Luke and Han swivelling madly in their turrets as they returned fire. At last, one TIE strayed into Han's line of fire and he swiftly destroyed it. "Ha ha!" the smuggler laughed
One of the other TIEs strayed into Luke's line of fire and he was able to destroy it. "I got him. I got him!" he cheered.
"Great, kid. Don't get cocky." Han called to him.
"Still two more of 'em out there." Kali warned, looking at the scope and seeing that the two remaining TIEs were coming round for another pass.
"Hold on..." Juno warned, swinging the Falcon around in a sharp roll.
One of the TIEs made a strafing run on the Falcon's ventral side and Luke was able to pick it off, while the final TIE made a run on the ship's dorsal side and Han swiftly annihilated it. "Phew." he said in relief as he removed his headset.
"That's it, we did it!" Luke cheered.
"We did it!" Leia laughed in relief, she and Kali hugging each other.
Juno was more reserved in her celebration. "Goodbye, Master." she whispered softly, thinking of Obi-Wan.
"Help! I think I'm melting!" 3PO wailed as he lay in a tangled heap of wiring. "This is all YOUR fault!" he accused R2.
R2 could only titter in amusement.
~8~
Darth Vader walked into the Death Star's control room, where Grand Moff Tarkin was watching the view screen. "Are they away?" he asked Vader.
"They've just made the jumps into hyperspace." Vader replied.
"You're sure the homing beacon is secure aboard their ship?" Tarkin asked. "I'm taking an awful risk, Vader. This had better work."
Author's Notes: And so we say goodbye to Obi-Wan as a living person. Fortunately, he's one with the Force and his spirit will still be there to provide guidance when necessary. We get to see Juno in action in this chapter, showing some of her Force proficiency. The Luke of Return of the Jedi and The Mandalorian would probably have just Force-jumped too. I hope that Juno's reaction to Obi-Wan's death is believable. People grieve in different ways. Until next time, then...