Hello everyone! I hope everyone is healthy and staying inside their homes to prevent the spread of that nasty coronavirus.

In all seriousness, please do not take this pandemic lightly. I know it is a heavy burden to place on your daily lives but the instructions given by health experts is for our own safety. The sooner and more efficiently we put these measures into effect, the sooner we can get through this crisis and return to our regular lives.

Alright, my PSA is done. Let me answer the comments from the last chapter and then I'll leave you alone with this one:

-SWfan: it really is just that simple huh? Alrighty then…

-Kreuse: although I do wish the new trilogy could be gone from my memory. In the end, I feel it did more harm than good.

-RKF22: yeah Obi-Wan is really putting himself on the line for this Anakin fellow :) Hopefully, he returns the favor soon ;). May the Force be with you.

-Isolda: Thank you so much! Glad you found the fight engaging. Badass Obi-Wan is also my favorite. It's fun when he's clever and witty, but he also knows how to handle business :) Just reread chapter 9 and hopefully, you'll find the answer to your question ;)

-SpencerBrown: Thank you very much! It's also satisfying for me when all the puzzle pieces fall into place. It's a tough balance to strike between straying off the beaten path while still hitting those familiar story beats we're all familiar with. Glad to hear you liked it.

I'm really excited to move into this next part of the story since it will involve several dynamics which I'm raring to explore, especially concerning Luke and Obi-Wan.

I hope you enjoy this new chapter and where the stories goes as a whole.

Well, those are all the comments for this time. Therefore, I suggest we move straight to the main attraction.

Also, if you want to hear my recommendation for an excellent film classic you should definitely watch, stick around till the end.

Enjoy!

"That armor's too strong for blasters!" Luke shouted over the comms as he broke off his attack run.

The Empire's AT-ATs were decimating the Rebel Alliance's ground troops, and Luke's squadron of speeders was not faring any better. The walkers were powering through their lines unimpeded. They had already managed to destroy the shield generator and would soon be within range to shoot down the evacuating ships unless Luke found a way to stop them.

Come on, think! Luke thought in frustration. They must have a weakness…

Luke could no longer rely on Deck, his copilot. He'd been knocked unconscious by a stray Imperial shot that hit the back of their speeder.

Luke did a flyover near one the walkers, keeping his eye out for any weakness he could exploit. What jumped out at him was not something he saw but rather something he sensed. He could feel the faintest Force presence onboard the lead walker, which meant a Force user was leading the attack.

This ignited a fire in Luke's gut. He would not let a Dark Side user, or whoever this person was, put his friends in danger. As he felt his anger rising, he noticed one of the walker's feet bump into a large rock and precariously wobble on its legs, seeming dangerously close to falling over.

That's it! The legs! We can trip them up!

"Wedge! Prep your harpoons and tow cables. I've got a plan." Luke called over the comms, turning his ship around for another attack run.

"I'm right with you, Luke," Wedge replied, pulling his speeder up alongside his. "What are we aiming for?"

"Aim for the legs and wrap it around several times to trip it up. It might be our only chance to stop them."

"That sounds like one of your plans." Wedge replied humorously.

Luke did his best to lay down suppressing fire on the walker and turn its attention on him so Wedge and his copilot could land the shot. Luke pushed his speeder for all it was worth as he narrowly avoided the barrage of lasers from the AT-AT.

When Luke saw the harpoon hit its mark, he pulled away to give Wedge some room to wrap his line around. Luke watched as he looped several times around the walker, detached the cable and flew off to a safe distance.

As the AT-AT tried to take another step forward, its legs got caught up in the wire. Luke grinned from ear to ear as the gigantic mass of metal slowly fell forward and crashed uselessly into the snow.

"All right! Good work, Wedge!" Luke called out over the comms. "Rogue 2 and Rogue 3 form up in attack pattern Delta and take out the other walker. Keep the lead one for last."

"Copy Gold Leader."

Luke could not contain his excitement at having managed to exploit a weakness in the AT-ATs. He hated that he was not as useful in this fight as he could be since his copilot was down, but he could still offer support to the other speeders.

"Luke watch out!"

The young Jedi snapped out of his thoughts just in time to swerve his speeder out of the way of an incoming laser barrage. He was able to keep them from hitting his cockpit but instead, they wrecked his left wing which sent him into a nosedive. Thankfully, the snow he crashed into was soft, which prevented any serious injuries.

While the wreck had been softer than expected, Luke quickly realized it was the least of his worries. The lead AT-AT was bearing down on him at an alarming speed. He needed to move right now before he got crushed.

Luke quickly unbuckled his safety harnesses and tried to open the cockpit, but it stopped halfway, no doubt having been damaged from the crash. Luke had enough space to squeeze out but that would mean leaving Deck behind to be crushed, and there was no way he would allow that.

He desperately pounded against the glass, trying to break it but nothing happened. The AT-AT continued to get closer. Luke felt tension and fear welling up in the pit of his stomach; he felt a strange rush of power within him that simply demanded to be released. The AT-AT was only a couple of meters away.

With a roar of desperation, Luke unleashed a violent Force wave that sent the entire canopy flying several feet in the air. As the power within him diminished slightly, Luke quickly unbuckled Deck from his seat and lifted him onto his shoulder. He just had time to grab a harpoon gun from the speeder before jumping out of the way of the incoming foot of the AT-AT.

As his speeder was crushed to pieces, Luke quickly checked Deck's pulse and was glad to feel it beating strongly. He dragged his copilot several meters away to keep him out of danger before turning back towards the hulking metal vehicle before him.

This is where the fun begins.

Mara was annoyed with how the attack was progressing. Their main goal of destroying the shield generator had been achieved, however, their progress was being impeded by the maneuverable speeders the Rebels used.

They had already destroyed one AT-AT and were now trying to pull the same move on another one. Mara gave the order to march the AT-ATs at full speed and increase their firepower to destroy everything before them. Moving more quickly meant there was more risk of falling over if they hit an obstacle, but Mara decided it was necessary.

"Commander, we have a downed speeder in our path."

Mara looked through the window at the front of the AT-AT and saw the small orange figure of a Rebel pilot desperately trying to extricate himself from his speeder.

"Then go through it." Mara replied with an impatient shrug.

She watched as the walker got closer and closer to the downed speeder, but was taken back when she sensed a ripple through the Force and the roof of the cockpit was sent shooting up into the air. The pilot was able to wriggle out of the wreck with his copilot and move out of the way before the AT-AT destroyed his speeder.

Could it be him… Skywalker's son?

"Commander! He's climbing up the undercarriage!"

Mara pushed the Snowtrooper out of the way to look at the monitor which displayed the underside of the AT-AT. She saw the pilot dangling from a grapnel rope and using a blue lightsaber to cut a hole an opening in the hull of the walker.

Mara did not have time to process his actions when she saw him holding a small cylinder which he threw inside the AT-AT. Mara barely had time to open the top hatch with the Force and jump out before the entire walker blew up in a massive fireball.

The snow cushioned her fall as she rolled and tumbled through it after jumping from the top of the AT-AT. Mara shook off her blurry vision and the buzzing in her ears, and focused her senses to find this Force user.

She did not have to look far. Just as she had sensed him, Luke had sensed her also. He stood beside the burning carcass of the AT-AT, gripping his unignited lightsaber. Mara was unable to definitively quantify his Force presence; not because he was disguising it, more like it was incomplete.

He has potential, but he is still in training, Mara reflected cautiously.

She made sure to keep her own presence concealed to avoid tipping him off. Mara walked up to him casually, keeping her own lightsaber on her belt. Luke pulled his helmet off his head and threw it aside, revealing his short blond locks.

And handsome too, Mara noted with a smirk.

"Who are you?" Luke asked, trying to keep his nerves under control.

"It matters not who I am," she replied matter-of-factly. "But I know who you are: Skywalker."

Luke did his best to keep the surprise of his face but it wasn't much use. Somehow, this woman knew who he was, which meant the Empire had made him a target. He enjoyed the idea of being a thorn in the Empire's side but he had yet to actually fight another Force user in a life or death duel.

"Are you scared?" Mara asked, taking a few steps towards him. "I can feel your anxiety. Your fear… your anger."

"You don't know anything about me," Luke ground out, trying to keep his voice and Force presence under control. "I don't fear you."

"Perhaps not," Mara mused, pacing around him so that the AT-AT was now behind him. "But you are angry. Angry not to be more powerful; of not having been fully trained. You are unsure if you can defeat me…"

Luke could not tolerate her goading any longer. He ignited his father's lightsaber and dropped into the Makashi stance of lightsaber combat. For now, his fighting skills had been focused on rehearsing the fundamentals. He had yet to choose and develop his own style since he had needed to learn skills that younglings would normally assimilate over several years.

Mara picked up on this but before she could provoke him on it, they both froze as they sensed a distant tremor in the Force. Two presences were warping the Living Force around them, creating a rift between the dark and the light.

Neither Luke nor Mara could understand what was happening, but they did recognize the Force presences of Vader and Obi-Wan. Sensing that his master was giving his all in his duel against Vader filled Luke with confidence; he could not allow himself to lose this fight.

He charged towards Mara who quickly turned back to face him and ignited her magenta blade to block his. Luke jumped back and focused on delivering a Force push. Unfortunately, it was seriously lacking in power and only kicked up a cloud of snow which Mara brushed aside with a wave of her arm.

"Your powers are weak, Skywalker," she taunted. "You are like a child trying to run before he's learned how to walk."

She riposted with her own Force push which blinded Luke in a tornado of freezing snow pellets. He could not gather his bearings as the violent winds flung him in all directions. He was able to feel a nudge through the Force just fast enough to block Mara's blade as it was about to slice him in half.

Luke pushed her back and followed up with a series of sweeping two-handed swings which Mara parried and blocked easily. She reposted with a sharp jab towards his chest. Luke twisted his body like a corkscrew, narrowly avoiding the blade and stumbling back several feet.

Inside Echo base, they could sense the two abnormal Force presences growing weaker and weaker. They were reaching the end of their duel, and although he hated to admit it, Luke was reaching the end of his. He could not think of a way to gain an advantage; he was not strong enough, and it infuriated him beyond measure.

"I can feel your anger," Mara spoke sardonically, pacing around Luke like a panther. "Your hatred towards me is strong… Give in to it. It is the only way to defeat me."

Luke was panting hard, trying to think of a way out. He reached behind his back with his free hand and quickly brought out his blaster, firing two shots at Mara.

The action surprised her but she was able to block and deflect the attack, sending one of the blaster bolts back to Luke's blaster, knocking it out of his hand.

"You are pathetic, Jedi," Mara snarled, unleashing a Force push that sent Luke crashing against the body of the AT-AT. "You shun what gives you power and believe you are superior to us. But feel it now… feel how your master will fall to the Dark Side's might."

What is she talking about… wait… Obi-Wan!

Luke could sense his master's Force presence growing weaker. It had gained in intensity all of a sudden but now it was slowly disappearing. The strong Dark Side presence was gone, but Luke could still sense Vader. What was happening?

No… it can't be… he can't be…

Luke desperately tried to keep his thoughts in order as he rose to his feet; ears ringing and a cut on his forehead bleeding into his eye. He tried to reach out to Ben, to sense where he was and what was happening.

All he received were distant words through the Force, spoken in Obi-Wan's deep baritone:

Luke… You must go to the Dagobah system… There you will learn from Yoda… the Jedi Master who instructed me…

And then, Obi-Wan presence disappeared completely. There was not a trace of him that Luke could sense. It was like he was…

No… no, no, NO!

Luke felt a searing and twisting feeling in his gut, an accumulation of power he could feel mounting inside him.

Obi-Wan is dead? No! It can't be…

Luke felt like every muscle in his body was pulsating, brimming with energy. His vision was sharp, though one of his eyes was stained red with the blood from the cut on his forehead. Luke did not care. He felt powerful.

His eyes fell on Mara, who stared back at him in disbelief. A mounting rage began to fill Luke's thoughts. It was her fault. It was because of her that Obi-Wan was gone.

I will make her pay!

Luke gathered the brimming energy inside him and dashed towards Mara, angling his lightsaber for a two-handed strike aimed at her head. She was fast enough to block it, but she did not anticipate the power behind the attack. It nearly broke her defense and sent a shockwave through her bones.

Before she could recover, Luke kicked her in the stomach, sending her tumbling over a mound of snow. She rolled over onto her back and desperately tried to get back on her feet. The wind had been knocked out of her and as she tried to catch her breath it was suddenly halted by an invisible hand gripping around her neck.

As she gasped for air, Mara felt her body being lifted off the ground. She could see Luke making his way towards her, holding up his clenched fist. His gaze was cold and empty, tinged with red and yellow.

Mara's own vision began to tunnel, as her body began to shut down from lack of oxygen.

Is this how I die? My body abandoned in a frigid landscape to be covered by snow? Damn it. What a way to go…

Just as Mara was about to lose consciousness, she felt the grip on her neck loosen. Through her foggy vision, she saw Luke standing in front of her, his hand still extended, but his eyes seemed to be in some sort of trance.

Then suddenly, the grip around her neck disappeared and she crashed to the ground. Mara gasped and retched as she breathed in the frigid air, trying to control herself so as not to get frostbite in her lungs.

She shot a glance at Luke who stared back at her with a look she never would have expected. The young man looked ashamed and remorseful. Before Mara could react, a Rebel X-Wing flew over them, landing just beyond the snow mound, next to the fallen AT-AT.

Mara watched as Luke slowly walked towards it, and just as he neared the top of the mound, he looked back towards her and spoke. She could not hear his voice, but his lips spelled the words: "I'm sorry".

With that, he moved out of sight, and a couple seconds later, the X-Wing lifted up into the sky and jetted off into the stratosphere.

Mara eased her head back against the snow. She was frustrated to have been defeated, but she did not feel it had all been a loss. There had been some good to come of all of this; she just wasn't sure what was the good news and what was the bad.

"Princess!" Han shouted into his communicator so she could hear him over the blaster fire. "If we could take off now that would great. In case we don't want to die, I mean."

"Not helping, Han." the princess yelled back over the comms.

Han and Chewie were doing their best to keep the swarming Snowtroopers at bay from the undercarriage of the Faulcon. Thankfully the automated turrets had disabled the larger Imperial weapons that could have damaged their ship. However, now they had to fend off the individual soldiers that were turning up in greater and greater numbers.

"Do you have any idea where the droids are?" Chewbacca growled to his friend before firing a plasma-charged quarrel from his bowcaster which sent a Snowtrooper flying several feet back.

"Chewie, I must admit droids aren't really my priority at the moment," Han ground out as he narrowly dodged enemy fire. "We can't afford to wait for them."

"Luke and Leia won't be happy if you abandon their droids." Chewbacca mentioned nonchalantly, which had the desired effect of riling up the smuggler.

"Look here, fuzzball. Just because me and the princess are… close doesn't mean I'm risking my life to rescue some stupid droid." Han shouted over noise before chucking his last thermal detonators at a group of Snowtroopers.

Just as it exploded, Han and Chewbacca felt the Faulcon come to life under their feet and lift a couple of inches off the ground.

"I got it!" Leia called out excitedly over the comms. "Are R2 and 3PO onboard yet?"

Chewbacca tried to stifle his loud howls of laugher as Han massaged his temple in slow circular movements, firing a shot without even looking, which somehow hit its mark. Just as Han was about to politely break the news to the princess, Chewbacca directed his attention towards two approaching figures.

"Wait for us!" C3-PO's alarmed and frantic voice rang out from the other side of the hangar. "We're coming!"

He and R2-D2 were weaving through the conflict, heading straight for the Millenium Faulcon. The Snowtroopers around them were disregarding them completely as targets, preferring to focus on the ace-shooting smuggler and Wookie.

"You really need to loosen up those joints," R2 beeped sarcastically as he zipped ahead of his friend. "Those legs are not meant for anything beyond a brisk walk."

"I am a protocol droid, you foolish lug," 3PO retorted in disbelief. "I was not built for combat, and as a matter of fact, neither were you!"

"Maybe, but at least I can do this." R2 chirped before activating his thrusters and flying high into the air. Han, Chewie, and 3PO watched in disbelief as R2 sprayed his oil reserve onto the Snowtroopers below him.

As the latter incredulously watched their crisp white armors being stained by the dark liquid, R2 performed a quick fly-by, igniting the oil with his rocket boosters and setting them ablaze.

The little droid quickly returned to his gold-plated friend who was about to reply but was cut short when his foot went straight through a weak patch in the ice which he sunk in up to his waist.

"Oh goodness, I'm stuck," 3PO exclaimed. "R2, you must help me."

Alarmed by his friend's situation, not helped by the fact the Imperials were now directing some of their fire at him, R2 quickly moved up to 3PO who wrapped his arms around his frame. The astromech pushed his motors for all they were worth but it was no use, 3PO's legs were still stuck, and the Snowtroopers were closing in.

"Oh this is a fine mess you've gotten us into this time," 3PO lamented. "You just could not help showing off, could you?"

R2 turned his domed head all around, scanning the area around him for a solution. His friend was right, this was his fault, and he needed to find a way to fix it. He tried to remember everything he'd learned from watching his masters solve problems: Obi-Wan, Luke, and of course, Anakin. It was the latter who'd most encouraged his outside the box thinking.

R2 desperately looked for a solution, just as he felt a blaster round ding the top of his dome. The enemy was getting closer… he was running out of time.

"Just leave me here R2," 3PO's voice brought the blue astromech's attention back towards him. "We are putting the lives of princess Leia and her friends at risk. You must let me go and get out of here."

"No. Never!" the little droid replied heatedly. "I am not leaving you here. I'll find a way."

R2 watched in horror as an Imperial blaster bolt went clean through C3-PO's arm, severing it from his body. Another shot hit his midsection, causing the protocol droid's eyes to flash on and off; his voice sounded distorted.

"Don't let your pride get us both killed," 3PO spoke gravely. "Protect our friends. Go!"

"You ARE my friend, damn you!" R2 snapped back harshly. "I will NEVER leave you."

R2 could no longer think. His components were overheating; he was unable to process anything clearly. He prepared for the final shot that would put an end to his existence. All in all, he'd had a good run. He'd survived an entire galactic conflict and had been fortunate enough to serve the greatest Jedi who ever lived. He only wished he had been able to serve his current master in the same way…

"Incoming!"

R2 barely had time to register the voice that a loud explosion shook the entire hangar, knocking clumps of snow out from the rafters. As he and C3-PO looked towards the voice, they saw Han rushing towards them while Chewbacca dropped a heavy rocket launcher and ran towards them.

The smuggler took cover behind R2's body and proceeded to pick off the remaining Snowtroopers.

"You're both tough, I'll give you that," Han said with a smile. "Get yourself to an X-Wing, R2. We'll get 3PO."

R2 turned his view towards the protocol droid who merely motioned for him to go just before his internal systems shut down to conserve power.

As Chewbacca pried C3-PO from the ice and carried him to the Millennium Faulcon, R2 zoomed towards the nearest X-Wing.

Han and Chewbacca ran at breakneck speed through the ramp of the Faulcon, hastily sealing the entrance behind them. While Chewie laid 3PO's powerless body on the floor, alongside his severed limb, Han rushed to the cockpit and deftly jumped into the pilot's seat.

"I appreciate what you did out there, Han," Leia said gratefully as she initiated the takeoff sequence. "Thank you."

"Let's just not make a habit out of it." the smuggler said distractedly as he flipped all the right levers and nobs.

Suddenly, Leia stole a kiss from his lips and spoke with a mischievous smirk:

"I wouldn't dream of it."

Han shook off his surprise, trying to focus his attention back on his piloting console.

"Alright. Everyone strap in," he ordered, turning the final dial. "Here we go."

Han punched the accelerator, sending the Millennium Faulcon shooting out of Hoth's main hangar. He quickly turned away from the Imperial blockade in order to head towards the other pole of the planet where they could easily jump to lightspeed.

As they flew, Leia suddenly stiffened in her seat and looked out the cockpit, as if she trying to find something.

"What's wrong?" Han asked.

"It's Luke," Leia said slowly. "He's… in trouble."

"What? How do you know?" the smuggler stared at her incredulously.

"Just… wait… I think I can talk to him."

Han did as he was told and watched Leia scrunch her eyebrows together as she focused intently on something.

Finally, after several seconds, she heaved a loud sigh and relaxed back into her seat. Her cheeks were flushed and she'd broken a light sweat.

"Mind telling me what that was all about?" Han requested with a mix of politeness and sarcasm.

"Luke was moving towards something very bad," Leia answered. "I was able to turn him away from it this time but… I fear the road he will have to face will be a perilous one."

Han did not know how to respond to this and decided he was not going to attempt to. He had endured enough peril for one day.

Hope you enjoyed! It was a blast to write and now we're really getting in to the meat of the story.

For those of you who are interested, I can't recommend strongly enough In a Lonely Place. It's a brilliant noir film starring Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame. It's a real gut punch. An emotional wire walk I strongly suggest you watch. I guarantee that after ten minutes you'll be hooked.