The Battle of Endor

The Rebel strike team were forced out of the bunker at gunpoint by their captors. The surrounding area, deserted before, was now crowded with hundreds of Stormtroopers and several AT-ST walkers. The situation looked hopeless. "Alright, move it!" a Stormtrooper demanded, pushing the Rebels forward.

Suddenly, 3PO called out from where he and R2 were hiding in the undergrowth. "Hello! I say, over there! Where you looking for me?"

"Bring those two down here." an Imperial officer ordered several Stormtroopers, who rushed off to round up the droids.

"Well, they're on their way. R2, are you sure this is a good idea?" 3PO asked his that point, the Stormtroopers reached them. "Freeze!" one demanded, aiming his blaster rifle at the Protocol droid. "Don't move!"

"Oh! We surrender!" 3PO blustered, putting his hands up.

Suddenly, a band of Ewoks leapt out of hiding from behind the bushes and pounced on the Stormtroopers, managing to overpower them. It turned out that Wicket had gone back to the tribe to fetch help, and they hadn't disappointed. Two more Ewoks climbed onto trees and sounded bugle horns, giving the signal to the rest of the tribe, who all came out of hiding and started firing arrows at the Imperials surrounding the Rebels. It turned out that the Ewok archers were outstanding marksmen, for their arrows struck home in several Scout Troopers' backs.

The Rebels took advantage of the distraction to leap into action. Chewbacca tossed several Stormtroopers aside like rag dolls, while Han knocked out another one and retrieved his confiscated blaster. Leia meanwhile retrieved her pistol, slammed her boot down on a Stormtrooper's helmet to knock him out and shot an AT-ST pilot who was peering out of his walker's top hatch. The Imperials were taken completely by surprise by all the chaos and most of them rushed into the forest to deal with the Ewoks, while the cowardly officers fled back into their bunker and sealed the doors behind them. Han and Leia saw them and rushed over to the doors.

~8~

The Ewoks led the Imperials into the forest where they had the advantage. Two of them swung on vines from the trees and managed to knock two Stormtroopers over, then the Ewoks jumped on them and pummelled them with sharp rocks until they were knocked out cold. The AT-STs went into the forest after the Ewoks and started shooting at them with their powerful laser cannons. One Ewok used a glider to pelt Imperials with rocks. One rock landed on a Stormtrooper's head, causing him to fall over and fire his blaster in the process. The shot hit the Ewok's glider, forcing him to crash in some bushes. Unhurt, he climbed out from glider and joined some of his colleagues, who were standing behind a line of trees with a rope. As an AT-ST approached, they pulled the rope tight and it wrapped around the walker's legs, slowing it down. Meanwhile, several Ewoks hid in the bushes until some Stormtroopers approached, then they hurled rocks at them, knocking them over.

~8~

At the bunker, Leia was trying to work the control panel for the door, while Han provided cover fire. "The code's changed." Leia groaned. "We need R2."

"Here's the terminal." Han said, noticing an access port for an Astromech droid's datalink.

"R2, where are you?" Leia said into her comlink. "We need you at the bunker right away!"

R2 and 3PO were hiding behind a fallen tree trunk as the battle raged around them. Suddenly, R2 let out a series of whistles and hurried off across the battle field. A panicked 3PO clanked after him. "Going? What do you mean you're going? Going where are you? No, wait! This is no time for heroics! Come back!"

~8~

An AT-ST strode through the forest picking off any Ewoks it came across. A group of Ewoks had moved a primitive catapult into position. They fired off a huge boulder at the walker, which ricocheted off the walker's armour plating. The walker promptly turned and headed for the catapult, blasting away with it's laser cannons. The Ewoks wisely abandoned their post and ran for cover in the bushes. Just as the walker was about to stomp down on the catapult, Ewops dropped vines restraining two huge logs that swung down and smashed the walker's head flat. Elsewhere in the forest, two speeder bikes chased Ewoks through the underbrush. As the Scouts rounded a tree, they were knocked off their bikes by a vine tied between two trees.

~8~

In space above Endor, the Rebel and Imperial ships faced off, with the Millennium Falcon and the fighters engaged in ferocious combat around the Rebel cruisers. "Watch yourself, Wedge. Three from above." Lando warned.

"Red Three, Red Two, pull in." Wedge ordered two of his squadron.

"Got it." Red Two acknowledged, and the three X-wings flew into formation. Suddenly, Red Two was picked off by laser fire from above.

"I see 'em, Wedge. Coming in, 20 degrees." Juno warned, seeing three TIE Interceptors bearing down on them.

"Cut to the left, I'll take the leader." Wedge acknowledged, and piloted his X-wing in pursuit of the lead Interceptor. He opened fire with his laser cannons and scored a direct hit, destroying the TIE. Juno meanwhile was able to destroy the second TIE. That just left the third one to deal with. "It's heading for the medical frigate." Wedge realised.

And indeed the third TIE Interceptor was making a beeline for the Rebel's medical frigate. The Millennium Falcon was on the case and was able to destroy it with it's quad laser cannons. Lando then noticed that the Star Destroyers were making no effort to engage them. "Only the fighters are attacking. I wonder what those Star Destroyers are waitin' for." he frowned.

~8~

On the bridge of the Executor, Admiral Piett and his first officer watched the battle unfolding outside. "We're in attack position now, sir." the ship's second officer reported.

"Hold here." Piett ordered.

"We're not going to attack?" the first officer questioned.

"I have my orders from the Emperor himself." Piett told him. "He has something special planned for them. We only need to keep them from escaping."

~8~

Aboard the Death Star, the Emperor, Vader and a horrified Luke watched the fireworks from the unfolding battle out of the window, while a viewscreen on the wall next to Kali allowed her to see the destruction. "As you can see, my young apprentice... your friends have failed." Palpatine taunted Luke. "Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle station."

"What?!" Kali stared.

Palpatine grinned wickedly and switched on the comlink on his throne. "Fire at will, Commander." he ordered.

Luke felt his blood run cold as he realised what this meant. His friends were doomed and he was powerless to help them.

~8~

Personnel in the Death Star's control room pulled back on several switches. Moff Jerjerrod stood over them. "Fire!" he ordered.

~8~

An enormous bolt of green energy formed in the Death Star's superlaser dish and lanced out at a Rebel cruiser, completely atomising the ship.

Juno stared wide-eyed in horror at the destruction she'd just witnessed. "No..." she breathed.

Lando had seen it too. "That blast came from the Death Star. That thing's operational!" he realised. "Home One, this is Gold Leader."

"We saw it. All craft prepare to retreat." Ackbar ordered.

"You won't get another chance at this, Admiral." Lando warned.

"We have no choice, General Calrissian." Ackbar countered. "Our cruisers can't repel firepower of that magnitude."

"Han will have that shield down. We've gotta give him more time!" Lando persisted.

~8~

The battle on the surface of Endor continued to rage. Han and Leia were pinned down by Stormtroopers outside the bunker when a group of Ewoks intervened and managed to overpower the Stormtroopers. "We're coming!" 3PO hollered as he and R2 hurried over to join the Humans.

"Come on! Come on!" Han urged R2 as the Astromech droid reached the terminal and plugged in his datalink.

More Stormtroopers arrived and opened fire. "Oh, R2, hurry!" 3PO hollered as the laser blasts came too close for comfort. Suddenly, a blast hit R2. sending the little droid shooting backwards into the wall as his circuits overloaded. Han promptly blasted the Stormtrooper responsible, but the damage had already been done. "R2, why do you have to be so brave?" 3PO sighed as R2 shut down.

Han and Leia shared grim looks. They knew that R2's self-repair system would reboot him after half-an-hour, but time wasn't on their side. "Well, I s'pose I could hotwire this thing." Han said.

"I'll cover you." Leia nodded, readying her blaster.

~8~

The Rebel fleet continued to be picked off by the Death Star's superlaser. Lando steered the Falcon through an obstacle course of ships. "Yes, I said closer." he yelled into the comlink. "Move as close as you can and engage those Star Destroyers at point-blank range."

"At that close range we won't last long against those Star Destroyers." Ackbar pointed out

"We'll last longer than we will against that Death Star!" Lando countered. "And we might just take a few of 'em with us."

"And the Death Star won't be able to fire at us or they risk hitting their own ships." Juno realised. "That should buy us some more time."

And so the Rebel cruisers moved in close to the Imperial Star Destroyers and began blasting away at point-blank range, while the fighters raced across the surfaces of the capital ships, heavy laser fire all around them. Several fighters made an attack run on a Destroyer's conning tower. "She's gonna blow!" Red Five yelled as his X-wing was caught in the blast from an exploding shield generator.

"I'm hit!" Grey Four cried as his Y-wing was shot down by two TIE Fighters and crashed into the conning tower.

~8~

Out of the window in the Emperor's throne room and on the viewscreen, the Rebel fleet was being decimated in blinding explosions of light and debris. "Your fleet is lost... and your friends on the Endor moon will not survive." Palpatine continued to goad Luke, then he switched his throne comlink on again.

"Yes, your Highness?" Moff Jerjerrod's voice asked.

"Commander, should the Rebels manage to disable the shield generator, you will turn this battle station onto the Endor moon and destroy it." Palpatine ordered him.

"But we have several battalions stationed on the moon." Jerjerrod protested.

"You will destroy it!" Palpatine said firmly.

"Yes, your Highness." Jerjerrod conceded.

Palpatine turned back to Luke. "There is no escape... my young apprentice." he taunted. "The Alliance will die... as will your friends."

Luke felt his blood boil in fury and his eyes shifted to his lightsabre by Palpatine's side.

"Gooood." Palpatine droned. "I can feel your anger. I am defenceless. Take your weapon. Strike me down with all of your hatred... and your journey towards the Dark Side will be complete." he egged Luke on.

"Don't listen to him, Luke." Kali advised. "We're not finished yet. Leia, Han and Lando will succeed, just you wait and see."

"You will be silent, girl." Palaptine rolled his eyes and pressed a button on his throne. The ray shields binding Kali abruptly zapped her with a bolt of electricity, causing her to yell out in pain, then she slumped unconscious to the floor.

This was the last straw for Luke and he could resist no longer. His lightsabre flew into his hand. He ignited it in an instant and swung at the Emperor, but Vader ignited his own lightsabre and blocked the blow. Palpatine cackled as the green and red blades clashed in front of him, delighted that he had gotten under Luke's skin.

~8~

The battle on the surface of Endor continued to rage. Stormtroopers fired on Ewoks with their blasters, while their furry little adversaries snuck up behind the Imperial troops and bashed them over the heads with large clubs. An AT-ST marched through the undergrowth blasting Ewoks as it went. An Ewok warrior gave the signal and a pile of logs were cut loose. The logs tumbled under the walker's feet, causing it to slip and slide until it finally toppled over with a great crash. Meanwhile, another Ewok threw a lasso of rope around the steering vanes of a passing speeder bike, causing it to wrap around a tree before slamming into it and exploding, taking out the Scout Trooper riding it.

Chewbacca swung on a vine to the roof of a passing AT-ST with two Ewoks clinging to him. The walker's pilots heard a clatter from above, then they saw an Ewok poke his head in one of the front viewports. "Look!" the co-pilot pointed.

"Get him off of there!" the pilot ordered, and so the co-pilot opened the top hatch and climbed out, only to be grabbed by Chewbacca and tossed overboard. The two Ewoks then jumped into the open hatch and bludgeoned the pilot into unconsciousness. Chewbacca then climbed in and took over the walker's controls. With the walker under control, Chewbacca was able to turn the tables on the Empire and used the walker's lasers to destroy another AT-ST that was hounding several Ewoks, then he picked off Stormtroopers like shooting womp rats in a barrel. The Ewoks shouted and cheered as the commandeered machine helped to turn the tide of the battle in their favour.

~8~

At the shield bunker, Han worked furiously at the control panel; wires sparked as he attempted to hotwire the door. "I think I got it. I got it!" he said to Leia as three wires sparked as the connection was made. Unfortunataly, all that it accomplished was to close the blast doors instead. "Ugh. Where're Luke and Juno when ya need 'em?" Han grumbled.

Leia exchanged blaster fire with Stormtroopers in the bushes, then suddenly cried out in pain as she hit in the shoulder by a laser blast. "Princess Leia, are you alright?" 3PO fussed as Han knelt down to tend to the Princess.

"Let me see." Han said.

"It's not bad." Leia reassured him, though her face was grimacing in pain.

Then, the Stormtrooper responsible for shooting Leia stormed up to the group. "Freeze!" he demanded.

"Oh, dear." 3PO whimpered.

"Don't move!" the Stormtrooper ordered.

Leia held her blaster pistol ready behind Han, out of view of the Stormtrooper. "I love you." Han smirked.

"I know." Leia grinned back cockily.

"Hands up! Stand up!" the Stormtrooper continued to order.

Han put his hands up and got to his feet, buying Leia the necessary time she needed. Leia then made her move, shooting the Stormtrooper square in the stomach. Han grinned, but then he suddenly saw an AT-ST emerge from the woods. "Stay back." he warned Leia. Suddenly, the walker's hatch opened and a familiar Wookie poked his head out. "Chewie!" Han exclaimed in relief. "Get down here, she's wounded." Then he had a brainwave. "No, wait! I've got an idea."

~8~

Luke and Vader's lightsabre blades crackled and sparked as they clashed against each other. Since their previous dual on Bespin the year before, Luke had enhanced his swordsmanship skill considerably and Vader was kept on his feet to counter Luke's strikes. Luke managed to get the upper hand and kicked Vader down the stairs, the Sith Lord landing with a grunt on the floor below.

Palpatine laughed with delight at the duel. "Good. Use your aggressive feelings, boy." he egged Luke on. "Let the hate flow through you."

Luke snapped out of his anger and deactivated his lightsabre. "Obi-Wan has taught you well." Vader remarked as he got to his feet.

"I will not fight you, father." Luke said calmly, driving the hate from his being.

Vader strode up the stairs to Luke. "You are unwise to lower your defences." he said, and attacked, forcing Luke on the defensive.

The young Jedi Force-jumped onto an overhead gantry. "Your thoughts betray you, father." he said. "I feel the good in you, the conflict."

"There is no conflict." Vader retorted.

"You couldn't bring yourself to kill me before and I don't believe you'll destroy me now." Luke said confidently.

"You underestimate the power of the Dark Side." Vader replied. "If you will not fight, then you will meet your destiny." And with that, he threw his lightsabre at the gantry's supports, severing them and causing the gantry to collapse, sending Luke tumbling down.

Palpatine sniggered in amusement at all this. "Good. Good." he smirked as he watched Vader retrieve his lightsabre and search for Luke, who had disappeared beneath the throne's platform.

~8~

The Falcon chased down and destroyed a TIE Fighter, then the ship's sensors beeped in warning. "Watch out, Juno! Squad at .06." Lando warned.

"Surge all power units, KT. Stand by to reverse thrusters." Juno ordered her droid. "Now!" Her X-wing braked sharply, causing the squadron of TIE Interceptors that had been trying to sneak up behind her to scream straight past her, so that she was now behind them and she made short work of them with her laser cannons.

Wedge had seen everything. "Good shooting, Red Three." he praised.

While all of this was going on, the two armadas continued to blast away at each other in individual point-blank confrontations. A Star Destroyer exploded in a ball of fire. The Rebel victor limped away, it's back half alive with a series of minor explosions. The Rebel cruiser managed to move in next to another Star Destroyer before it exploded completely, taking the Imperial ship with it. The Falcon flew through the devastation. "We're sure in the middle of it now." Lando muttered. "Come on, Han, old buddy, don't let me down!"

~8~

Han had climbed aboard the stolen AT-ST and put on the pilot's helmet. "It's over, Commander." he said into the radio. "The Rebels have been routed, they're fleeing into the woods. We need reinforcements to continue the pursuit."

Han's idea worked and the bunker's officers opened the doors to allow a squad of Stormtroopers out, which were swiftly overpowered by the Rebels and Ewoks.

With the coast now clear, Han and the Rebels were soon busy planting explosive charges in the bunker, their mission almost complete.

~8~

Vader stalked the low-ceilinged area on the level below the Emperor's throne, searching for Luke in the semi-darkness, his lightsabre held ready. "You cannot hide forever, Luke." he said

"I will not fight you." Luke's voice called out from somewhere

"Give yourself to the Dark Side." Vader encouraged. "It is the only way you can save your friends. Yes. Your thoughts betray you. Your feelings for them are strong. Especially for... sister." he said slowly as he sensed Luke's thoughts. "So... you have a twin sister. Your feelings have now betrayed her too. Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now his failure is complete. If you will not turn to the Dark Side, then perhaps she will."

That did the trick, for a furious Luke came out of hiding. "NEVER!" he roared, igniting his lightsabre. Luke rushed at his father with a frenzy no one had ever seen in him before. Sparks flew as Luke and Vader fought in the cramped area. Luke's hatred-fuelled attack forced Vader to retreat out of the low area and across the walkway leading to the lift. Each stroke of Luke's lightsabre drove his father further towards defeat. The Sith Lord was knocked to his knees and as he raised his lightsabre to block another onslaught, Luke slashed Vader's right hand off at the wrist, causing metal and mechanical parts to fly away from the mechanical stump and Vader's lightsabre clattered uselessly away over the edge of the platform and into the bottomless shaft below. Luke stood over Vader, breathing heavily and aiming his lightsabre blade at his father's throat.

Palpatine had seen everything and was delighted. "Good!" he laughed as he came down the stairs. "Your hate has made you powerful. Now... fulfil your destiny and take your father's place at my side!"

Shaking, Luke looked down at his gloved cybernetic hand, then at the stump of Vader's mechanical hand and realised how much he was becoming like his father. He took several deep calming breaths, remembering all his teachings about hate being the path to the Dark Side. "Never." he said, deactivating his lightsabre and dropping it to the floor. "You've failed, Sidious." he said defiantly. "I am a Jedi... like my father before me."

Palpatine's glee turned to fury. "So be it... Jedi." he spat.

~8~

Han and the strike team had successfully planted the charges in the bunker and were now all running for cover. "Move! Move!" Han warned everyone, then he dived for cover behind some bushes.

The charges detonated, completely obliterating the shield generator. Han smiled at the destruction. Now it was up to the fleet to tie things up.

~8~

Home One's sensors detected the shield generator's destruction. "The shield is down." Ackbar announced. "Commence attack on the Death Star's main reactor."

"We're on our way." Lando acknowledged. "Red group, Gold group, all fighters follow me." he ordered. "Haha! Told ya they'd do it!" he told Nien Nunb.

"Right with ya, Lando." Juno acknowledged. "Let's finish this once and for all!"

The Falcon and several Rebel fighters set off towards the unfinished superstructure of the Death Star, ready to put the Emperor's new toy out of action for good.

~8~

It wasn't just the Rebels who were aware of the loss of the Death Star's deflector shield. In the battle station's control room, an officer was checking a monitor. "Sir, the deflector shield is down," he reported to Moff Jerjerrod, "and we've lost all contact with the generating station."

Jerjerrod steeled himself, remembering his orders from the Emperor. "Position the station to destroy the moon." he ordered.

"Commence rotation of main batteries." the officer ordered a technician.

"Sir." the technician acknowledged, and prepared to move the Death Star into firing position.

In just a few minutes, the battle station would be in position and Endor would be no more.

Author's notes: And here's the heat of the Battle of Endor. Straight of the bat, I know that Kali spends most of this chapter out for the count, but she'll be awake for the big moment in the next chapter, I promise. Juno meanwhile gets to show off her piloting prowess. Luke isn't the only Force-sensitive pilot in the Rebel Alliance! The Battle of Endor is a fantastic action sequence and I hope I've done it justice. Join me next time for the moment of truth!