HA HA! ONLY ONE MORE CHAPTER BEFORE THE KEY CHANGE!
Hope everyone's enjoying NTOWYHHG (epic abbreviation I know ;). I'm trying to add some details between the well-known scenes of the movies to flesh out my alternate universe of Star Wars. Hope it peaks your interest.
Anyway, I'll stop talking and just give you Chapter 4. Enjoy! Favorites, comments and follows are all greatly appreciated.
When Han realized there was no way of escaping the tractor beam, he directed everyone to a set of hidden floor panels. The droids and Obi-Wan went in one, while Han, Luke and Chewbacca used the other. Once the fake floor was back in place, they waited in silence as the Faulcon was brought onto a landing pad.
Obi-Wan focused on keeping his emotions clear. He had recognized the familiar presence of his fallen apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, now Emperor Palpatine's apprentice, Darth Vader.
Obi-Wan knew he could only conceal his presence for so long. Vader would eventually catch on to him being here. Obi-Wan needed to buy as much time as possible for the others to escape with the princess, who's presence he also sensed onboard. She was very different from the infant he'd helped deliver so many decades ago but her fiery spirit and rebellious streak seemed to be intact.
Everyone waited for several minutes, listening closely to the footsteps above them and the sounds of things being thrown as the ship was searched. Han had to reign in his frustration at having his ship ransacked and the urge to leave his hiding spots guns blazing. It would make a great story but wasn't much use if he couldn't tell it to anyone. Which is the real trick, he mused.
Eventually, the sound of footsteps disappeared, followed by the voice of a Stormtrooper reporting that they'd found no one. They all knew this was the moment and lifted the false floor above their hiding spots.
Han looked around quickly to make sure the coast was clear, blaster in hand.
"Boy, it's lucky you had these compartments." Luke remarked.
"I used them for smuggling," Han replied as he checked his surroundings. "I never thought I'd be smuggling myself in them." The smuggler cast an annoyed look towards Obi-Wan who emerged from the hidden compartment. "This is ridiculous. Even if I could take off I'd never get past the tractor beam."
"Leave that to me." Obi-Wan simply stated as he hoisted himself out.
"You fool," Han said in disbelief. "I knew you were going to say that."
"Who's the more foolish?" Obi-Wan asked with a smirk. "The fool? Or the fool who follows him?"
Han had no reply for the old man's philosophy.
"He has a point," Chewbacca growled, raising his head out from between Han and Luke.
Obi-Wan nodded to the Wookie and put the fake floor back over his hiding spot.
"They will likely send a scanning crew to perform a more minute search," Obi-Wan said, helping Luke out. "We should be ready to intercept them before they call for backup."
"I whole-heartedly agree." Han said, checking the munitions on his blaster.
"No blasters," Obi-Wan rebuked him. "We need to be discreet. Han, Chewbacca, think you can handle them?"
Chewie let out an affirmative growl and Han a dismissive salute.
Luke resisted the urge to say he wanted to help. He wanted to be useful but the biggest fights he'd ever been in were in the school yard when he was a kid.
"Luke and I will distract them and lead them to you," Obi-Wan said. "Be ready."
As Chewie and Han found a good spot to hide, Luke looked to Obi-Wan nervously.
"Ben don't you think it'd be better if you handled it?" Luke asked hesitantly. "You've got more experience. I don't want to put the others at risk."
"Luke, you must understand that we never choose when it is our time to act," Obi-Wan spoke kindly to the young man. "Do or do not. There is no try. A great man told me that once."
Luke nodded slowly. He was currently aboard an Imperial battle station. Smooth talking an officer was one thing, but he'd likely have to end up shooting at them. He had experience with a blaster but only on desert rodents, not human targets. I'll cross that bridge when I get there, Luke thought calmly.
"And besides," Obi-Wan added, putting on his hood, arching his back and holding weakly onto Luke's forearm. "I am but an old man."
Luke couldn't help smile at Ben's fake weak tone. He slowly guided them towards the boarding ramp where a pair of technicians with scanning equipment were entering.
"Halt," the senior officer called, his hand moving to his blaster. "Identify yourselves."
Go Luke, Obi-Wan urged through the Force.
"We're refugees," Luke blurted out reflexively. "We were sent to Alderaan where we were told we'd be safe but instead we were caught in a tractor beam."
"Are you alone?" the officer asked cautiously.
"Just me, my grandfather and my… brothers" Luke replied. "They are both terribly ill, they need medical attention. Can you help them?"
The officer's expression softened slightly. He took a step towards Luke.
"I'll take a look at them," the officer replied. "But your grandfather stays here. And no funny business."
"Yes sir." Luke said with a deep bow.
The boy led the senior officer towards Hand and Chewie, while the junior officer cautiously moved closer to Obi-Wan who kept his features concealed under his hood.
The young officer looked very tired with large bags under his eyes and red marks on his cheeks.
"You're awfully young to be working in the Imperial Army." Obi-Wan noted, surprising the young man.
"My father and all my brothers are in it," the young officer stated defensively. "We are from a long line of military men. It is my duty to serve."
"Ah yes, I see," Obi-Wan nodded slowly. "Would you help me sit down? My knees are quite weak."
The young officer felt uncomfortable since it was forbidden to sympathize or fraternize with unknown subjects. However, his empathetic nature won out over his adherence to protocol. And with everything he'd experienced over the last couple of hours, he'd grown tired of protocol.
The boy held on to Obi-Wan's forearm as the old Jedi led him away from the boarding ramp. They arrived in the room where Luke had practiced his saber skills. The junior officer led Obi-Wan over to a couch where he sat down.
"What is your name young man? If you don't mind my asking."
"I am Tuyin Reagyn," the boy replied, removing his cap and passing a hand through his hair.
"You seem somewhat troubled Tuyin," Obi-Wan remarked as he removed his hood, revealing his brilliant blue-grey eyes.
The boy paused for a moment, carefully observing the old man. He didn't think he was a threat but he also didn't like all the questions he was asking. However he couldn't keep the weight on his heart any longer. He had to share it, even if it was with a complete stranger.
"My three brothers were reported MIA on Tattooine earlier today," Tuyin revealed. "I'm worried that the worst may have happened. And added to that, we were made to watch as this battle station… destroyed Alderaan. Blew it up into chunks like it was nothing."
Obi-Wan nodded slowly at all this information, remembering the three Stormtroopers he'd spared on Tattooine. It was not a coincidence he would meet their brother here. The Force was telling him something.
"Tuyin, I hope you will not hate me for this…"
"What? –" the young boy asked confusedly before Obi-Wan swiftly hit him on the back of the neck, knocking him out.
The old Jedi dragged the boy's body over to Luke, Han and Chewbacca who were waiting with two unconscious Stormtroopers lying at their feet.
"What took you so long old man?" Han asked with a smirk. "Let's get these guys out of the way. Chewie, put them in the cargo hold."
The Wookie let out a frustrated growl before picking up the two engineers and dragging them towards the back of the ship just as R2-D2 and C3-PO arrived to join the others.
"You'd best put those on." Obi-Wan said, pointing at the Stormtroopers' armor.
"I hear ya." Han replied sarcastically as he and Luke started putting the armor over their regular clothes.
When Chewbacca returned after hiding the bodies, he saw two Stormtroopers standing next to Obi-Wan and the droids. The Wookie let out a thunderous roar and ran at full speed towards Han and Luke.
"Chewie stop!" Han shouted urgently, taking off his helmet as Luke did the same. "It's us."
Chewbacca grinded to a halt, looking at both of them in disbelief.
"Is that supposed to be a joke?" the Wookie growled sarcastically.
"In case you haven't noticed, right now we blend in much better than you." Han replied jokingly.
Chewbacca gave Han the equivalent of blowing a raspberry and picked up the two former Stormtroopers to hide them with the others.
"There should be a control booth nearby where R2 can access a control panel," Obi-Wan said. "I suggest that Han, Chewbacca, the droids and myself head out first before the officers start wondering about their missing troops. Luke, you divert their attention when they ask what's going on and join us once we've cleared the room."
Han wanted to protest taking orders from someone other than himself but he couldn't find a reasonable objection to the old man's plan. It was arguably the best approach.
"Fine. Let's get going," the smuggler relented. Seeing Chewbacca return, he gestured to him to follow. "Come on Chewie."
As Han, the Wookie and the droids made their way down the ramp of the ship, Obi-Wan hung back a little to watch Luke who nervously fidgeted with the Imperial blaster in his hand.
"You're nervous about having to use it." Obi-Wan said knowingly.
"I've never shot anyone before Ben," Luke explained with a saddened expression. "I try to tell myself it's different since they're Imperials but… well you saw that kid, he was even younger than me."
Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully at the mention of Tuyin. He felt sad at seeing mere boys being indoctrinated into the Imperial Army.
"Luke you must understand that even I, after many, many years of reflection, have yet to know how to yield this power I have over life and death. The Jedi were never meant to become soldiers but… circumstances made it otherwise. Towards the end of the Jedi Order we were awarded the ranks of generals and given command of thousands of Clone troops. While our conscience may have been clear when we were fighting battle droids, it was another story entirely when fighting sentient opponents; not to mention the pain of losing our own men. I have no simple answer for you Luke, it is something you must find for yourself, but the fact you've taken notice of the fragility of life is another step of your training in the ways of the Force."
Luke nodded at Ben's explanation. In the end he likely wouldn't have time to ponder whether or not to use this blaster. It will be a spur of the moment decision and he knew that his actions now involved more than just himself.
"Thanks Ben," Luke replied. "I hope I'll do what's right in the end."
"In the end, that's all a Jedi must do." Obi-Wan said with a smile before moving down the boarding ramp and out of sight.
Luke waited awkwardly in the empty ship, double checking that the magazine on his rifle was full and the safety was off. He also checked the various compartments on the Stormtrooper's belt to see if there was anything useful. He found a comlink, extra ammunition, a small repair kit and a grappling hook. Luke made sure he was familiar with the placement of these items on his belt in case he needed them later.
Suddenly a voice blared in his ears, startling him and causing him to drop his blaster. "TK-421 why aren't you at your post?"
Luke didn't know what to say, he couldn't risk answering if the officer knew this particular Stormtrooper's voice. He opted to say nothing and try to play off a coms malfunction.
"TK-421 do you copy?" the officer asked again.
Luke walked down the ramp and glanced up to the command booth. He saw an officer in a black uniform peer out of the glass windows overlooking the hangar. Luke tapped the side of his helmet to indicated he had a problem with the coms in his helmet.
When the officer gave him a wave and backed away from the window, Luke heaved a sigh of relief and made his way to the command booth.
He arrived to find two Imperials lying on the ground after hearing a loud blaster shot. He didn't need to guess who had fired it. Luke quickly closed the doors behind him.
"You know between his howling and you blasting everything in sight, it's a wonder the whole station doesn't know we're here." Luke rebuked Han sharply.
"Bring 'em on," Han replied cockily. "I prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around."
Just then, R2 let out a beep.
"We've found the computer outlet sir." C3-PO explained.
"Plug in," Obi-Wan said. "You should be able to interpret the entire Imperial network."
R2-D2 did just that and after a few seconds of sifting through data, released some happy chirps and beeps.
"He says he's found the main controls to the power beam that's keeping the ship here," 3PO translated. "He'll try to make the precise location appear on the monitor."
As he spoke, R2 flashed a series of diagrams of the Death Star's inner workings as 3PO provided commentary:
"The tractor beam is coupled to the main reactor in seven locations. A power loss at one of the terminals will allow the ship to leave."
Obi-Wan understood what needed to be done. He'd have to turn off the power to one of the reactors to avoid drawing Vader to Luke. If his attention was focused on Obi-Wan he was less likely to notice the Force presence of his own son.
"I don't think you boys can help," Obi-Wan said, looking to Han and Luke. "I must go alone."
"Whatever you say," Han replied with a disinterested tone. "I've done more than I've bargained for on this trip already."
As Obi-Wan reached the door, Luke approached him with a worried look.
"But I want to go with you."
"Be patient Luke. Stay and watch over the droids."
Luke tried to protest in but Obi-Wan needed to make sure the boy understood how important this was.
"They must be delivered safely or other star systems will suffer the same faith as Alderaan. Your destiny lies on a different path from mine."
Obi-Wan opened the door and checked that the coast was clear.
"The Force will be with you. Always." Obi-Wan said with a confident smile.
Obi-Wan departed down the corridor and quickly disappeared into the entrails of the Death Star.
As Han, Luke and Chewbacca rode the elevator up to the detention center, the young boy had to reflect on how he'd gone from doing maintenance on a pair of droids to helping break a princess out of an Imperial prison. They'd learned that the princess of Alderaan was being kept here and was scheduled for termination. In a spur of the moment decision, Luke had been able to convince Han to convince Chewie to let them take him prisoner so they could gain access to the detention level.
As the doors to the elevator opened, Luke's gut tightened as he knew that they would likely be unable to get to the princess's cell with words alone. A blaster fight may be their only option. Or was it, Luke wondered.
The officer behind the main console looked at the three of them critically as they entered with the towering Chewbacca between them.
"Where are you taking this… thing." the officer asked with contempt in his voice.
Luke cleared his mind and remembered how Obi-Wan had gotten them past the Stormtroopers in Mos Eisley. The Force can have a strong impact on the weak minded, he remembered Obi-Wan's words.
"Prisoner transfer from cell block 1-1-3-8," Luke said slowly, trying to somehow will his words to sound more convincing and enhance them with the Force.
He saw the officer put a hand to his forehead and regard them strangely. Did it work? Luke wondered hopefully. The officer shook his head and gestured to his men.
"I'll have to clear it."
Damn it, Luke cursed.
The two men approached Chewbacca who freed one of his wrists from the restraints and delivered a fierce uppercut to the first man, knocking him out cold. After that, it was utter pandemonium.
Luke quickly pointed his blaster at the officer but missed by a few inches. As the man reached for his blaster, Luke fired a second shot that hit him square in the chest, killing him instantly. Luke didn't even have time to register it as he quickly aimed at the second soldier and shot him down as well. Luke then proceeded to destroy all the cameras and monitoring devices to avoid revealing their identities to the Empire just yet.
Han and Chewbacca finished off the last soldiers in the detention center and destroyed the remaining cameras. Han walked up to the console that kept the prisoner logs and started looking through them.
"We've got to find out which cell this princess of yours is in," Han said with a frustrated tone. "Here it is: 21-87. You go and get her, I'll hold them here."
Luke nodded and went down the line of cells, looking for the princess's as Han tried to delay the Imperials who'd heard the commotion they'd just made. After a couple seconds, Luke heard a blaster shot followed by Han's urgent shouting:
"Luke we're going to have company!"
The boy hurried up and finally found cell 21-87. He opened the door to reveal a beautiful young woman in a white dress and intricately braided hair lying on the bed of the detention cell.
Luke's mind grinded to a halt as he was awe struck by her beauty. He'd met girls on Tattooine and had dated a few but they all carried a physical and mental ruggedness that came from living in the harsh desert environment. This woman was lightyears away from any of the girls he'd met. She was a princess after all. Should he bow? Call her majesty? Was there some sort of decorum he had to follow? Although since Alderaan was destroyed she wasn't really princess—
"Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper?" Leia asked, snapping Luke out of his reverie.
"Huh?" Luke asked as he gathered his thoughts. "Oh, the uniform." He removed his helmet to reveal his ruffled blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. "I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm here to rescue you!"
"You're who?" Leia asked with a confused expression.
"I'm here to rescue you!" Luke repeated urgently. "I've got your R2 unit, I'm here with Ben Kenobi."
"Ben Kenobi? Where is he?" Leia asked, her eyes lightning up at the old Jedi's name.
"Come on." Luke said urgently.
He led them both out the cell, unaware of the danger that was rapidly approaching.
AND… DONE!
Pretty happy with the length of this chapter, we're winding up to the big showdown between you know who and you know who ;) Damn I'm excited!
Please tell me your thoughts or if you have any comments, write me a, well, comment. Favorites and follows are also greatly appreciated.
May the Force be with you. Always.