A Long Time Ago, In a Galaxy Far Away

Chapter 42

Anakin and Obi-Wan were the last ones in the elevator right before the door closed, cutting off advancing troopers. It was a tight fit, but they managed. As soon as the elevator opened, they were out again, heading towards a door that would open to the ship that Leia, Lando, and Chewie had explained they would escape on. Leia lead Han as Lando tried to open the door.

"Security code has been changed," Lando said in response to questioning looks. Chewie began to bang on the door.

"Artoo, you can tell the computer to override the security systems," the golden droid that Anakin refused to believe was Threepio said. "Artoo, hurry!"

Anakin looked at the terminal that Artoo, who he kept telling himself was not his own faithful droid, Artoo-Detoo, was about to plug into and stopped him.

"That's not a computer terminal, that's a power socket," Anakin informed the droid before it could complain, stopping a potential disaster before it could happen.

"Attention: This is Lando Calrissian. Attention: The Empire is taken control of the city. I advise everyone to leave before more Imperial troops arrive," Lando said over a loudspeaker. Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padmé looked at him in surprise. Empire? Luna hadn't said anything about an Empire in the short briefing she had given them. Then again, she hadn't given them a lot of somewhat important information. Before any of them could voice a question, they were on the move to find an actual computer terminal that would open to the landing pad.

The halls that had been empty previously now had panicked citizens running through them. Even with that setback, they found a computer terminal for Artoo rather quickly and covered him while he communicated with the city's computer. Anakin vaguely heard Artoo say something about the Millennium Falcon's hyperdrive and then the other droid rebuke him saying that it was fixed, that they didn't need to know anything else, and to just open the door. Remembering Luna's warning, Anakin knew that was far from the truth and if anyone was bothering to listen to the droid, they would know something was up.

"I never doubted you for a second! Wonderful!" the golden droid said as Artoo finally opened the door. Anakin grabbed Padmé's hand and gently pulled her away to inform her it was time to go.

As they passed by Artoo, he used his fire extinguisher to temporarily blind the incoming troopers before following. The ship that they were heading towards, the Millennium Falcon Anakin assumed, did not look like much, but he knew that there was not much of an option for a different ship at the moment, so he went with it. They occasionally fired back at the troops as they passed through the temporary haze while they made their way to the ship.

The droid on Chewie's back complained as he kept getting hit as Chewie attempted to board the Falcon. Anakin stopped and returned fire, taking cover by the ship's landing gear as Padmé and Leia, leading Han, made their way onto the ship.

"Let's go!!" Lando yelled at Obi-Wan and Anakin.

Obi-Wan quickly followed the advice, as did Anakin, however less willingly. As soon as he was on the ship, he headed to the cockpit. Chewie was in the copilot's seat and Anakin quickly took control of the pilot's seat, throwing his hood back as to see better. The two began to work in tandem, and it wasn't much later that the Falcon was flying up into the sky with a barrage of blaster fire behind it.