The Empire were advancing, and the Resistance that remained in the hanger waited in agony. The captain left the last line of defense to the control room with a promise to return with good news. But even as a politician, Padme Amidala struggled to lie without a painful twist in her stomach. It never got any easier to look at her team, and vow that she would find a solution to their seemingly hopeless situation.
So, when Padme arrived at the control room with Ahsoka and C3-PO in tow, the captain barged in with an immediate address to her righthand man.
'What do you have, lieutenant?'
Padme approached the man with a stern look. With the Jedi and droid behind her, the captain looked through the hologram on the hologram pad The lieutenant pushed himself to stand tall at his captain's arrival, but from his hesitancy to answer, the group could see that the news was not good.
'Ma'am... I have done as you asked,' the lieutenant said, his fingers threading through each other in a nervous fidget.
'And?'
While awaiting his answer, Ahsoka looked at the hologram of the Imperial star destroyer. It's triangular shape spun in a slow rotation and the dodgey connection made its form flicker in and out of transmission. Seeing the ship on a hologram was nothing compared to what Ahsoka would face out in space, but it still unnerved her to think she would be facing one soon enough. Even if the plans weren't yet solid, Ahsoka knew that the star destroyer was her next target, and she feared its monstrosity in physical and in hologram form.
'There is a possibility of blowing a star destroyer up, but...' the lieutenant paused and swallowed at Padme's raised eyebrow. 'It would require a delicate operation and a great deal of luck.'
'Show me.'
As Padme stepped forward to be by the hologram pad, Ahsoka did the same. C3-PO remained behind the two women and the rebel lieutenant rushed to zoom in on the star destroyer's interior. The destroyer expanded as if the group were flying into the ship's makeup, and the mechanical parts of the destroyer came into view.
'The first hurdle will be to destroy the destroyer's shields. We won't get anywhere close with them still functional, and shooting them down will take a great deal of work. I don't know how many ships we have left, but...'
After a look from his captain, the lieutenant didn't continue the topic futher.
'Once the shields are down, there is one fault that is installed in all Imperial carrier ships that we can aim for. This is the exhaust port-' the man gestured to the small space in between the hologram's two mechanical parts. '- that is no bigger than ten metres wide. If we could, and this is a massive 'if', M'Lady-'
The lieutenant looked at Padme through the hologram.
'-if we could fire a blast into this small exhaust, we could trigger a reaction that would set fire to the destroyer.'
Ahsoka walked around the hologram pad with her arms crossed over her chest. She eyed the small space between the destroyer's parts and tried to picture herself in the TIE fighter's cockpit. If the Force was on her side, and the Resistance were able to drop the shields, Ahsoka would have to aim a blast into a tiny space on the kilometre-wide star destroyer. And, if the Force was feeling especially generous, the blast would ignite the exhaust port and blow up the entire ship in a great explosion.
It seemed impossible; even more impossible than anything Ahsoka had ever done before.
'If I might interupt,' C3-PO began, and Ahsoka knew what was coming. 'The chances of successfully bringing down the destroyer's shields are incredibly low at our current state, and for Miss Tano to articulate such a blast, is nearing towards a fantasy. I don't mean to be such a negative Nautolan, but I fear that this attempt will only lead to the last of the Resistance being obliterated.'
'Thank you, Threepio. I'm glad I brought you from Naboo,' Padme deadpanned at the golden droid, but C3-PO had no concept of sarcasm.
'You are too kind, M'Lady.'
Padme resisted a roll of her eyes and turned back to the hologram. She noticed how Ahsoka circled the hologram pad with narrowed eyes and a wandering step. The Jedi appeared to be analysing the exhaust port in a physical and spirtual sense. If Padme didn't know any better, she would anticipate Ahsoka's word of defeat at the Jedi's crushed hopes. The proposal of the impossible would dampen anyone's drive to fight the Empire, but Padme knew Ahsoka.
Just as Padme thought, Ahsoka stopped by her side with her arms still crossed over her chest. She glanced once at the hologram, before returning her gaze to the captain and waited for a command.
'Can we spare the ships that are left? All I need are the shields down,' Ahsoka said, hoping that Padme was on the same wave length as her. This was their last chance, if it gave the Resistance one last thing to aim for, then Ahsoka would risk it all.
'How do you know that this will be the one in a millionth chance-'
'One in three million, M'Lady.'
Padme and Ahsoka glared at C3-PO, and the droid let out an 'oh!' at their piercing eyes. The droid backed away and much to everyone's relief, went silent. The control room was plunged into a tense pause as Padme turned back to Ahsoka, and the lieutenant waited for the final order.
'Because I can feel it, and my gut has done me well so far,' Ahsoka answered the captain's interupted question. Padme didn't question her Force-sensitivity, as she had encountered enough Jedi to know that she would never be able to understand the entity. But the rebel captain was having an internal battle while the Resistance waited for the captain's orders.
Padme didn't want to send Ahsoka out to her end. If the Jedi was protesting against the mission, then Padme would have no problem saying 'no'. But at the Togruta's bright blue eyes and waiting posture, Padme had no choice. The Resistance were in danger of being destroyed, and they couldn't count on reinforcements arriving in time to help them. If there was a chance, and Ahsoka was willing to take it, then Padme would believe in the Force just as she did.
'Alright, Ahsoka,' Padme breathed. 'I trust you.'
Ahsoka didn't grin in triumph. Instead, Ahsoka put her hand on the captain's shoulder with a nod of gratitude. It wasn't like her Padawan days, where the Council would sigh and agree to let Ahsoka and her Master run a muck on a Seperatist-occupied planet. Padme was agreeing to Ahsoka's barbaric mission out of desperation, and there was no reward for the Jedi. If anything, the mission was a punishment, a curse, a burden.
'I won't let you down, Padme,' Ahsoka said, looking into the brown eyes of the senator with intensity.
'Lieutenant,' Padme called. 'Send out the call to look out for a TIE fighter heading out of the base. It'll be their signal to follow and head for the star destroyer's shields.'
'Yes, ma'am.'
'Oh, my, this is simply suicide,' C3-PO said with his hands to his head.
Back in the hanger, Ahsoka prepared to climb into the TIE fighter's cockpit. With the Jedi, was the captain and the lieutenant.
Nerves were riddled and worries were high as a line of the Resistance kept their eyes on the trees and their blasters at the ready. There was a possibility that Ahsoka wouldn't return, and that the destroyer would order the execution of the remaining rebels in the base. But with luck on their side, the Resistance would be saved and Grand Moff Tarkin's star destroyer will be reduced to pieces.
But with C3-PO's continuous reminder, Padme feared that this would be the last time she would be seeing her Togruta friend.
'I've instructed everyone to dial into your frequency once you leave the atmosphere. They'll work at the shields, and then it's up to you,' Padme said, and Ahsoka nodded.
'I pray they remember that I'm on their side. A TIE fighter will throw off Tarkin, but I hope it won't throw us off, as well.'
'Have faith, Tano. We may be thinning, but the morale is still high,' the lieutenant said, and neither Ahsoka nor Padme wanted to state the obvious lie in his words. Instead, they looked to each other, and prepared their goodbyes.
'May the Force be with you, Ahsoka. Please... make it count,' Padme said with her eyes unblinking and her lips unsmiling. Ahsoka reached out and embraced the smaller woman. She squeezed her friend and while ridden with anxiety, Padme squeezed Ahsoka back with a terrified grip.
'And with you, Padme. Hold on for a little bit more.'
They pulled away and Ahsoka turned to head for the TIE fighter. With the cockpit open and awaiting, the Jedi climbed the ladder and settled into the pilot's seat. The line of rebels at the mouth of the hanger shuffled to the side to allow a clear take-off, and as the sound of the fighter's engines whirled, the cockpit enclosed the Jedi inside. Padme stood back with her lieutenant and watched Ahsoka press buttons inside the Imperial ship.
With a lasting look out to the hanger, Ahsoka pushed the controls forward and the TIE fighter flew towards the jungle. Before it broke through the treeline, the ship steered upwards and broke through the battlefield.
The rebel ships in battle saw the TIE fighter soar upwards. They had been briefed on the plan by the lieutenant under the captain's orders and found it strange that they were teaming with an Imperial TIE fighter.
But without a moment to spare, the rebels turned from the Imperial ships around them and headed after the Jedi that was betting on a miracle.
To the Empire, it appeared that the rebels had turned on one of their ships in a strange formation. They didn't think anything was suspicious of the TIE fighter that left Yavin 4's atmosphere. Perhaps their fuel was low, or they had specific orders to return to the destroyer.
So, the Imperial ships turned away from the base and headed after the rebels, leaving their troops in the jungle below.
---
No one dared to move at first. The Emperor pulled out a lightsaber that Sol recognised as Revan's. He had placed it on the arm of his chair, and sat with a sinister grin on his face. There was an assumption that Revan would rush to call his lightsaber from the Emperor, and that would initiate the beginning of the battle. But neither he, nor Sol or Vader moved to grab their weapons.
Sol could feel a great disturbance in the Force. Like a pot that was about to boil over, the Force flared with flames of anger and anticipation. Revan's gaze was focused on Darth Vader, who stood silent and unmoving. Sol stood in the perfect position to see the tension between the man who's signature was becoming darker and darker, and the man who felt conflicted and betrayed.
Sol knew very few things that Palpatine had promised Anakin. She remembered him saying about having new powers that could save her. Anakin always had this fear of losing the ones he loved to death, and Sol remembered his terror of losing anyone after his mother's passing.
Palpatine had also promised him an Empire that would bend at his will. He had followed through with that promise, but it seemed that the Emperor was betraying his apprentice in another sense.
Vader was angry. How could the Emperor put him against his beloved? While Revan claimed to have a vendetta against him, Vader was being forced to show his allegiance to the Emperor, while making an example out of the two Jedi in front of him.
This was not what the Emperor had promised Anakin.
'I can feel your anger, Revan,' the Emperor hissed in pleasure. 'Do it. Take your weapon. Strike your enemy down.'
Revan's fists clenched and his dark eyes moved to his saber on the Emperor's chair. He didn't have to hide his hatred or keep up his façade anymore. He could face Serrina's murderer and avenge the Jedi younglings that were slaughtered in the temple academy.
The Shan saw Vader's bionic hand rise from his side with his lightsaber in hand. It was pointless to avoid it, as no one was leaving the Emperor's chamber without battling. Vader wished that Sol would somehow be excused, but the only way they were making it out alive, was if they ignited their weapons and fought.
So, with a press of the ignition, Darth Vader's red blade was revealed. Revan called for his own weapon at the sight and was doused in an orange glow. The appearance of red ignited something within the Shan, and he took his first step towards the Sith with a glint of yellow in his eyes.
Sol despised the cackle that left the Emperor's lips, but when Vader and Revan's blades met, she ignited her own weapon. The cyan didn't have the time to douse its hues over the woman's face, as she leapt into the air to join the duo.
Revan had already gone in with a ferocity to kill, but Vader was prepared. The Sith met every one of his attacks with a strong defense and with only one hand on the handle, Vader was not intimdated by the yellow eyes of Revan Shan.
Sol wasn't there to fight Vader, so she aimed for Revan's leg. If she could get Revan to his knees, then perhaps some clarity could form in his twisted mind. But when Vader's forceful swipe sent the Shan stumbling back, he had the time to sense Sol behind him. He caught her blade with his and turned to face the woman who was interupting his time for revenge.
In the brief moment their eyes met, Sol saw the eyes of the Sith. The orange of his lightsaber reflected off the sickly tones and Sol despised to see how much Revan had changed since the Republic. He wasn't the same collected man that she knew. Revan had turned to the dark side in seek of revenge, and the Emperor was feeding into his dark desires.
It seemed to be how Palpatine triumphed; through the pain and suffering of others.
'Revan, please... you don't have to do this-'
'What do you know?!'
Revan sneered at the woman through their buzzing lightsabers. He didn't fall for her pleading, purple eyes and creased eyebrows. He wouldn't let the woman fool him just as she had fooled Padme, Ahsoka and Obi-wan. Her children were a classic example of how Sol had blinded the Resistance. She had Padme believing that there was still hope to winning with peace and love. But Revan knew what always worked; a powerful swing and a lust for victory.
'You knew that you could have stopped him, and now you're telling me that I don't have to do this?!' Revan screamed while rearing his saber back with a forceful yank. 'You're a fool, Sol! A lying, backstabbing fool!'
Sol didn't expect the sheer strength that Revan had in his strike, but she was able to duck underneath his arm with his follow through. Her fluidity with the Force allowed her to slide around the back of Revan and attempt another strike at his leg.
Usually, Sol would have been able to avoid an opponent's frantic flailing from such an awkward angle. But Vader decided to step forward and try to catch Revan's shoulder, forcing Sol to bend backwards to avoid being caught in the middle.
When Vader's saber neared Revan's shoulder, he whipped around and blocked the red blade. In the mean time, Revan took the opportunity to plant his foot into Sol's stomach and send her to the floor.
Sol let out an 'oof!' and felt a stab in her tailbone at it's collision with the tiles. Her head rolled around for a moment as a helpless winding overcame her, and she was forced to see the collision of red and orange lightsabers directly above her. Sol tried to overcome her fall fast and willed her legs and arms to move, pushing herself up with slight groans.
Whether it was the groans from Sol, or just a general irritation at Revan's existence, Vader used the Force to shove the Shan backwards. Revan flew through the air and collided with the floor in a painful skid. Vader didn't let him recover as he staunched across the room and kept his lightsaber in one hand ready to strike.
'Take that mask off your face, you coward!' Revan yelled in an attempt to hit a nerve in the approaching man. The Force push had distrupted his attack and he worked himself to his feet with a panicked scurry.
'If you're going to kill one of the last Jedi, you might as well look at me when you do it!'
In one swift movement, Vader heaved the mask off of his face with his free hand. The blue eyes of Anakin Skywalker were revealed, but with the light irises, came the scolding face of the Jedi Knight that once intimidated the Shan.
Revan hadn't expected the willingness to remove the black mask and panicked when Vader's stride didn't slow. He threw the mask to the side without a disturbance in his pace and Vader's sharp jaw clenched to show the Sith's true anger.
When he was a Jedi, Anakin didn't like to be belittled. As a Sith, not only did he despise being called a coward, he watched Revan plant his foot in Sol's stomach, and that made Darth Vader murderous.
Vader raised his lightsaber at the scurrying Shan, and the Jedi tried to escape the Sith's fury. As they distanced away from the main room, the two opponents entered another part of the Emperor's chamber.
Sol didn't want to lose sight of the fight. Once she was on her feet, Sol sprinted away from the Emperor who cackled while standing up from his chair.
On her way into the second part of the chamber, Sol saw the abandoned black mask against the large window. While Vader was so engrossed in fighting Revan, he hadn't thought about the consequences of taking his mask off in front of the Emperor. Things were changing in the Sith apprentice, and the mask was something that protected his secrets from his Master. But the Emperor was following the battle with slow steps, and Sol didn't want to be anywhere near him when he saw the colour of his apprentice's eyes.
When Sol arrived at the fight once more, she noticed how the chamber connected to the Death Star's powerhouse. A railing surrounded an energy well that was humming with electricity and the darkness was being ignited with jolts and zaps of white currents.
While Vader was relentlessly attacking Revan, the two were getting closer to the well that plummeted down to the centre of the Death Star.
Revan noticed this also and made a quick attempt to distance himself from the well. He went for Vader's left arm and forced Vader to turn to the side to block Revan's orange blade. This gave Revan the opportunity to step to the right and try to attack Vader's torso with a horizontal swipe. But Sol did what she did best, and interferred at the most inconvient time.
The cyan blade blocked the orange and Sol stepped in-between Revan and Vader. It seemed impossible for the Shan to get any angrier, but at losing his opportunity to at least injure the Sith, Revan was blinded in a moment of pure rage and frustration.
With a sinister cry, Revan reared his saber back and used the power of the dark side to slice across Sol's front. The orange burnt through her robes from her left shoulder to her right hip, and her skin underneath was caught in a painful scorch.
Sol didn't make a noise as she fell, but the smoke that wafted off of her front was enough to alert everyone to her injury. The Emperor put his hands together with a snicker while Revan stepped back as his head cleared from his rage. His true self didn't want to harm Sol, but his desires were being stolen from him, and the dark side was powering his actions beyond his clarity.
Sol fell to the floor and clawed at her robes to ease the searing burning that stretched across her torso. When the pain sunk into her nervous system, it was unbareable, and a series of howls and gasps erupted from the woman.
'Good, Revan. Very good...' Palpatine was heard, but barely anyone acknowledged him over Sol's cries.
Vader had paused completely. The turn of his head was so quick that his neck could have snapped in two. His shoulders heaved and his mouth parted in shock and worry. At the sight of Sol's grimace, the smoke wafting from her robes, and the sound of her cries of pain, Vader didn't care that his Master was feeding off of his dark desires. Sol was hurt, and she was struggling to even drag herself away from the battle to recover.
Not only did Vader not like to see Sol in pain, but Anakin wanted nothing more than to tear down the walls of the chamber around them. Even when Anakin turned to the dark side, he never once wanted to see Sol hurt. There was always the plan to have her by his side, and when hearing of his children that she had bared, Anakin was aiming to shield his family away from anything that could ever hurt them.
But there Sol was on the floor of the Emperor's chamber. Revan had hurt Sol, and she looked as if she was out of the fight while Revan was still standing.
When the standing Jedi's dark eyes shifted from Sol, he feared the face of Anakin Skywalker in Darth Vader's suit. There was a fury in the blue eyes as they teetered on the dark side's edge in a dangerous tightrope walk. Vader's boots spread apart and the cape down his shoulders moved from his adjusting stane. The red lightsaber remained in his one hand, and the scar down the side of his face appeared to deepen the expression on the man's face. His brow lowered over his eyes, and his jaw clenched tightly.
Anakin and Vader were angry and that was more dangerous than anything Revan could have anticipated.
Revan feared the Chosen One, and the dark side couldn't protect him from the wrath of Darth Vader and from Anakin Skywalker.