'The shields are down, Miss Tano! It's up to you, now. We'll cover you the best we can.'
'Thank you. Swinging around, now.'
The TIE fighter that was yet to fire a blast curved around the failing star destroyer. While dodging Imperial ships, the Resistance were free to bomb the vessel. The TIE fighters continued to chase after the starfighters and x-wings, but there were too many rebel ships in their airspace.
The Empire were losing.
Ahsoka descended over the surface of the star destroyer in search of the exhaust port. She had located it before the shields fell and with Mothma's reinforcements bringing up her rear, the Jedi prepared to perform a miracle.
The exhaust port was coming up. The hijacked TIE fighter hovered over the grey surface and Ahsoka's thumbs waited over the blaster buttons. She flew in a straight line with a series of x-wings behind her, and the small rectangle in the destroyer's make-up was in sight. She needed to concentrate on her attack, and use the Force to guide the blasters directly into the ten-metre wide gap.
But with the Resistance hovering around her, the remaining Empire grew suspicious. The TIE fighter hadn't engaged in the battle at all and after the shields were dismantled, the ship was suddenly surrounded by rebels. The Imperial pilots noticed this strange pattern and turned away from their individual chases.
'Something is wrong with one of our fighters, sir,' a pilot said into his intercom from his cockpit. 'The rebels aren't firing at it, and it's been circling the destroyer throughout the whole battle.'
'Follow it! We've been fooled! The rebel scum has infiltrated one of our ships!'
Tarkin was desperate. While doused in the red lights and as victim to the destroyer's countdown, the man held to his lips the commlink to all the ships left in battle. Foam appeared at the corners of his mouth and his eyes were blood shot. He watched the last of the Empire turn and follow the TIE fighter that held a rebel at its controls.
He knew it was the same ship that fled Yavin 4 and wouldn't connect to the destroyer's intercom. Because of their ignorance to the greater plan at play, the destroyer was falling apart, and the rebels were about to deliver the final blow.
'All units on that TIE fighter! Blow it up! Destroy them!'
Tarkin's orders were heard in every Imperial cockpit, but they could only fly as fast as the engines would allow. Ahsoka's ship remained at the head of the formation and with the Resistance behind her, Ahsoka was able to slip her conscience into the Force.
Her hands remained on the joysticks, but her eyes slid shut. Without seeing the destroyer rushing under her, the Jedi could no longer see the coming exhaust port in its physical form. But as she slipped into the Force's hold, she saw the mechanical make-up and power that it held on a spiritual level.
The realm of the Force was healing. The light had returned, and the endless void had brightened from its dull grey. Flames of the good and just occupied the realm and balance was being restored.
Ahsoka could see the small space inside the destroyer. It functioned just like every other part of the ship, but it was the focus of Ahsoka's blast. It's place below the surface made it difficult to hit, but when Ahsoka called to the Force and asked for its guidance, the exhaust port was within reach.
Her eyes opened; enlightened and focused. Ahsoka's orange thumbs fell over the buttons and two blasts left the TIE fighter's belly. The rebel ships behind the fighter watched as the blasts fell to the surface of the destroyer.
At first, it appeared as if the blasts were going to miss the rectangular gap by milimetres. But at the last second, the blasts curved and were pulled into the exhaust port like metal to a magnet. The blasts fell a few metres down a tunnel before they ignited the space in a chain reaction.
While the rebel ships pulled up from the destroyer, an explosion erupted from inside the exhaust port. The hallways and workstations were encased in flames. The explosion continued throughout the star destroyer and reached the control room, where Grand Moff Tarkin heard the rumbles and destruction before it took him into its arms.
He let out a cry for the Empire's eternal existence before the control room was destroyed, and the ship was nothing more than a few parts floating through space.
'Woohoo!'
'Brilliant shot, Miss Tano!'
'We did it! Tarkin is no more!'
Hoots and applause sounded through the intercom. Ahsoka sat with her jaw hanging open as she steered the TIE fighter away from the explosion.
She couldn't believe that she had done it. She had used the Force to direct the blasts into the exhaust port and had been the impossible odd that C3-PO had analysed. Ahsoka had used the Force perform a miracle and had blown up Grand Moff Tarkin's star destroyer.
She grinned to herself. Ahsoka wasn't the Chosen One, but she sure was amazing.
---
The scout troopers in the trees halted their attack. The Resistance inside the hanger heard the far-off rumbles and peaked out from their hiding spots. Blasts ceased and in a collective motion, the opposing sides craned their necks to where the Imperial star destroyer had been.
As if engraved into the blue sky, a cloud was seen erupting into puffs of smoke. The sound of the explosion travelled through the atmosphere and met the ears of all that occupied the jungle.
Animals dug into the ground to hide, and birds were disturbed from their trees for a second time. But the rumbles throughout the moon were welcomed by some inhabitants, as the Empire had been destroyed in the Yavin system.
As the scout troopers looked back into the hanger in defeat, the Resistance celebrated. They leapt out of the corners of the base and began embracing in joy. Some rebels took it upon themselves to aim their blasters at the remaining soldiers and call for their surrender. The scout troopers had no choice but to lay their weapons to the jungle ground. They raised their unarmed hands into the air and hung their heads as they stepped out of the trees in their surrender.
'Oh, hooray! Oh, how splendid!' C3-PO threw his arched arms up as high as he could. He shuffled towards the celebrating rebels and found Padme Amidala, who embraced her lieutenant with a shining grin on her face.
The captain couldn't believe it. Ahsoka had succeeded in her mission and had rid them of the Empire's presence. They were saved, and Padme's fears melted away at the scout troopers' surrender.
'Oh, Miss Padme, the destroyer is no more! Miss Tano did it!' C3-PO cheered, making the woman turn to the droid. Her eyes were filled with sparkles of relief, and she threw her arms around C3-PO's shoulders. Her short stature forced Padme to leap upwards and hang off the golden's droids shoulder parts.
'Oh, my!' he said in surprise while staggering backwards.
C3-PO remembered only a handful of embraces from his memory logs, but Padme's was by far the tightest and most joyful. And considering the captain was usually one for solemn politeness and manners, the droid was surprised to receive such affection from the senator.
'Threepio, your odds may have been impossible, but not with Ahsoka. Maker, that woman is the brightest of them all!' Padme pulled away from the droid and shook her head with a foolish grin.
'Ma'am!' the lieutenant said, and Padme and her droid turned back to the celebrating rebels. The man stood in his camouflage poncho and with a commlink in his hand, the lieutenant grinned at his captain.
'Mothma sent reinforcements! She has received word that the Empire has initiated a self-destruct order across the galaxy! The Emperor is dead, Captain! The Empire is over!'
The captain's cheeks hurt. Her faith in the Force was inconsistent, but the entity had proved its power. After the slaughtering of the Jedi during the fall of the Republic, Padme had thought that the Force had fallen with it. There seemed to be no hope in the spiritual means of winning this war against the Empire, but Padme found that this was false.
The Force was very much alive, and the dark side had receded into the hell it had come from.
---
Five minutes remained. The Death Star had emptied down to the last few workers and stormtroopers that rushed towards the escape pods. The hanger was nearly cleared of all its ships, but despite Order 99's initiation, the large space wasn't doused in red hues. The alarm that sounded throughout the halls echoed into the hanger, but it appeared as if it was at the full disposal of the Empire.
Sol helped Anakin out of the hallway and was relieved to hear that the alarm wasn't sounding in the large room. The lights were in their usual white beams, making it a pleasant walk from the intense and overstimulating hallways to the quiet, empty space.
With his arm still around Sol shoulders, Anakin had ceased his groans and was able to straighten his back as he walked. He took back most of his weight from the small woman and he kept his free hand against his side that still ached from the Emperor's lashings. Sweat still glistened through his hairline and the bags underneath his eyes were still purple, but Anakin felt a little more human.
Sol was glad that Anakin's steps were more consistent. It became easier to walk to the mouth of the hanger and to look for a getaway without compensating for Anakin's slouch and limp.
She looked left and right and spotted her green and grey star fighter that she had arrived in. It appeared untampered with and even though the cockpit was small, both Sol and Anakin could squeeze into the pilot's seat in their desperate circumstance.
'Let's hope someone didn't steal my hyperdrive,' Sol said. 'You can curl up small, right?'
Sol waited for an irritated groan, or maybe a sarcastic answer. But as she stared at her lonesome starfighter, the man over her shoulders remained quiet.
Sol felt a heavy silence in the Force as well as in the hanger, and the alarm that still sounded throughout the Death Star faded. She knew that the strange behaviour from Anakin was yet to cease and even though he appeared to be in less pain, Anakin still seemed hurt.
She craned her neck towards the Skywalker. From beside him, Sol could see his eyes gazing off into the stars, planets and moons outside the hanger. His lips were pressed together, and his blue eyes looked between the white dots that sat against the black abyss of space.
The countdown of the Death Star's explosion didn't seem to alert Anakin. He appeared as if he was gazing at an ocean's horizon without any urgency of the time that passed, nor the everyday responsibilities he had to attend to.
'Ani?' Sol called, leaning her head forward to catch his eye. 'Are you okay?'
He turned from the galaxy to the woman underneath his arm. She stood with raised eyebrows and a worried sheen of purple in her eyes. Anakin didn't want to cause her any distress, as he had caused her to suffer too much of the emotion already. But when their escape was in sight, Anakin couldn't help but give into his grief and hear the whispering voice in his head.
'Solaris... I don't think I can do it...'
'What, curl up small? Sure, you can-'
'No,' he cut her off and pulled his arm from around her shoulders. 'I don't think I can leave.'
Sol didn't like how Anakin's leather-clad arm left from around her. He swayed for a moment but ultimately, Anakin stood on his own with a small distance from the Jedi. He looked down at her with stormy eyes and with creases in the middle of his arched eyebrows.
Through his troubled expression and simmering Force signature, Anakin was feeling as if there was no hope for him while in front of the lightest flame in the galaxy.
'I... I-I remember it all,' Anakin looked away from Sol while his voice strained. 'I remember every single thing that I did; I killed so many people, I-I invaded so many cities and homes. It's all in my head, a-and I don't think I'll forget any of it. I can't leave here... I don't deserve to escape with you. Y-You've done so much, and I am nowhere near what you think I am-'
'Ani, hey, i-it's okay-'
'No, it's not okay!' he interupted and Sol's eyes widened at his volume.
Anakin took several steps away from Sol towards the mouth of the hanger. The ache in Sol's chest was creating a deep worry in her stomach and she hurried after him. He was spiraling and Sol knew the countdown had no more than three minutes left before detonation. Not only was Sol panicking about the lack of time they had, she was hurting at Anakin's words.
'I-I don't deserve to leave this forsaken place! I'm evil! I don't deserve to see our children! I don't deserve to be their father!' Anakin turned to look at Sol with tears in his eyes and his face in a grimace. 'Sol... this is it... this is where I stay. Leave. Leave without me and tell our children that their father died years ago.'
'Anakin,' Sol stopped in front of the man with her fists clenched and her eyes glassy. 'You were tricked by the Emperor. I will not let you take the blame for everything that has happened because of that evil, monstorous man.
I know how you felt when the Council didn't grant you the Master status.
I saw your anger and pain then, and I still think about it now. No one thought that you would have gone down the path that you did, so the Order didn't bother to help you. They left you and you were alone. You went to the Emperor, you went to the dark side, and still, no one suffered as much as you...
No one lost their mother like you. No one lost almost everything like you. No one helped you... oh, Anakin, I'm so sorry.'
Sol sniffled and a tear slid down Anakin's cheek.
'I watched it happen. Obi-wan watched it happen. We all saw your suffering, but we did nothing. We failed you, Ani... I-I'm so... so sorry. You needed someone, and we weren't there. I wasn't there... I failed you-'
'No, no, no, Sol. You didn't fail me. Please, don't say that,' Anakin rushed forward and took Sol's hands into his. 'It was I that failed you.
Y-You carried my children alone, you gave birth without me, a-and you were forced to hide them from what I became. I forgot about what I really wanted and in turn, you and the children suffered. Please... don't think you did anything wrong. You're... you're perfect, Solaris. You always have been.'
Sol sobbed and looked down at Anakin's hands that enclosed around hers. They were covered by the black leather gloves, but Sol felt the robotic didgets underneath. It reminded her of the limbs that Anakin lost on Mustafar, and it pained her to think about how much his fall to the dark side had physically changed him.
Half man, half machine; a fallen Jedi who took solitude in the dark side. It promised him what he wanted; unlimited power to stop death and a life with no rules or restrictions. Anakin was scared, and Vader emerged from his fears.
'You've just come back, Ani... I can't leave here without you,' Sol blubbered through her tears and looked back up at Anakin's equally as saddened face. 'If you're staying, then I am, too.'
'W-What? Sol, what about the children-'
'They're on Tatooine. They're safe with Obi-wan... Maker, I'm just... so tired,' Sol took one hand from Anakin's to put to her forehead. 'I feel like I've lived a lifetime. Perhaps, it is time for us to stop... we could just... disappear.'
Despite its gruesome meaning, the sound of disappearing sounded blissful to Anakin. He had spent a lot of his life in pain, suffering and in worry. The times that were calm and joyful were when he was with his mother, or with Sol, or with Obi-wan and Ahsoka. But Anakin wasn't sure if he would ever be able to feel those things again while knowing what he had done to the galaxy.
He couldn't decide for Sol, but he had to think of all that she had also been through. If Sol wanted to be at peace, and that peace was with Anakin, then he would not interfere with her decision to disappear.
'If that's what you want...' Anakin didn't finish, and Sol swallowed some of her tears to compose herself. She had accepted the idea that she probably wasn't going to make it off the Death Star, and as she stood with Anakin, Sol came to terms with what it really meant.
Sol caught sight of silver and blue panels. Beside the mouth of the hanger, R2-D2 stood powered down. He had been dislodged from her starfighter's wing and put into sleep-mode by the Empire. Without his beeps and rotating head, R2 appeared as just another droid that had served the Republic and the Resistance.
Anakin followed Sol's gaze and spotted his old droid standing in the hanger's corner. His eyes widened and his lips parted, as it was the first time that he had seen R2 since Mustafar.
'Artoo... he's still with you? After all this time?'
'He's one stubborn droid,' Sol said while letting out a humourless laugh. 'We should leave him powered down...'
Anakin turned back to Sol and saw her pained puffy eyes. The idea of not leaving the Death Star could be too much for the droid's artificial conscience. And after seeing his old master, R2 could have some sort of digital meltdown.
It was better to leave R2 ignorant to his masters' grim decisions. He had been through a lot, too.
So, as the countdown entered its last two minutes, Sol and Anakin held hands as they stared out of the mouth of the hanger. The stars twinkled and space was quiet.
Sol took the time to look at Anakin's side profile and admire the way his tears had dried against his reddened cheeks. His perfectly rounded nose sat at the perfect angle and his plump lips pressed together in a soft shape. His eyelashes were clumped together from his eyes' wetness and his Adam's apple bobbled at the swallowing of his dry throat.
Anakin was beautiful even when he cried, and his features were still as angelic as they were on the first day Sol had met him.
'You know,' Anakin turned and caught Sol's lovestruck stare. 'I thought that I would never be good enough for someone as beautiful and light as you, Solaris.
But I realise now that you would never have settled for anyone less worthy.'
'There was never anyone else, Ani. Just you...'
And as the countdown finished, the Death Star exploded.