The holotable began to beep and a naval officer looked down to see who was calling. His face instantly paled and he looked at Grand Moff Tarkin as he had just seen a ghost. His mouth shuddered trying to speak but fear clamped his tongue down.
Tarkin walked forward calmly and accepted the call. Darth Vader’s blood-red hologram instantly appeared on the holotable. Silence fell over the command center except for the sound of mechanical breathing. “What is the situation?” he asked.
Tarkin looked at Vader calmly. “They have split into two groups, one is in the main cooling center another is headed there. Over a dozen squadrons are currently gathering and once they are ready they will launch an all-out assault”.
Vader’s breathing remained the same. “Wait for my arrival, I shall be there in a matter of minutes,” and the transmission shut off.
Tyvral
Tyvral and the others ran into the cooling system control room gasping for breath.
Mal’dar ran over o the door and shouted, “Are the charges set yet?”
“We need more time, it’s a lot of cooling system!” yelled Artal.
“Hopefully we get it,” muttered Tyvral watching the entrance cautiously.
The Imperial Landing Craft spun and landed in a Star Destroyer hanger. Steam hissed as it shot onto the ground and the ramp descended. Darth Vader strode down it his heavy footsteps echoing. Dozens upon dozens of stormtroopers lined the path and fell in lockstep behind him. Vader held out his hand and his lightsaber snapped into it.
Tyvral checked the time. “We need to go!”
“We haven’t seen any imps yet it’s fine,” said Mal’dar, “Place this big we have time, and we need to do this right”.
Tyvral’s fur puffed out slightly as his skin crawled, “I got a bad feeling about this”.
The last of the charges let out a beep as it was placed. “Let’s roll boys!” yelled Kart, who turned and ran towards the exit.
Tyvral immediately let out a sigh of relief, weight falling away from his shoulders. “Let’s get out of here”.
One of the clones who was guarding the entrance ran towards it, taking point. The door slid open just before he reached it, and standing in the doorway was a towering dark figure. Stunned silence fell over the clones and Mal’dar’s crew, the only sound was that of mechanical breathing.
Vader activated his lightsaber and immediately cut through a clone. The other entrance opened and stormtroopers began to pour into the room. “GET INTO THE COOLING ROOM!”
They retreated into the cooling room Tyvral blocking as many blasts as he could but there were so many. A blast struck his shoulder, another his leg. Tyvral growled in pain and limped back through the door. Tyvral waved his hand too close to the door but a great force held them shut. Coldness seeped from that force into Tyvral and he looked into the expressionless mask of Darth Vader.
Stormtroopers poured into the room all sound being drowned out by the stomping of their boots. The clones, X9, and Mal’dar’s crew backed up until they were backed into a corner, besides the cooling units. Tyvral stood in front of them lightsabers raised, Ora stood beside him her lightsaber raised as well.
Vader walked forward calmly and let his gaze wander over all of them.
Kart reached over a pulled off one of the charges and clipped it to his belt.
Tyvral bared his fangs at Vader, “Want a rematch?”
Vader looked at him but did not speak, the expressionless gaze sending chills through Tyvral. Tyvral shook himself then roared, “GO THROUGH THE VENTS! I’LL HOLD HIM OFF” And lunged at Vader.
The stormtroopers immediately opened fire and the clones returned fire. Stormtroopers and clones were dropping left and right. Kart ducted under blasts and shot several stormtroopers.
Mal’dar blasted several and was knocked to the ground when several blasts struck him.
Ora backed away from the fighting and with a wave of her hand pull off a vent. She fired a cable from her gauntlet and it hit just above the vent.
“Sir, we can’t go up a zipline!” yelled a clone.
Ora scowled at him from under her helmet and grabbed him. She turned the blaster in her hands and put him so he stood under the zipline ready to go up. Ora threw up her arms and force pushed him. The clone shot up the zipline and tumbled into the vent. A blast struck Ora’s armor and she glared at the clones, “Give me cover and let’s get out of here!”
Mal’dar rose to feet and formed a wall in front of Ora with the clones as she sent clone after clone up and out.
Tyvral activated his lightsabers in midair and swung them at Vader. Vader activated his lightsaber and blocked the swing. Tyvral hopped back and swung at Vader with Ashoka’s lightsaber. Vader blocked it and his gaze locked onto the lightsaber. “You seem familiar,” rumbled Vader.
Tyvral snarled at him, “We’ve met before, don’t worry I’ll make you remember”. And he broke off the locked blades before unleashing a combo on Vader.
Kart bobbed and weaved through the battle the charge still beeping on his belt.
Ora had begun sending the clones up two at a time. She looked at the line of clones and strangers that protected her and saw many of them laying unmoving on the ground.
Mal’dar’s armor was covered in scorch marks from blaster bolts but he stood tall and kept firing.
“Your turn Mal’dar,” she said.
“I got a jetpack, send the others!” said Mal’dar as he ducked a blaster bolt.
Ora nodded and sent a member of his crew.
“Mandalorians are always the first to a battle and the last to leave!” roared Sarna as she blasted stormtroopers.
Tyvral ducked Vader’s swing and force pushed Vader. Vader slid back before force pushing Tyvral. Tyvral flew through the air and slammed into Mal’dar. Several blasts immediately struck Ora. Her concentration broke and the clone who was sliding up the zipline plummeted.
“ENOUGH OF THIS!” roared Knock-Knock. He aimed his rotary cannon at the stormtroopers and opened fire. A torrent of lasers burst forth, striking stormtrooper after stormtrooper.
Dozens of stormtroopers aimed at him.
“NO!” yelled Brake.
The stormtroopers fired.
“BROTHER!” roared Brake. He began rapidly firing until he heard his blaster click. He looked at in surprise and then up at the barrels of stormtroopers.
The barrels flashed red and then smoke slowly curled up from them.
Mal’dar shot a wrist rocket at a squad of stormtroopers. It struck then and sent them flying but they were immediately replaced by another.
Kart saw them, Vader and Tyvral, the charge still beeping on his belt.
Tyvral dropped to the ground and tried to leg sweep, Vader. His leg struck Vader’s and it felt like kicking the side of a starship. Vader curled a hand at Tyvral. Tyvral’s eyes widened as he felt his throat close and he was lifted into the air like he was on strings.
“Time to die,” said Vader and he stabbed his lightsaber at Tyvral.
Tyvral closed his eyes waiting for the blade to pierce him. Something slammed into the side of him and sent him sprawling Tyvral’s eyes flew open. Kart stood where Tyvral just had his gaze locked with Tyvral, and a red lightsaber going through his stomach. Kart’s helmet had fallen to the ground so Tyvral could see his smile. Then Kart turned to Vader and stated, “No one messes with my brother,” then he unclipped the charge and slapped it on Vader’s chest.
Mal’dar’s head snapped to the sound of the charge being placed “That’ll work,” and pressed a button on his gauntlet.
Vader held out his hands an expanding sphere of fire between them. He threw out his hands and the fire flew away from his chest.
Tyvral watched in horror, “No”.
The rest of the charges began to explode the room shaking and rumbling from the force of the explosions. The lights turned red and several of the cooling units fell to the ground.
Vader curled in his hands and the flames moved with him. He force pushed at the escape vent and the flames rushed towards it.
The clones in the vent threw up their hands but the flames never reached them. The flames stopped in midair.
Tyvral rose to his feet trembling with rage, the room trembling with him. He roared in fury and force pushed at Vader. The flames rushed at Vader. The flames struck Vader and the stormtroopers. The room shook again as Tyvral continued to tremble with rage.
Cracks began to appear in the ground and walls. Tyvral threw out his arms and let out a spine-chilling howl. The cracks raced through the room. The lights flickers. Metal bent and creaked. The alarm began to blare.
Tyvral began to march towards Vader who was being held against a wall by the force.
Mal’dar raised his blaster and fired.
The stun shot hit Tyvral and Mal’dar instantly activated his jetpack. He rocketed forward, grabbed Tyvral, and flew through the vent.
They ran through the halls many of which were cracked and back to hanger their muscles sore from running.
“Let’s get out of here!” said Mal’dar and he launched the ship.
Grand Moff Tarkin and Darth Vader stood in front of The Emperor.
“How extensive was the damage?” asked Sidious.
“Very extensive your excellency. As you know the Death Star was less than fifty percent complete, the superweapon was made from dozens of crystals put together rather than one crystal as the engineers suggested. We rushed it to complete it and paid the price”.
“What would you recommend?” asked Sidious.
“We do it properly, it will take much time twelve to fifteen years, but it is possible to repair and bring back at its full glory”.
Sidious nodded.
Author's Note: Not my best work but give me a few more chapters and I'll have my mojo back.