In Service of Chaos. (SW\B5)

[NecronLord]

Chapter Four

Mara Jade sprinted down the edge of the Coruscant skyscraper. She was dressed in a simple set of black overalls, with numerous tools of her trade stashed about her person. The ledge was less than a foot wide, but she trusted in the force, that ubiquitous tool, to guide her along it without fault.

The Alderannian consular building was narrow, and in daylight, white like the famed cities of Alderaan itself. The ledge Mara strode however was below the visible area of the city-planet’s surface. Few speeders, let alone important people came this far beneath the surface.

However, she felt something nearby. Not quite a force disturbance, but something else. She pressed herself to the side of the dura-crete wall, and held her breath. An ancient docking bay, down many levels that had probably not been used for centuries was lit up.

Taking an auto-piton from a jacket pocket, she bonded the thing to the dura-crete wall, watching as it bonded to the surface, and tugging it securely. She added a tough rope to the piton, and clasped a descent unit to it, hooking it to her belt. She hunted around for a bridge, it was never any benefit being on an appropriate level of Coruscant if one couldn’t move from building to building.

Thankfully, there was one in a convenient place, four levels below. Mara began her descent.


“Magnificent!” cried Motti, “Magnificent!”

“A fitting end to the scum of the galaxy,” said Tagge.

“Yes, general. To Despayre. The worst dust-ball I have ever had the misfortune to tread upon.”

“Now, a dust field,” said Tarkin wryly, and his two subordinates dutifully laughed.

“But yes, this destruction reminds me of something else I meant to discuss with you Sir.”

“Oh?” Asked Tarkin.

“Yes, to make the emergence of this new weapon more palatable, perhaps you would care to arrange for a state of emergency to be declared in say, just one sector.”

Tarkin frowned. “On what pretence?”

“Well, I was recently contacted by a man with some… associates… who feel that they would benefit from our success, and who might be prepared to put themselves out a little on our behalf.”

“And the location for this little distraction?”

“A planet called Bakura springs to mind as an ideal venue…” Tagge said, aware of the pressure their pathetic cottage repulsorlift industry had put on the House of Tagge’s sales in that sector. He gave Motti a look of delight and continued. “Home to an expensive repulsorlift operation, been hostile to the local governor. We drum up some press interest in it, then, send in our forces…That way, we get out crisis, and get to move in on Bakura as well.”

“I will tell my contact,” Motti said, bowing to Tarkin, who nodded approvingly.


Above Bakura, things were quiet. They usually were. Other than the occasional transport of export materials, few ships came to Bakura. That however, was about to change. Shimmering out of open space, a great black spider shape blotted out the stars. A transport leaving the atmosphere was the first target of the alien craft, which tore through space with a terrifying mental shriek.

Bulky home-made fighters began to move toward the spider-ships, and purple beams whipped across the space around the small planet. A squadron of native light defence fighters closed with one of the dark ships, laser cannons blasting out through space.

Where they hit, the alien vessels seemed to flinch under the fire, some losing their forward momentum for some interminable reason. But the defence fighters were nothing like the powerful Incom X wing. Lacking proton torpedoes and shields, the fighters were essentially targets to their enemies.

The ship the fighters had chosen to attack turned, a previously invisible blister on its underside bursting and firing a white, spiked projectile. A leg of the mother ship broke off as the fighters sustained their fire.

The projectile burst among them, forming two-dozen small fighters, black and glossy surfaced like their parent. They darted around among the fighters, firing as they did. The fighters triumphed though, and slowly the alien fighters were defeated. Though the Bakuran fighters won with ease one on one, they were outnumbered, and the alien vessels seemed to view their own fighters as entirely expendable.


Mara crouched down beside the entrance of the docking bay, holding her breath. There didn’t seem to be much activity, but something in the sky caught Mara’s attention. A vessel descended, it was far too big to be a standard speeder. It was far too big to be a regulation speeder. Its red and brown surface was slick, blue and white glowing surfaces were part of its makeup too. The vessel passed by Mara, and the wind whipped her hair around her face.

She found that the bay was huge inside. Already, there was one ship inside, and the second touched down by its side. They were both huge, not quite ten times the length of the Emperor’s shuttle. Above her, Mara could hear the whirr of a lift descending. Taking a place away from the ships, beneath a wide walkway, Mara crouched down beneath a suspiciously new crate, and took a look around her to examine the docking bay.


Captain Antilles strode along the platform on which the Alderannian consular ship, the Tantive IV, rested. Walking by his side Leia Organa seemed changed, far more determined than even the headstrong princess had been before.

“Your father has asked you to go and pick up stolen data, then try and persuade General Kenobi to come out of retirement and aid in our struggle against the Empire.”

“We’re not doing that,” she said, “we go to Tatooine first, then to pick up the plans.”

“Milady?” Antilles asked.

“Any questions Captain?” she demanded, sounding suddenly more mature than she had before.

“No Milady,” he said after a few moments.


The last of the Bakuran fighters fell, and the alien ships seemed to settle down into their business. Two were damaged – bleeding from wounds on their surfaces – but the remaining four vessels were undamaged. Moving serenely in orbit, they began firing on the major cities of Bakura. Their weapons lanced down through the atmosphere, unimpeded, and destroyed.

They destroyed homes, families, industries and livelihoods. Where they struck, thousands died. The devastation was incalculable, but in the final accounting, the destruction wrought by the aliens was distinctly below what would be expected, even without increasing the power of their weapons. It was, in the opinion of later analysts, as though the enemies were holding back.


On Tatooine, Obi-Wan Kenobi looked up into the sky. “She is coming,” he said quietly. “I must say, I am surprised that she came to me first.”

“Your surprise shared is,” said a voice, from somewhere distant. “Write the boy down as the curious one, I did.”


Mara looked up over the edge, fingering her blaster, watching the two aliens. The first had arrived by lift, an orange-brown colour. The second, like it, but purple, was from the newly arrived ship. They spoke in a language unlike any Mara had heard before, and slowly, both moved away toward the Lift.

This was very interesting to Mara. A building presence of unknown aliens on Coruscant. She edged out of her concealment toward the base of one of the ships, carefully glancing over her shoulder toward the lift she edged toward the ship.

On its surface a ripple contorted the outer skin and a protuberance merged from the skin towards Mara, who took a step back, drawing her blaster and aiming it at the ship. The protuberance emitted a narrow beam of light, and she realised that this was a standoff.

“Impressive,” she said, and took a step back. The protuberance flexed and vanished back into the hull. “Most impressive.” Mara decided the time had come to make herself scarce. Who knew what alarms that might have triggered?


The black ships finished their work on Bakura, having reorganised large parts of the landscape outside the planet’s capital, the ships wavered in space, and after the damaged ones being joined to undamaged ships, all six vessels finally vanished, the few remaining fighters from those they had launched going with them.


The Alderannian ship chose an odd place to land. The salt lake outside Mos Espa had once played host to another vessel of the same type, but that one had been far smaller and much less powerful than the Tantaive IV. ‘A sign of changing times,’ Obi-Wan considered it as he dismounted his eopie, petting the animal on the flank. He moved his robes a little to expose the concealed lightsaber, and began walking toward the landed ship.


Aboard the Death Star, Motti practically beamed as he brushed into the meeting room of the station’s command Triumvirate. “It is done,” he said, “We’ve got high uptake on the holonet. Some of the nearby planets are panicking already. Our forces can move in at any time.”

“Excellent,” said Tarkin, his finger sliding across his collar nervously. “I will order our closest fleet to… ‘render aid.’ Who have we got in that sector?”

Tagge looked up something on his terminal set into the round table of the mostly empty confrence room. “The fifteenth outer rim patrol fleet is in an ideal position,” he said.

“Good,” said Tarkin. “I shall dispatch them immediately.”


Kosh hovered ponderously back into the bay, looking at his ship. He sang to it, and it returned his song in words that appeared upon its hull. He thanked the ship and returned to the lift.

She would do.

[CJvR]

It was a bit hard to tell just how good the Shadows abilities are when you write this:

The monitors triumphed though, and slowly the alien fighters were quickly defeated.

For a moment I thought you had field tested the DS on Tatooine, Vader's reaction to that mught have been intresting. I have wondered about Leia's mission to fetch Obi Wan, was it a genuine mission or had she been sent there for Jedi training?

Having a ship grow a gun and point it at you would come as a nasty surprise to anyone, I wan't a system like that on my car!

[NecronLord]

It was a bit hard to tell just how good the Shadows abilities are when you write this:

The monitors triumphed though, and slowly the alien fighters were quickly defeated.

Yikes. Pretend you didn't see that. Botched edit. They were originally outdated system defence monitors, then I downgraded them to fighters roughly equivalent to Obi-Wan's fighter in AotC. They're more than a match for Shadow Fighers, but lack the stopping power to seriously hurt the Battlecrabs, though they did damage two of them, one by shooting a leg off, and one by unspecified means.

All edited now. It should be clearer now.

For a moment I thought you had field tested the DS on Tatooine, Vader's reaction to that mught have been intresting. I have wondered about Leia's mission to fetch Obi Wan, was it a genuine mission or had she been sent there for Jedi training?

It was the mission she was on in the beginning of ANH, to collect the Death Star Plans, then collect Obi-Wan. She changed the order a bit this time, going for Obi-Wan first. Given that she now knows quite a lot about her father.

Having a ship grow a gun and point it at you would come as a nasty surprise to anyone, I wan't a system like that on my car!

Yep.

[Crazedwraith]

Very nice. Now write more. Your chapter seem shorter. But not as short as mine are. Which reminds me you never did comment on my fic. meanie.

[NecronLord]

Your chapter seem shorter.

Bah. I assure you, they're getting longer.

[NecronLord]

I have to dash to a lecture now, so this chapter may seem a little rushed.

Chapter Five

“Okay, looks like you’re out of the stockade,” said an enlisted man. Kaan looked up, and raised an eyebrow at the NCO standing in the doorway to the narrow cell, “You story supposedly checks out, and they need all pilots right now.”

The clone was on his feet quickly, and practically brushed past the brig’s guard, “What’s the situation?” he demanded, “and where’s my blaster?”

It seemed an over the top reaction to the enlistee, but to a Kaminoan clone, such battle-readiness was second nature. “We’re en route to a neutral planet that’s put out a call for aid. They claim to have been attacked by aliens.”

He froze. “Did they say what kind of ships the attackers used?”

“All I heard is big black things with spikes.”

Kaan paled a little. “Right. I’m definitely going to want that blaster, where’d you stow it?”


Admiral Motti undid his dress uniform as the door to his quarters closed behind him.

“I trust,” a voice came from the shadows of the unlit room, “that little demonstration was to your satisfaction. My Associates say that they were uncomfortable showing their hand like that for you. They say that it is time for you to begin to pay the debt you now owe them.”

“Lights,” Motti said, and nothing happened.

“I’m afraid I had to dispose of the bugging equipment in this room,” Morden said, “which necessitated removing the microphone for your light-switch.”

“I see,” said Motti, groping for the button on the wall.

“My Associates would like you to provide me with some information.”

“What information?” Motti asked.

“Details of all intelligence on Rebel Alliance operations in the outer rim.”

Motti turned the light on, and could see Morden’s fixed smile, “That’s impossible.”

Morden frowned, almost mockingly. “Well, that would be unfortunate. We may have to bypass you altogether if you can’t be relied upon. Of course, that will necessitate exposing you when the time comes. Your career won’t be much after it becomes public knowledge that you’ve been consorting with unclassified aliens.”

Motti gulped, “You need me.”

“You flatter yourself Admiral. My associates can use your services, but you are far from irreplaceable. And there, I thought we had such a promising friendship in future. I could have been wrong of course...”

“No,” Motti said, watching Morden as he walked over towards him. “I’ll get you your data.”

“Excellent. There. Wasn’t that easy?” Morden said, walking past him, and flicking the light off. He stood by the door, holding it open, for a few moments, “Sleep well Admiral,” he said.


“General Kenobi,” Leia said, and the old jedi shook his head.

“That’s a commission from a government that doesn’t exist any more,” he said, “one that hasn’t existed for a very long time.”

“Well, yes,” Leia said, “Master Kenobi. I have been asked by Bail Organa of Alderaan to bring you there immediately. The rebellion against the Empire is growing, and it needs experienced leaders for its troops. We have also become aware of a new Imperial Battle Station,”

Obi-Wan interrupted, smiling benignly, “Very well. I don’t need further convincing,” he said, “though I don’t think it’s the only reason you’ve come.”

“You’re right,” she said, her eyes narrowing, “It is not the only reason I have come. I know.”

Obi-Wan started breathing deeply, trying to relax. How much did she know, how might this affect the training? Did she know about Luke?

“Whatever happened to my brother anyway?” she asked.

Now the questions turned into another, single, more urgent question – does she know the truth about Vader?

“Well,” Obi-Wan began, “after your father and I parted ways,” he said, hedging his bets.

“The battle with Darth Vader,” she asked, and Obi-Wan let out a sigh of relief, nodding…


The Veterator and her attendant fleet dropped out of hyperspace near Bakura, immediately beginning to assess the damage to the planet. There was surprisingly little, but the attack had been focussed to cause as much damage to major civilian and industrial centres as possible.

They weren’t the first ships to arrive. Like parasites, ships with the transponder codes of all the main galactic news services flocked around the formerly neutral planet, sucking up information and doing nothing to help.

Soon however, they were impolitely shooed away by the TIE fighters of the Veterator and her fleet. Such people had long ago learnt the hard way that when the Imperial Starfleet tells you to move, you are wise to comply.

Kaan however, found himself flying a vessel rather different from his normal fare. While he was a TIE pilot, with no false modesty he could even be considered a TIE ace, he was flying a fighter, but rather a shuttle that was yet another component in the Sienar Fleet Systems light craft range. This was a transport, slow and bukly, but able to carry almost an entire platoon of troops.

Such a platoon was in the vessel now, and Kaan had been assigned to deliver them to a small settlement near the ruined capital city of Bakura. He was going slowly, mostly to avoid overtaxing the engines of the craft in atmosphere. From his point of view, unlike that from the orbiting warships, the damage caused by the devastation was great indeed. Rubble and damaged buildings lined the streets and there were no signs of life.

Except one. Standing, staring at the blatantly Imperial craft, was a woman in what appeared to be a white dress. He took a glance down, slowing the transport, letting the advanced propulsion system die off and repulsors take over. The young woman was obviously rather severely injured. Standing, leaning on some form of crutch and obviously favouring one leg, she glared defiantly at the TIE, and shook the fist of her free hand at it. ‘Unsurprising,’ Kaan thought, ‘she probably thinks we did this. Well, we’ll see about that.’

He brought the lander down, and stood, setting the controls into idling mode. Moving into the rear compartment past a worryingly flimsy pressure door, he pointed to a stormtrooper medic, “Come with me,” he ordered, and walked off. The ramp of the transport hit the ground, and he strode off toward the woman, still standing there but now looking more confused and afraid than defiant.

As she collapsed, he had the chance to see that he eyes were rather odd. One was green, the other grey. Kaan smiled to himself. Once more he’d deviated from orders. The Kaminoans would not have been amused.


Mara knelt before the Emperor’s throne, “What have you to report my hand?” he asked.

“I have located an alien prescence on Coruscant Master. If you wish, I will take troops and eliminate it.”

The Emperor frowned thoughtfully, “Yes,” he said, “Do so.”

[Crown]

FIRST TO POST BIATCHES!



Wow, I'm confused. Was Kaan flying a shuttle or a TIE

[Crazedwraith]

FIRST TO POST BIATCHES!



Wow, I'm confused. Was Kaan flying a shuttle or a TIE

Maybe its a TIE Shuttle?

[Crown]

There's a TIE shuttle? Boy am I out of the loop!

[Crazedwraith]

There's a TIE shuttle? Boy am I out of the loop!

http://www.theforce.net/swtc/tie.html#tiesh

Yup basically a bomber refit.

[NecronLord]

Wow, I'm confused. Was Kaan flying a shuttle or a TIE

Yes.

[NecronLord]

http://www.theforce.net/swtc/tie.html#tiesh

Yup basically a bomber refit.

This one actually, the one that looks like the bomber with a third pod hanging from the bottom. http://www.theforce.net/swtc/tie.html#tietransport

[NecronLord]

Chapter Six

It was time for another test.

Vader waved his hand over the motion sensitive controls of his chamber. The spherical controls of his chamber opened and the lit lifted with a hydraulic hiss and the escape of pressurised air. He sat exposed to the surrounding room, unprotected by the supermedicated and oxygenated field inside his chamber.

He concentrated on the injustice of his condition, on his hatred of Obi-Wan who had made him so. With the anger and hatred, the dark side of the Force permeated Vader.

For a moment, his ruined tissues altered, his scarred lungs and dead alveoli and constricted passages smoothed out and became whole. For a moment, he could breathe as normal beings breathed.

His sense of relief, his triumph, his joy at being able to do so drove the dark side away from him as surely as a light chases away shadows. The dark side eagerly consumed anger, but it was poisoned by happiness. It left him, and he could breathe no longer.

Vader waved his hand and the half-dome lowered and sealed him into the chamber once again.

He had achieved it briefly, as he had done several times before. The trick was to maintain it. He must not allow himself to feel relief, but must somehow cling to his rage even as he healed.

It was difficult. He had not purged all of Anakin Skywalker, that blemished and frail man from whom he had been born. Until he did, he could never give himself over totally to the dark side. It was his greatest weakness, his most terrible flaw. A single spot of light amid the dark that he had been unable to eradicate over the years, no matter how hard he tried.

Vader sighed, he would have to try harder. He could not afford any weaknesses, given his enemies – and more especially, given his friends.

Drifting into a deep meditation and focussing his rage on that spot within him, he was surprised by the feel of a second presence. Though not a force connection, as he had felt countless times from the Emperor, it seemed to be inside him, probing. He touched it with the force and felt a clear, singe question from this alien consciousness.

‘Who are you?’ the consciousness asked him.

‘I am Darth Vader. Dark Lord of the Sith,’ he replied.

‘A title. Who are you?’ it replied.

Vader was no longer amused by this impudence, ‘I am your death,’ he sent.

‘I will always be here. Who are you?’

The arrogance. Nothing was immortal. Those who said something was were liars. Anger flared ‘Even stars die,’ he said.

There was no answering anger from the alien consciousness, simply a tone, a mood, that suggested the sigh of a patient teacher, ‘I will always be here. Who are you?’

‘I am hate,’ Vader replied.

‘What do you hate? Who are you?’

‘I hate Kenobi. I hate him for his lies. His deceit. The wounds he gave me.’

‘You were once more.’

Vader snapped the connection, seething in rage, letting the dark side infuse every fibre of his being, or rather, almost every fibre. Somewhere, deep within, was an entirely different kind of anger.


Aboard the Death Star, Mr. Morden and his associates conferred. He smiled with satisfaction as one of the creatures spoke, its own language, was compressed incomprehensible to those who had not been altered as he had. It said that their data had been sent.

It said that they now had more leverage than ever over their tool. Morden was inclined to agree. If it got out that Motti had released documents on the Imperial intelligence gathering operation for an entire sector, well, Morden was confident that the Emperor’s execution method in this case would be particularly demeaning.


Gairiel Captison stirred slightly. She had no idea where she was, but she was certain that it was not Bakura. The gravity was wrong. Memories raced back, and she recalled that the last thing to happen to her was a rather embarrassing slump to the ground in front of two Imperial soldiers. Invaders.

Well, at least she was alive, though presumably a prisoner. She told her eyes to open, and reluctantly they did so. She appeared to be in a medical ward, rather than a cell, a second point in favour of the situation.

“Welcome back to the land of the conscious,” said a voice behind her, and Gaeriel slowly tried to roll over. Pain shooting up her leg persuaded her to do so rather more cautiously than she would have otherwise. Sitting about half a pace from the bed was a tall man in a black uniform with six coloured rank tabs on his left breast. He was dark haired, and rather good looking, and seemed to be in his early forties – not a great age given galactic medical technology.

She tried to speak, and failed. The Imperial took a glass from the alcove in the white wall next to her, and poured a small amount of water into it. She reconsidered what she was initially going to say. He helped her to lean up a little, and pressed the glass to her lips.

“It wasn’t necessary,” she said, after a moment, “to go that far. All those good people didn’t need to die.”

He frowned a little, putting the glass down. “This may be hard to accept, but we didn’t attack your world,” he said, believing that he spoke truthfully, “we’re here to help you.”

She did indeed look dubious, and propped herself up on her elbows, looking around at the other beds. Numerous medical droids attended to the occupants of the beds, and, recognising none of them but convinced they weren’t Imperials, she reluctantly accepted Kaan’s comments at face value.

“So, who are you?” she asked, and he smiled, onto an easier topic, putting a data slate he had been reading away.

“Wing Commander Kaan Sevety,” he said. His official name, not the one he had been grown with, was that, had been acquired when the Republic had finally started naming its clones, late on into the war. The second name was not exactly original, but he managed to live with it, “may I ask your own?” Were he stationed on a ship such as an Imperator class destroyer, he would be the commander of the starfighter forces. On this ship, he was several ranks below that, unfortunately.

“Gaeriel,” she said, after a moment’s thought, attempting to decide how much to trust this Imperial. “Gaeriel Captison.”

“Oh? Related to the prime-minister?” he asked.

“Yes. Do you know anything about what happened to him?” The young woman seemed excited, but also afraid.

Kaan shook his head slowly, “No, I’m sorry, I don’t.”


Meanwhile, Aboard the Tantaive IV, Obi-Wan and Leia found their way into a communications room where a shimmering hologram of Mon Mothma, the senator for Chandrilla and the supreme commander of the Rebel Alliance sat waiting. It showed only her shoulders, for her hands were essential to operating the secretive system the Alliance’s leaders used to communicate.

Leia sat, and placed her hands on a narrow keyboard, “Ah,” said Mon Mothma, “Senator Organa. Hello. I hope you don’t mind being called out of the blue, but about this trade issue out by Corillia…”

Meanwhile, as the senator continued talking a scrolling line of text appeared in front of her hologram. ‘Leia. I’m glad I could reach you.’

Leia replied, ‘I’m on Tatooine with General Kenobi.’

‘I see,’ replied Mothma, ‘That explains it. We’ve just had a major information breakthrough here that reveals that they’re aware of your mission. Consider it cancelled.’

‘Is that wise?’ asked Leia, ‘we may not get another chance at this.’

‘I think so,’ Mon Mothma replied, ‘the plans were in a long-range drone. They’ve probably simply shot it or put a star destroyer on it to kill whoever goes.’

‘Then all we’ve got to do is manage a few seconds with the destroyer.’

‘Yes,’ replied the other senator, ‘but I’m not sure that your ship is up to it.’

‘True,’ Leia replied, ‘wait, General Kenobi says he has a suggestion.’


Mara lead a squad of Coruscant guards, fearsome red-armoured stormtroopers whose duty was to patrol Imperial Centre for subversion, out of the transport and into the room above the docking bay. Wearing a suit of similar armour herself, she barked commands and the guards began sweeping the area, armed with light blaster carbines.

The rooms were abandoned republic era consular suites. The sensors built into her suit cut through the gas in the room, “Fireteam one set for stun,” she ordered, carefully handling her own weapon. There was a creature ahead, standing in the mist. She recognised it as the second of the two aliens, the purple one. It was also looking straight at her.

“Open fire!” she ordered. Three of the troopers fired, as did Mara, and she looked to the side to see what had happened to the other two members of the first fireteam. They were reeling from some kind of telekinetic attack. She kept her finger on the firing stud and dodged to the side as a bolt of lightning shot from the creature’s armoured suit.

Blue rings rippled across the lensing effect of a personal force field and the trooper hit by the lightning jolted as it went to ground through him, his armour only partly protecting him.

Mara fired another three shot burst and rolled to the side. “Full power!” she ordered, and the remaining two members of the first team fired, until another blast of light and force threw them to the ground. The creature’s shields seemed to be failing as it began retreating into the lift.

The building shook, and a flash of yellow light immolated the floor beneath several troopers, who were busy withdrawing – Mara presumed they had used one of their ships to fire upward. She dashed back to the transport, intent on abandoning this reconnaissance mission and escaping before the aliens destroyed the entire building. She had ordered the planetary shields to be raised the moment the ships left the building, and a dreadnought waited overhead to open fire on them should they attempt to escape. The aliens had nowhere to run.

A deep rumbling below indicated the ships breaking free of their moorings, but this was not what alarmed Mara. It was the fact that there was a distinct wind. More than wind. A hurricane. Lightning flashed over the buildings and she could see a nearby skyscraper warp and buckle. Columns of flame shot from what could only be called a vortex.

Mara screamed, scrabbling at the floor as the vacuum beyond the vortex pulled the air, and her, in. Her fingers clung to the edge, and she could see the transport struggling against the wind. Then she slipped, screaming into apparent oblivion, and everything she saw turned red.


The Devastator’s fighter rack clamped onto Lord Vader’s advanced TIE fighter as he landed. The Dark Lord climbed out. A lieutenant and a squad of stormtroopers snapped to attention around the hatch of the fighter. “Welcome back aboard my Lord,” he said, “I think you should know immediately, rebels have caused an explosion in the consular sector of Imperial centre killing several soldiers. The emperor has suspended the Senate. The senator for Malistare has been implicated.”

“I see,” he said, “Inform my office on Coruscant to prepare an appropriate statement for the press.”

“Yes sir,” he said, bowing.


Almost an entire day later, Obi-Wan swerved his X-wing as he came out of hyperspace not a moment too soon. Point defence weapons fired, and he banked, pushing the thrust to maximum. On his heads up display, a line indicated the path of the transmission, and he could see that the Devastator was running parallel to it. They were still in luck, the Imperials hadn’t just destroyed the drone carrying the priceless data. “Arfive,” he said, speaking to the astromech droid again, “transmit the activation code and calibrate the sensors to download the data as soon as we are in range. Copy it to your own data banks too.”

The droid whistled a protest as Obi-Wan sank himself into the force. “No Arfive,” he said with a slight chuckle at the display, “the Imperials already have this data. They’ll probably just shoot you.”

The droid whistled disconsolately, apparently he wasn’t reassured. The data packets were pulses emitted constantly by a long-range concussion missile. Any ship within ten meters would be able to download the data it carried, and it contained an encrypted hyperwave transceiver that allowed Rebel alliance agents to locate and retrieve it.

Obi-Wan’s problem was that he had to navigate a storm of fire from the Devastator’s elite gunners intended to destroy him. Obi-Wan Kenobi was nowhere near skilled enough as a pilot to avoid so much fire. He was not Anakin, he simply did not have the talent. He was not even as young as he had been last time he had tried something as insane as this.

But the force was his ally. And a powerful ally it was. He only had to surrender to it, let it control his actions towards his goal, and it happened. The force guided his hands, took the X-wing starfighter to where it needed to be.


Aboard the Devastator, Lord Vader strode into the docking bay. He felt the presence of the one who had betrayed him, what little bile he had was in his throat. “Order the guns to cease fire!” he demanded.

“My Lord?” asked a startled crewman. “Tell the bridge that I order them to cease fire. This is personal, and I will not be denied this kill,” he snarled.


The fire stopped, and Obi-Wan slipped back from the guidance of the Force. He looked over at the massive wedge of the destroyer, and made a run on the drone. He just needed to concentrate, let the force guide him, and he could be away.

A presence snapped into his consciousness. Vader. He momentarily lost control of the fighter and missed the sphere around the drone. He would have to be inside its download sphere for at least half a second, and with Vader out here, that was going to be almost impossible.

He would have to try and draw Vader off, and there was one convenient means of doing so. The Devastator. ‘Ben’ gunned his engines and headed toward the prow of the vessel. He could see the ominous shape of Anakin’s – Vader’s, he corrected himself, he must always think of him only as Darth Vader – solitary imperial fighter sweeping toward him from under the ventral surface.

The X-wing shot across the devastator’s upper surface in under a second, and Vader’s vessel turned to pursue, but its forward momentum was already carrying it in the wrong direction. Green blaster bolts shot out and narrowly missed Obi-Wan’s fighter as he threw it into another turn, letting the force guide him once more. He pressed the firing stud on the ship’s controls, and watched without surprise or anger as Vader’s manoeuvrable vessel jinked out of the way.

The force told him there was no other way around it, and he pushed the engines to their maximum and aimed for the drone. The force guided him to turn, and he turned. Fire from Vader smashed into his shields, and sparks flew from one engine, but there was enough left to slow the X-wing just long enough to pass under that crucial relative motion of ten meters per second.

Arfive chirped, and Obi-Wan smiled, “Right. Now, get us out of here,” he said.

His heart sank and he felt his age once more as he saw the translation for the next thing the Droid said: hyperdrive offline.


Vader growled as Obi-Wan’s fighter shot past him again. One of the wings tumbled past on the other side. He was taking his time with the old Jedi now, he’d totalled the hyperdrive, and there was nothing left for Kenobi but death, and the Sith Lord planned to make it a slow one.

But the other Jedi’s stubborn refusal to die was infuriating. He turned and pursued once more. Kenobi was going into the Devastator’s hangar bay – a pang of disappointment ran through Vader as he realised that Kenobi was probably going to ram the inside of the Star Destroyer in a last effort to spite him.

But when he arrived he discovered something entirely different. He was taken back to the past by the sight of Kenobi’s fighter strewn across one of the interior docking bays. “So,” he said, “old man. You want a duel. I will give you one.”


Obi-Wan tried to banish fear from his being as he saw the black and grey shape of Vader’s ship set down nearby, and the hatch open with a puff of pressurised air. A black shape loomed up out of the hatch, its boot only briefly touching the edge of the hatch as Darth Vader glided to the floor.

He looked at Kenobi from behind his black helmet and began walking to him. “You should not have come back, old man,” he said, igniting the lightsaber in his hand with a snap-hiss.

[Crazedwraith]

Sweet. Liked the modded SotE scene. Loved the cliffhanger. Write more now!

[NecronLord]

Write more now!

Bah. I have to, of all things, storyboard the duel! Yes! I previs my fanfics! *Pets devastator model*

[Crown]

Oooowwwwh, an update. Yummy.

Vympel and I will eagerly await the outcome of this duel. (rubs hands together)

Just a question, where is Luke in this story?

[NecronLord]

I was going to explain that, but at the moment, Obi-Wan has left him where he was, on the rationale that having him an Leia together and untrained would be unwise. Putting all one's eggs together in one basket often is. I never really liked Luke, so he may be left there indefinately.

[Crown]

I was going to explain that, but at the moment, Obi-Wan has left him where he was, on the rationale that having him an Leia together and untrained would be unwise. Putting all one's eggs together in one basket often is. I never really liked Luke, so he may be left there indefinately.

I know Obi-Wan is going to lose in this fight - he has to - but had he even begun any training with Leia, like he did with Luke?

[GeneralTacticus]

What happened to the data Obi-Wan was there to collect? Did he transmit it to the Tantive IV, or was it lost when he crashed his fighter into the docking bay?

[NecronLord]

I know Obi-Wan is going to lose in this fight - he has to - but had he even begun any training with Leia, like he did with Luke?

He has to? Judge him by his age you do. Dooku and Yoda can kick ass at much greater ages. There's certainly nothing to prove that Vader could have won that fight if it weren't for Obi-Wan becoming one with the force (not that I say he couldn't, mind). And though Obi-Wan's abilities have declined somewhat with age, I'm using the bit about Vader not being as powerful as he once was either. If you mean the situation of being trapped aboard the Devastator, well, you may well want to kick yourself later.

And no, Leia's untrained.

Anyway. We shall see.

What happened to the data Obi-Wan was there to collect? Did he transmit it to the Tantive IV, or was it lost when he crashed his fighter into the docking bay?

It's in the X-Wing's computer, and in Arfive.

[GeneralTacticus]

So the X-Wing's still intact, is it? I had assumed from the phrase 'strewn across the docking bay' that it had arrived in pieces.

[NecronLord]

The wings have come off. Bits are everywhere, it'll never fly again, but the computer might still work.

[NecronLord]

Chapter Seven

Obi-Wan stood beside the downed X-Wing, barely noticing as Arfive disconnected from the fighter and jetted to the floor. He regarded the figure stalking towards him with more curiosity than awe, and took his own lightsaber from his robes. The two began to slowly circle, looking for advantages, finding none. Barring parts of the still blazing debris of the rebel fighter, Vader’s ship and maintenance equipment, the docking bay was as close to a perfectly impartial arena as one could get.

“And there are many things you should not have done, Darth,” Kenobi replied. He blinked once, and shook his head, trying to clear his watering eyes without taking his hand from his saber.

“Your powers are weak, old man,” Vader jibed, coming to a stop as their positions were reversed, and he stood between Kenobi and the doors from the hangar. “When I left you, I was but the learner. Now I am the master.”

“Only a master of evil Darth.”

Vader knew it to be true, somewhere inside. The hate grew, and like a great dam, it burst. He ran toward Kenobi, murder clouding every thought. A wide, two handed slash with all of his superhuman strength staggered Obi-Wan backward. Blue blade parried crimson, and sparks burst from the two energy fields. Across the docking bay, troopers and technicians gathered, watching. One by one, the thousands of crewers watched, but none dared interfere.

If Lord Vader wanted to slay this Jedi, no one would stand in his way. And everyone was certain he would.

Everyone but Kenobi himself. The strength of the blow had been great, but now he was inside Vader’s guard! As if from nowhere, the gloved palm of the Dark Lord appeared, and Kenobi flew through the air, and not of his own accord. Crashing into the lip of the bay, Kenobi let out a gasp as he fell to the floor, shrouded in his robes in the dark corner of the bay.

His lightsaber clattered down beside him, and he looked up at Vader. Across the ship, those who had the opportunity to find a monitor with clearance cheered loudly.

“You are weak,” Vader said, looming above him, lightsaber in hand, ready to strike, casting a baleful red glow down on the fallen Jedi Master. He lifted his blade high to strike.

Vader jumped up and back. The force told him not a moment too soon as the blue bar of Kenobi’s weapon rent the air where his legs hand been a moment before. Kenobi was up, “And you are dreaming, Darth,” he said, his saber turning to parry the immediate blow of the Sith Lord.

Kenobi’s moves were seemingly unhampered by age. The force guided them, and flowed through them. But this battle would not be solved by the use of the force. Kenobi’s blows were fast and controlled, designed to probe Vader’s defensive skill. To keep him occupied even as he pushed the looming Dark Lord back with the last of his strength.

Vader’s anger poured into his defence, and each crackling flash of the sabers rebounded Kenobi’s blade until finally they held in a parry. They could go on indefinitely. They were matched one against the other, but for Vader’s rage-fuelled strength. Kenobi could feel himself being overpowered, and the threatening light of both blades bent back toward him. Kenobi could not win the battle against such passion.

Vader was stronger. But he was not wiser. The Dark Lord’s passion made him strong, but it also gave him a commensurate weakness.

“Tell me one thing, my young apprentice,” Kenobi asked, looking at the hideous mask through the sparking, hissing conflagration of two blades.

“One question before your death,” snarled Vader.

“Did Sidious ever deliver on the promises he gave you?”

Vader’s connection to the dark side snapped with the thunderbolt shock of the question. No. He had delivered none of them. He had nothing left but Palpatine and his own hatred. Obi-Wan was ready for it, and with a speed that would awe even Master Yoda, he was kneeling forward on one leg. A whirl of blue parted Vader’s hands from his wrists, and the stumps sparked. The saber darted back around, passing through both legs.

Vader’s lightsaber tumbled to the ground, and the blue blade severed it – Obi-Wan had bested Darth Maul with such a forgotten blade, he would not allow history to repeat itself – even as the Dark Lord collapsed.

The vocabulator of the black mask let forth a scream of unchained rage and frustration. It had happened again. The scream was dark and terrible. The furnace of hate within Vader’s heart burned as never before. Kenobi found his blade poised at the face of that mask. He would only have to press down, and destroy the abomination that had once been Anakin Skywalker. Avenge all the Jedi this creature had struck down, all the innocents it had destroyed. All he would have to do was to let his anger flow through his arm and destroy the Dark Lord.

And become like him.

Kenobi put his lightsaber up, and looked at the raging Sith Lord. “Anakin. Padmé loved you. I,” he stopped, “I loved you. Your Sith Lord used you.”

The creature on the floor scrabbled limbless, and from somewhere deep within, tendrils of lightning flashed, blazing and burning ruined limbs. Mindless, immeasurably deep hate clouded the force as Vader, shrouded in his burning cape, crawled toward Obi-Wan, who stepped deftly back.

There was no hope. Yet again the dark side called him to destroy the monster that had once been Anakin, and yet again Kenobi was tempted by its call. Yet again he resisted.

“Arfive. Over here!” he called, and the red droid obediently rolled over the deck toward him. “Get in,” Kenobi shouted as a squad of imperial troopers charged from the open door of the docking bay, red blaster bolts flew everywhere as the little droid jetted toward the TIE fighter’s hatch.

Obi-Wan jumped into the fighter and gasped. More guards were coming. He found the ship’s shield control and toggled it on despite the cramped cockpit, never intended for two people, let alone the bulk of the indispensable droid.

Across the Devastator, gunners scrabbled back to their alert status, ready to blow the fighter out of the stars the second it left the bay. Kenobi struggled to work quickly, finding the hyperdrive control unit – he knew Vader’s ship would have one, even though the basic model didn’t – and began instructing it for a random hyper-jump.

The droid screeched an alarm as Obi-Wan turned the ship toward the exit from the bay, and he remembered the hatch, pulling the leaver to seal it again. In his current state, the guns mounted around the edge of the destroyer would vaporise him if he tired to leave the bay, but he knew that.

Gripping the leaver that controlled the hyperdrive, the old Jedi Master pulled, and the TIE burred, accelerating far faster than even point defence guns could track as it jumped to light speed. Inside the tiny compartment, Obi-Wan collapsed into a deep mire of exhaustion.

[CJvR]

Oh! How delightfully sneaky! That line would rattle Vader more than anything else, only for a moment surely but in a lightsabre duel that can be a lifetime.

[NecronLord]

It also doesn't help Vader that this time he had been brooding on that very topic for several days after his conversation with Kosh, and Kenobi had been using those several days to get back into a warrior mindset, rather than coming upon Vader out of the blue.