Act V, Scene 3
On Aquilae….
The red desert plains teem with Imperial hovertanks, superior to the elephant walkers used by the Alderaanian armies on Norton II. Behind the arrowhead of advancing tanks stand rows upon rows of silver android soldiers, armed with powerful laser cannons.
In the lead tank sits Major Owen Lars, now demoted from supreme command of the occupation force due to his failure at the spaceport of Gordon.
Opposing the tank force are a small elite force of Nortonian soldiers, and a large band of green Hubble warriors, many riding fierce krayt dragons. In general command on this side are Kane Highsinger and Han Solo. Commanding the individual wings of the armies are Kane’s son Clieg; Elora Danan, hot with desire to avenge her father’s death; and a fully armored Aquilaian soldier, who gives his name as Nom Anor, and wears a mask, he says, to hide the hideous facial scars inflicted by Alderaanian torture.
The plan is to draw the Imperial tank force in toward the center wing – commanded by Elora Danan – while the left and right flanks hold back, waiting to spring in once the enemy comes into the trap.
Major Owen Lars is not stupid; he knows this is very likely what the insurrectionists are planning. He radios to general headquarters, in the space station in orbit overhead. The newly promoted General Shan, now Supreme Alderaanian Commander, tells him to advance: no territory must be left in rebel hands by nightfall.
Owen Lars sighs. But the last time he acted on his own initiative, he was demoted; the next time could see him kicked out of the army, if not executed for insubordination. He resolves to carry out General Shan’s orders.
The tanks advance.
Major Lars has his tanks begin firing as they move, then suddenly stop their guns. The Rebels believe their heavy lasers have run out of power. Instead, though, the Imperials were simply conserving their fire – the better to use on the Rebel forces at close range, thereby instilling panic in the opposing army.
Lars also orders jamming equipment activated. The Imperials will not be able to communicate with each other – but the Rebels will have the same problem, and with their forces split, they will have difficulty coordinating their attacks that the Imperials, in a single mass, will not.
The tactic works. With Kane’s headquarters unable to communicate with his flanks, the central wing of the Aquilaean army is devastated, its soldiers either falling where they stand or fleeing in all directions. Only Elora Danan stands at a mounted artillery gun. Crazed with rage and a thirst for vengeance, bereaved first of a father and now her comrades in arms, she fires and fires until the gun grows red hot – and finally explodes. She runs away in time to avoid being incinerated, but the explosion leaves her permanently blinded.
The lead tanks actually get as far as Kane Highsinger’s headquarters tent. As the tanks roll towards his command post, Kane sends his translator, C-3PO, as messenger to Nom Anor’s wing of their army, bearing by hand the directive to fall on the Imperial troops from the rear.
Now Kane and Han Solo draw lots; one of them will go to bear the same message to the flank commanded by Clieg. The other will stay behind and sacrifice their life, buying time for the messages to get through.
Kane wins the toss. He stays behind. The old Jedi cuts down a score of chrome soldiers before he falls.
Han Solo and C-3PO escape to deliver their respective messages. Han tells Clieg that his father died in a manner befitting a Jedi. Tears fall from Clieg’s eyes, but Han tells him that there will be time enough for weeping once the battle is won.
The two wings converge on the central mass of the Imperial army. In the heat of battle, Han Solo finds the blinded Elora helpless on the battlefield, and carries her to a medical tent.
Clieg and Nom Anor find themselves fighting side by side. The new lord of Norton II finds himself impressed with the masked warrior’s prowess. A dying soldier tears Nom’s helmet off as he falls… revealing that “Nom Anor” is actually Clieg’s intended bride, Jaina Vao – defying Kane’s orders by coming to battle on Aquilae in disguise. The two share a moment’s embrace before returning to the fight.
Meanwhile, C-3PO throws rocks at several of the mechanical soldiers, causing their programming to detect each other as threats, and start shooting accordingly, creating friendly-fire casualties.
The battle is going the Rebels’ way…. but if the space station overhead is not activated, reinforcements will soon come. And both sides know it.