Reegar

[Chapter Sixteen]

Several Destroyers broke from Coruscant to engage Rebel cruisers before the latter could take formation. The X-Wings skirted fire, skimming surfaces of the long giants and rolling in erratic patterns. They eventually came clear, but radar said their friends behind took the worst.

Luke's hands shook. The plan was shattered. Leia may yet take out the generators, but what benefit would it be when their space offense was destroyed? 

TIE's came for them, eagerness in their speed and whimsical zig-zags. The X-Wings spread out and opened fire. The battle was short-lived. Three wings were lost. Antilles' engines sputtered, his starboard wings charred.

You are finished, Darth Vader gloated. Unless you forsake ideals to become a true master. Take control. Show me a true challenge, Skywalker.

A sickening realization made Luke slam his fist into the console. Repressed anger flowed from him now: hate for Vader, bitterness at Obi-Wan and Yoda. Vader was in control of his underlings. Literally. They were puppets to him, down to the last man, because he had delved deeper into the dark side than any Sith warrior in history.

The Force is substantial in your spirit, insomuch that you resist me. But what of your comrades? They are close, within my influence. . .

An X-Wing slammed its neighbor, and both careened away to crash and explode on a chunk of cruiser. Antilles dove toward Luke. The Force drove the Jedi to dodge, but he watched as his friend ejected into empty space, given to cold vacuum.

~ ~ ~

An officer jogged to Ackbar, puffing and sweating. "Admiral. Please. We should retreat."

The fishlike alien sat silently and stared out the viewport as his precious ships died out. Mon Mothma's voice spoke through his chair's speaker, but his ears heard blabber. 

"Call for a full retreat," He said at last. The words were the worst pain he had ever tolerated. "Vader wins."

[Chapter Fifteen]

Admiral Ackbar commanded from his Calamari cruiser. He shook away the notion that the Alliance was here to commit suicide, and sat down in his rotating chair. News arrived that the north generator was out, while the last two were under siege. Ackbar wanted his offenses near Blood Shard when its secondary shields collapsed, so opened a line to Skywalker and ordered that he take the squadron out, followed by the ships that would form the defense perimeter.

"Stay evasive until we reach our target," Luke said. "Conserve lasers and torpedoes, blast only the unavoidable." Han's words echoed in his mind. I promise to hit where it counts most. Your sacrifice will mean our victory, old friend. 

The Jedi felt a surge in the dark side as he neared Vader's position. "Look at that precision," Wedge said. "It destroys any enemy that approaches the edge of the sphere." Luke checked, and found Wedge was right: Blood Shard itself and guard TIE's dominated the Emperor's fighters, one bolt per unit, always finding the mark. Losses were closer to balanced in the other skirmish clusters. 

More death swelled in the graveyard ahead as the X-Wing squadron neared. Luke sensed the fear in his fellow pilots, made worse by Vader's mental cloud. He closed his eyes and pushed out with the Force, trying to counteract the effects. He fed stoicism and focus into the pilots subconsciously willing to accept.

[Chapter Fourteen]

Two escorts flanked them and cleared obstacles from the path. Sometimes they took detours around battles too violent to thread. They received clearance to land on the planet surface, and soon did so. The shuttle came to rest on a landing pad fixed to the needle top of a skyscraper. Twenty-four soldiers rushed out and split into three groups of eight.

Leia ran to the edge, her seven trailing. The cruiser traffic were dust streams between endless towers twinkling countless lights. Stars glittered the clear sky, complemented by fireworks of war.

Someone handed her macrobinoculars, and she searched out the Imperial Palace. The closest generator was a few klicks southward, positioned where the Emperor could have made use of the extra defense, had Vader remained faithful. She found the second, and knew the third was behind the palace and out of sight.

"We're as close as the Empire would permit," Leia said to Group A. "Speeders are out of the question, for now, with air traffic patrol breathing down citizens' necks. Our one option is to hop a lift down this structure to midway. And then we take a bridge across to the next. This is the most heavily guarded sector of Coruscant, so keep your wits and blasters at the ready."

[Chapter Thirteen]

Han was long gone by the time Luke told Leia what the Corellian had chosen to do. She refused to believe at first, but found the Falcon absent when she ran to the hangar's control room. The woman went to be alone for a few moments, where she wiped her eyes and whispered her regrets to Han's memory. He could still be alive, she thought. A childlike wish to push me through. She buried her grief as battle loomed closer, and the frigate jumped faster than light.

~ ~ ~

The Fleet, less than half its original size, arrived at the edge of Coruscanti space. The stolen Imperial shuttle rocketed to within view of the war, and then began a wide round-about for last second recon. Leia stepped to the pilot's side.

Blood Shard pointed at the planet, a dagger poised to stab the galaxy's heart. Its shields were so layered and strong as to manifest as a semi-transparent orb, lightning crackling over the surface.

Chaos reigned. The Empire fought Vader's faction, the sides indistinguishable except for digitized identity codes accessible to the three armies. Debris like asteroids tumbled in all directions, acting as cover, cannon fodder, and tractor beam projectiles. Explosions and deaths by the hundreds were constant. Destroyers exited hyperspace to replace downed twins, and spewed TIE-fighters into the frenzy.

The shuttle's scanners went haywire. "Look out," Leia cried. "Port side!" The pilot swerved in time to avoid the object, but they found themselves in an even more littered region. 

The princess did her best to help navigate. Impacts shoved her from side to side, and she once flew back to smack her head. Remarkably, she cheated a brain concussion. Every blast against the shuttle sounded certain doom, and they had covered scant distance. Computers warned that enemies approached.

"That's it," Leia said, rubbing the tender spot on her scalp. "Send a distress signal to the Empire. They're our only hope." She never thought she would say those words in a million years. 

Didn't Abrams cite the prequels as partly inspiring the Star Trek reboot?

Han and Leia's relationship worked in ESB. They're a rather boring pair after that.

I always viewed their romance as the result of tension and infatuation. It was made to be temporary, in other words.

[Chapter Twelve]

The Fleet entered its next-to-last waypoint when disaster reared. A Super Star Destroyer awaited the Rebels, far enough to avoid collision when they came out of hyperspace, but within firing range. The Destroyer targeted with all cannons and lasers.

Leia zipped her black jump suit, and started to tie her hair. Her quarters shuttered, plant jars and figurines crashing. She looked to Luke. He held his head, pained. Another quake tilted the floor and flickered the lights. A couch tumbled toward Leia. She dodged and pressed her back to a wall. She suddenly felt lighter, as though she'd lost twenty pounds; the artificial gravity generators were damaged. The floor gradually evened, but explosions and screams reached her ears.

"I'm getting to my X-Wing." Luke left in a flash.

~ ~ ~

Landing gear magnets kept most the fighters rooted to the hangar, but a Y-Wing had managed to flip over onto an X. Luke worked his way through a crowd of maintenance workers, pilots, and droids, and stepped over scattered tools. A man bled out on a stretcher, medics cursing.

He arrived at the Millennium Falcon. Han was at the end of the ramp, fists on his hips as he yelled to Chewie. "Bring down the spare parts! Come on, this frigate's in straits."

"What's the Fleet's condition?"

The smuggler hardly appeared relieved to see Luke. "About the same as that poor guy over there."

"These fighters need manned right now," Luke noticed that the cockpits were empty. "We should already be out there."

Chewie growled acknowledgment while he pushed a supply loader by. 

"I spoke to Ackbar on the way here," Han said. "He's letting this one slide. Alliance will arrive at Coruscant with a fraction of its forces," Han said. "But better than everyone dying here. Hit where it counts, where it'll do the most damage."

Luke shook his head, taken aback. "How do we re-power all the engines in time? We'll leave ourselves more open."

Something slammed into the hull outside. A ceiling panel fell, and exposed wires showered sparks.

Han was silent for a few moments. "A scoundrel with a freighter can draw a lot of attention to himself. Maybe buy some time for ships to jump." Luke opened his mouth to speak, but Han jabbed a finger into his shoulder. "Lead that squadron. Take down Blood Shard. The suits can find a new leader for my ground team."

"She saved you," Luke's voice cracked. "Leia saved you, and now you're throwing it all ---" He noticed that he was speaking as a boy, and bit down on his tongue.

Han gave Luke a casual pat. "Hey. It's me." His tone and face held a finality that said he understood and accepted the implications of this flight. He turned and ascended the ramp, Chewbacca at his heels.

NeverarGreat said:

I hope the last post didn't seem too critical; the way you decided to end Boba is really dramatic. Perhaps Vader's gloating over Boba could be made to include information about Boba's personal code, further reinforcing why he would suddenly work for the rebels. I like how Vader knows Boba's thoughts. It would be a blow to the Rebellion if Vader was able to extract from him their location.

Naw, criticism is welcome. Sometimes it has to be blunt, if I'm to learn.

You called the next plot development, by the way. The Rebels stole valuable and exploitable information on the enemy, but this costs them.

Thanks of the comment!

[Chapter Eleven]

The latest probe message revealed that Blood Shard's surveillance was primed for telepathy, though range and overall effectiveness were foggy. Probe cameras had recorded the mercenaries' attack. Anyone could guess whether the battle was an approximate trade in lives, a minor victory, or futile sacrifice.

Leia stood at the frigate's main viewport to watch the fleet gather. Every spacecraft played a role in the next battle. The Alliance's heroes and best minds had worked together to account for all conceivable angles. The Alderaanian princess, however, wrestled with dread. Can our scientists really develop technology to scramble telepathy? We could give away our entire plan by silently thinking. 

Several alerts sounded at once. Her comlink went off, a deck alarm flashed and blared, and an officer rushed past. "Ms. Organa. An emergency meeting. We're in the red." Off-duty people stopped to glance around, worried, then jogged to their stations.

"The time comes to commence," Mon Mothma said as a last wave of officers, pilots, and foot-soldiers flooded into the room. Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewie sat together. "Blood Shard has moved to Coruscant." Chatter and gasps filled the air. Mothma raised her hand to signal for silence. "Your tactics and assignments remain much the same, but other conditions are changed. The price of failure may mean billions of innocent lives, depending on Vader's motives."

Admiral Ackbar took over. "The dreadnaught's defense has become further redundant. Along with its own built-in shields, it's also protected by three shield generators on Coruscant. These generators must be deactivated, if any attack is to be attempted. Once the shields are down, our cruisers will create a perimeter while fighters close in and storm the structure. Luke Skywalker, whose piloting skills proved crucial at Yavin, has volunteered to lead the wing squadron."

"That was before, when we were supposed to be fighting in deep space," Han muttered. "Think you can handle the new ball game, O Holy Knight?"

Luke took a deep breath and kept his gaze on Ackbar, ignoring the question. Leia massaged his back with her fingertips.

Ackbar nodded to General Nadine, who took the alien's spot next to the display. "The Empire - the true Empire - quarantined Coruscant too late after the splinter faction's arrival." The hologram zoomed out and Star Destroyers became visible. Data streams noted above-average debris; Leia wondered if a Destroyer had recently met its end. "We share a common goal with the Emperor in destroying Darth Vader and the splinter faction, but we presumably fight both sides once we enter Coruscanti space. We have stolen an Imperial shuttle. Disguised as a cargo ship, and using a secret Imperial Code, a strike team will land planetside and split into three groups."

There was a pause for observers to absorb the information, broken when Han beckoned to himself. "I volunteer to captain the shuttle and lead a team on the ground." Mothma, Ackbar, and Nadine held a hushed discussion. 

"Are you sure you're up to this?" Leia asked.

Han smiled. "I'm sure I'd better be. Does anyone else have our experience against storm troopers? That's a rhetorical question. The four of us belong on the front lines."

Mothma looked to Han and nodded. "Very well."

~ ~ ~

The fleet would reach Coruscant space at 2300 galactic standard, eight hours from now. Leia was enlisted to lead the second strike team, which meant her combat was destined to take place in a cityscape at night. 

She lay in bed, contemplating the future, her thoughts interrupted occasionally by Threepio's outbursts from the adjoining room. Hardly a productive way to prepare for war. She shut her eyes, stretched her arms, and promised herself that she only needed to snooze.

Two men stood far away on the crest of a sand dune. They waved to her and called her name, their excitement visible even from this distance. She ran toward them, elated at the imminent reunion. But they sank to the horizon. The ground abruptly split between her feet and parted wide. She fell and grabbed at one edge, but curtains of sand pushed her down into darkness. 

She sat up. A knock came at her bedroom door. 

Luke had turned and begun to step away, but she grabbed his shoulder. "Drifted off. Sorry if I kept you waiting."

"I wanted to check on you," He said. "I sensed your emotions way across the ship. They ate away at me, made it hard to focus on anything else."

I imagine a bag of disposable razors with Boba Fett's picture on the front. :(

I wanted to convey that the ship was impregnable without a massive, open attack. And once Boba entered, the troopers were abnormally difficult. The latter point will be elaborated on later. But do you feel I need to make additions to Chapter Ten?

His favorite words are "design" and "ultimately". He ultimately designed it this way.

I see profanity, but none that any reasonable person would consider excessive.

Carrie Fisher, to me, was most attractive in the award ceremony scene.

Excellent work, fettip. This abridgment is an improvement on the original full film, in my opinion.

There was a tuber on yesterday, but he's gone now.

Oh well. If I want an abridged ROTJ to make the experience less painful, I always have fettip's LP project.

Darth_Sidious

He should be "Darth Sidious (Prime)", though.

[Author's note]

We're at about the halfway mark. I'll post a link to this thread on different forums, and create a blog to keep track of future edits and drafts. 

[Chapter Ten]

Admiral Piett was a mortal crushed between opposing divine forces. The thought of failure had kept him awake two nights in a row. But he persevered.

He strolled a line of manned computers and came to a stop here and there to direct credit stocks or help assign materials to outposts.

He eventually halted at a viewport. Several recruitment vessels departed for worlds long forsaken, where the Emperor had little influence. They would need enough militants to blot out Coruscant's sky, Piett thought. Reports indicated that might well come to pass. He feared Vader, but had to respect the cyborg's audacity and efficiency. I stand in awe of a total nightmare. 

Alarms blasted. Piett pivoted on a heel and strode for the nearest radar. 

~ ~ ~

Rag-tags exchanged fire with stormtroopers as they traversed corridor after long corridor, but were too few in number. Boba's back-up became extinct before he could reach Vader's throne room. The greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy called on every tactic and tool at his disposal. He threw smoke bombs, detonators, and flash-bangs as he sought to escape the crowds of armored pawns that popped from around every corner. By the time he reached the majestic double doors, blood flowed from flesh wounds.

The doors parted, as though in invitation. Why?

He kept his blaster at the ready, and went to the portal's edge to peer inside. 

The hall felt religious in nature. Whereas Blood Shard's interiors until now had been sterilized metal, this location was carpeted, and tapestries lined the walls. A dozen robed figures stood like statues on either side of the long carpet leading to the far end, their faces shadowed, hands lost in sleeves. Torch pillars blazed. Boba squinted to discern the contraption that must have been the centerpiece across the expanse. Lights clicked to life.

Darth Vader's mask was off. His face was melted flesh clung to bone, frozen in a grin. Wires and tubes entered and exited his body, and suspended him high from the floor.

The hell has he done to himself?

"I have evolved," Vader answered aloud, voice synthesized. "In the dark side. In the universal scheme. Your thoughts and memories belong to me, bounty hunter."

"The rebels are resilient sons of bitches," Bob made himself continue to stand, despite exhaustion. "They'll knock your army for a loop yet."

"I'm sure."

Vader called upon the Force to drive Boba's blaster against its owner. A legend fell with a single shot.

[Chapter Nine]

Slave moved at tenth light speed, while a swarm of TIE fighters sprayed shots from behind. Boba pulled the controls back; his ship swooped upward in a wide curve. The enemy followed. 

Slave's engines strained to decrease speed. The ship then dropped among the TIE's before they could all make the roller-coaster curve. Most of them responded quickly, rotating about or down at an angle to face Boba's new position, but he had already slipped away.

Computers locked onto targets it calculated to be most vulnerable. Aft cannons blew them away. Boba checked diagnostics to find his ship's armor and equipment battered, but functional. He understood this to be his last dogfight. The ship zipped and whirled out of blaster fire, its shield generators too damaged to take the brunt. He picked off the last of the TIE's.

Scanners located a spy probe from Blood Shard. He came to link range with the spherical instrument and uploaded encrypted coordinates. It was ultimately destined for the Alliance.

Probe launched, Boba set a new course and opened a channel to his comrades. "We're going in." 

Dozens of mercenary ships appeared on radar, and then a TIE cloud. Boba had ordered them to leave as many of the enemy units intact as possible.

"Open fire." They brought their attacks to focus at a point on Blood Shard's outermost deflector shield. 

The resultant energy caused the radar to brighten like a small sun. Entire ships exploded on the shield, while some made it through. TIE's contributed to the breech. Slave flew inside, aimed at the base's cargo bay, and shot forward at highest speeds allowable for survival.

Boba programmed a timer on the console. The dreadnaught became more visible as the seconds ticked by, and then seemed to rush at him. His seat launched at the exact nanosecond dictated. The ship impacted with the blast doors and exploded. Shrapnel pelted Boba's armor while he floated in vacuum at impact's edge. He switched on his jet pack and zoomed into the receding flames.

[Chapter Eight]

Luke's X-Wing slowed to three grav acceleration. He entered multiple passwords and codes into the console, and then spoke his identity and intentions. The R5 unit behind him beeped its impatience. 

"We're on heavier guard than ever," Luke told his assistant.

He soon docked in a corner of the frigate, among a crowd of fighters. He hoped everyone was in the dark as to his arrival; Leia was the one with whom he wanted to confer. Weeks in isolation made it difficult to suddenly throw himself back in a crowd.

~ ~ ~

A soft light in Leia's private quarters clicked on. She adjusted her gown, made sure her hair was presentable, and answered the door.

"Luke," She threw herself into his open arms. The strength of her embrace would have put Chewie to shame.

Luke's grin was a call-back to the farm boy from Tatooine. The princess felt a storm of compassion and nostalgia as she pulled him inside and closed the door.

They entertained small talk for a while at the dining table, until the conversation stalled, mystery hanging between them. 

"Have you trained this entire time?"

"More or less," Luke went from cheery to dark in an instant. "Yoda formed me into a Jedi Knight. But I have a mission to complete before I can ever think of taking on my own apprentice. Whether that's tomorrow, or years from now."

Leia reached across the table to set her hand on his. "The future of the Jedi is your responsibility."

Luke nodded. "I have to defeat Darth Vader. He's grown too powerful in the dark side. It'd be futile to establish the Jedi Order again with his shadow over me."

Artoo and Threepio appeared from the lounge area. 

"Master Luke! What a surprise," Threepio rushed past Artoo to the man's side. "We feared so much for your safety. Oh, you're a capable person for sure, able to look after yourself ---"

Luke raised a hand, half-smiling to his old mechanical friends. "Good to be back."

Threepio's voice dropped conspiratorially. "Though I believe Artoo fears he's been permanently replaced."

Artoo beeped a "shut up".

Leia cleared her throat, and addressed Luke. "What've you learned of the Empire's activities while out there?"

The Jedi shook his head. "I left Dagobah, and kept to myself on deserted worlds so I could meditate. Why?"

Leia explained everything that had passed since their last departure. She received Artoo's help in the way of holographic displays when the subject of Blood Shard came.

"We think the ship's equipped with a mass survellience system," Leia said. "A weapon of near omniscience."

"Mass survellience," Luke echoed, rubbing his chin. "Knowledge is power, as the wise say."

The Alliance had to trust in Luke's wisdom, Leia mused. She remained silent while he reclined and studied the ship schematics.

"When do we attack?" He asked.

"Our numbers are rallied," Leia answered. "We're privy to most the structure's layout, and orbital patrol schedules. Mon Mothma will make the call to arms within a few days."

They both rose and drifted toward the door in silence.

"Leia," He turned at the threshold. "On Bespin, I sensed a bond between you and Han. A bond that goes beyond friendship. Maybe it's none of my business."

She came closer, offering her sincerest smile. "Time does silly things. We became close on the Falcon while the Empire was in hot pursuit. Then time made it complicated again. Han's a different person."

He has something else to say.

"Good night, Leia." He kissed her forehead and left.

Thank you for the review, NeverarGreat. You are my editor. Clarity and smoother transitions. Got it.

Chapter Seven was without a doubt the weakest. It was at a vague part in the outline. I'm going to return and add that conversation you wrote at a later point.

Boba is risky for me. The story aims to develop a previously undeveloped character, but I'm nervous of giving him too much screen time. I'll go ahead and write the version of Chapter Nine I originally planned, but backed out. It does make sense that Leia would send him to hunt Vader, and the result is something that needs to be seen.

One week anniversary headed our way. Let's go at it with a bang.

There is something farmers plant in the ground. Birds eat it.

Please. 

[Chapter Seven]

A month had passed since Han's rescue. Leia and her friends rested and regained lost health aboard an Alliance frigate. Han was in greatest need of attention: he spent time in a bacta tank, underwent physical therapy, and now observed a strict diet. He was almost back to his old self, though Leia noted his personality was rougher at the edges.

"How are you getting along with that helmeted creep?" He asked her one evening in the mess hall.

"Pardon?"

"I think you know. The guy who hunted us down, helped Vader toss me in that hole."

She stopped her eyes from rolling. "We already spoke on this topic. More than once." 

"Yeah. He's a big help to our cause so far, huh?"

"Actually. . ."

~ ~ ~

Delegates and pilots assembled in the Intelligence Hall. Leia saw a team of Mon Calamari standing next to Mon Mothma. Chewbacca greeted a group of four other robed wookiees near the entrance. 

Han leaned over to her. "Where's Luke? He was supposed to be here by now."

Leia sighed. "Wish I knew."

"The Emperor's made a critical error," Mothma addressed them. She stood next to a holographic display of an Imperial dreadnaught; a list of data streamed next to the image. "And the time of our attack has come. The data brought to us by Boba Fett's spies pin-point the exact location of the Emperor's new battle station."

Now to see if the rumors were true. Han and Leia glanced to one another and then leaned forward to glue their attention on the white-clad woman.

"We've also learned that Darth Vader himself has defected from the Empire, and leads a small, but well-equipped splinter faction of Imperial officers and troopers."

Thank you for your time, Bingowings. 

You're right. Vader has to say something substantial to make Luke really flip out. If the subtext was perverse, the viewer would be upset right along with Luke.

I'm going to sit down for the first time in years to watch ROTJ. I'll compile a list of edit-outs and possible re-dubs. 

JasonN seems to have went into hiding beyond the Dune Sea.

His original ideas are worth bringing to the attention of an editor looking for a new project. I'd do it, but my video card refuses to even run Windows Movie Maker.