CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I can’t believe I’m doing this.
Toah sat once more in the cockpit of Luke Skywalker’s X-wing starfighter, having since donned a flight suit and now wearing a helmet that actually fit. His black gloves were wrapped tightly around the control yokes, although R2-D2 was doing most of the heavy-work in terms of flying, guiding him towards one of the many climate disruption arrays that the Empire had deployed in Naboo’s orbit. Flanking him on either side were the other members of Danger Flight One, with Nien Nunb flying in another X-wing to his left. Around them, a battle was unfolding between New Republic and Imperial forces alike, with fighters brought by Admiral Nantz’s fleet engaging the TIE fighters defending the satellites. Enough of the TIEs were distracted that Danger Flight was able to move in on one of them.
“Satellite One is coming in range,” the leader of Flight One transmitted to the rest of the pilots. “As soon as you’ve locked on, fire your proton torpedoes.”
R2 trilled and Toah saw his words translated on a small screen on his console, giving him directions on how to fire the proton torpedoes. Toah took a deep breath and watched his targeting computer. The satellite was highlighted in red, and the lines of the screen were closing in to create a box around the target.
As soon as the red became green, he pressed his thumbs down on his control stick. A pair of glowing rockets launched out from the X-wing and shot towards the satellite. The other X-wings launched their torpedoes at the same time and the satellite erupted into a fireball. Toah felt the X-wing lurch as R2 redirected the fighter away from the explosion, following the rest of the flight.
“It’s a hit!” exclaimed one of the other pilots.
“Cut that chatter,” snapped Flight Leader. “We’ve still got six more to go. Looks like there are still TIEs around the next one. Be ready to engage.”
Toah swallowed hard, his throat feeling dry and tight. R2 offered a few words of encouragement via his screen and the X-wings pressed ahead to their next target.
“Danger Nine, stick with Danger Five,” Flight Leader then said. “We’ll divert the TIEs away from you best we can. Your proton torpedoes should be able to weaken the satellite enough for us to finish it off when we double back around.”
Nien responded affirmatively in his native tongue. As the X-wings advanced towards the next satellite, the TIE fighters guarding it broke away and rushed up to meet them, firing their green lasers. Flight Leader and three of the others immediately broke off and flew away, and managed to get most of the TIEs to follow them. Three of them lingered behind however, catching onto the ploy and focusing their attention on Toah and Nien’s fighters.
Toah gritted his teeth as R2 performed evasive maneuvers. He pressed down on the control stick to fire the fighter’s cannons, managing to hit one of the TIEs but succeeding only in weakening its shields. The Imperial fighter shot over him and doubled back around before unleashing its next flurry of laser fire.
Although he could not hear the astromech, Toah could imagine R2 shrieking in alarm as one of the lasers struck the X-wing near its fuselage. While R2 worked on fixing the damage, Toah realized that the astromech was now distracted from flying the ship at the same time, leaving him as a sitting duck. His mind racing, Toah jerked the control yoke hard to the right, bringing the X-wing into a wide arc as it began to loop around the TIE fighter. The Imperial fighter reflexively performed the same maneuver, following him as it tried to line up another shot.
By bringing the TIE into the open with such a wide arc, it allowed Nien to break off from the other two TIEs and target the one following Toah. A few blasts from the Sullustan’s fighter burned through the TIE’s remaining shields and the fighter erupted into a fireball. Completing his arc, Toah found himself behind one of the two remaining Imperial fighters. Locking on, he fired his blaster cannons and the TIE pilot joined their comrade. The third and last TIE fighter joined them shortly after when Nien rejoined Toah and blasted them away.
Flying alongside Toah once more as they headed back for the satellite, Nien said something to him in Sullustese. Toah still had no idea what he was saying, but it sounded encouraging. “Thanks,” he said, smiling weakly.
Nien simply chuckled back. Within minutes, the second satellite was within range and their proton torpedoes fired away, damaging the satellite enough that they were able to finish it off with their cannon fire.
“Nice work,” Flight Leader spoke into their ears. “We’re already on to the next one. Meet us there and keep an eye out for any more fighters.”
Both Toah and Nien acknowledged him as they proceeded to the next satellite. Feeling a bit more confident, Toah gripped the control yokes tightly and braced himself as they went forth into the fray.
* * *
Red clashed against green as Luke parried Rarnok’s attack. The Zabrak stepped back and twirled his blade as he smiled wickedly at the Jedi Knight.
“You’re holding back, Skywalker. I can tell. Surely someone strong enough to defeat the Emperor can handle a mere Inquisitor such as myself.”
Luke stared at him hard as he held his lightsaber in a defensive stance. “I was not the one who killed the Emperor. It was Anakin Skywalker, my father.”
“Anakin Skywalker,” Rarnok echoed. “The Hero With No Fear. You know, the Naboo remember him as a hero. Were you aware of that?”
Luke tried to hide his curiosity but his face must have betrayed it anyway as Rarnok grinned.
“Oh, yes. Nearly forty years ago, a young boy from Tatooine unwittingly joined the Naboo fighters in the sky above and destroyed the Trade Federation’s Droid Control Ship, effectively ending their invasion. It was on that day that the Naboo and the Gungans finally made peace after so many years of strife.” Rarnok sighed wistfully. “Of course, such feats were overshadowed by the Clone Wars and dark times that followed. I can’t say I’m surprised you haven’t heard of it.”
Luke said nothing, keeping an eye on Rarnok as he circled the Zabrak. Leia stayed close behind him, holding the blue lightsaber taken from Tarr-Nar-Mal. He could sense her uncertainty, knowing she was nowhere near as experienced with a lightsaber as he was. He tried to send her encouraging thoughts via their connection through the Force, but he wasn’t sure if she received them, focused as they were on the Inquisitor.
“Still,” Rarnok went on, “to go up against two Sith Lords and live to tell the tale… I feel that there are few in the galaxy who can make that claim. Was it not you that also defeated Lord Shadowspawn on Mindor?”
Luke glared at the Zabrak. “Are we here to talk about my accomplishments, or are we going to fight?”
“Eager, are we?” Rarnok lunged and Luke barely managed to deflect his strike in time. Leia then moved in and swung her saber, a bit too slow, and the Inquisitor easily blocked it. He then extended his hand and pushed her back with the Force before moving in to attack Luke again. Their blades clashed, swung, and clashed again, before Rarnok broke off again, cackling as he spun his blade and moved it from one hand to the other.
“How long are we going to keep at this, Skywalker? We both know that you and your sister are strong enough in the Force to vanquish me with a single thought. Even I, a mere Inquisitor, am no match for you. So why drag this out? Strike me down now so you can save your Queen.”
“That’s not the Jedi way,” Luke said evenly.
Rarnok sighed, hanging his head. “It’s not, is it? Of course it isn’t. Otherwise, your Order would never have fallen.”
He attacked again. This time, Leia moved in to intercept him and his scarlet blade clashed against her blue one. Luke then ducked and swiped at the Inquisitor’s side with his green blade, scorching Rarnok’s armor and causing the Zabrak to stagger back, wincing in pain.
“Now that is more like it!” Rarnok grabbed his side and bared his teeth as he grinned at Leia. “I can feel your anger. Your ferocity. Your brother holds back due to his Jedi training, but you… you haven’t been trained, have you? Not properly. You cannot bottle your emotions like he can.”
“Don’t listen to him, Leia,” Luke said, keeping his eyes on the Inquisitor. “He’s trying to tempt you, like he did on Chommell Minor. Don’t let him get into your head.”
Rarnok ignored him, his yellow eyes blazing into Leia’s brown ones. “I can sense the conflict. You love your brother, yet you hate your family. Your true family. You hate the man that your father turned out to be.”
Leia breathed heavily, her lips forming a thin line. She kept the blue blade of her lightsaber raised, mimicking Luke’s own defensive stance. Still, Luke could sense the emotion raging within her, creating a tempest that was impossible to break through with his own positive thoughts.
“You fear that the darkness of Lord Vader will corrupt you,” Rarnok went on. “As well as any children you bear. Speaking of which….” The Zabrak’s eyes seemed to glaze over before closing. His lips peeled back as his grin broadened. “Ah, yes. There it is.”
“There is what?” Leia asked, frowning.
The Inquisitor said nothing at first. Instead, much to Luke’s surprise, he shut off his lightsaber and placed it back on his belt, before opening his yellow eyes. “I believe enough time has been spent. By now, your rebel friends will have found their Queen. The damage has already been done. What happens to Naboo now is, ultimately, in the hands of the Force.”
He performed a mock bow before catapulting himself over Luke and Leia, moving too fast for them to follow. He then let the Force carry him as he dashed to the other end of the hangar bay, jumping off the edge and plunging into the storms raging outside.
Luke and Leia stared after him for a moment, both wondering whether the Zabrak had just ended his own life or whether he had found some way to survive the jump. Before either could reach a conclusion, Leia’s comm buzzed and she answered it.
“Yes?”
“Leia, we have a problem,” Pooja responded. “The Queen… we’ve reached the throne room and….”
Luke could feel his heart sink as Leia frowned. “What is it, Pooja? Talk to me.”
“She’s dead. Someone’s killed her.”
Leia exchanged a grim look with Luke. “We’ll be right there.”
* * *
“This isn’t worth our pay, Bane.”
Cad Bane scowled as he navigated the Justifier through the raging storms. They had begun to lessen somewhat since the Snatchers’ arrival, but that didn’t make their pursuit of the Millennium Falcon any easier. Especially now that some of the Naboo starfighters had come in to help it.
“The Jedi’s probably back at the hangar,” Bane growled into his comm. “One of you should have doubled back and flew in to get him.”
“I ain’t going back there,” said Kale Karsa. “The whole place is probably crawlin’ with Naboo guards by now. Besides, if Solo sees us go back in, he’s probably gonna swoop in and—”
Bane cut him off as he switched channels. “Smarty, you’re supposed to be the brains. Give me a rundown of our odds.”
“Given how volatile our current situation is, I cannot provide you with a solid answer,” replied the Siniteen partner of Dem Hazon. “As it stands now, the best rough estimate I can give you does not give a high probability of all of us making it out alive if we continue our current trajectory.”
“Frag that.” Bane glanced out the viewport to see Karsa’s ship breaking off from the chase. “You guys can stay if you want. I don’t even want the credits anymore.”
“Karsa, get back here you kriffing coward!” Bane snarled.
“Sorry, Bane, but the kid’s got the right idea.” Dengar’s JumpMaster was also leaving the pursuit. “Much as I hate Solo, this just isn’t the ideal situation to be in. The Empire’s pretty much got us all marked for dead with what it’s doing right now.”
Bane narrowed his eyes even as more of the Snatchers reported in to announce their withdrawal. As much as he hated to leave a job unfinished, he had to agree with their assessments. Between the storms and the battle being waged up in space, the entire operation had expanded well beyond their scope. Even if they did manage to track down Skywalker, they would still have to contend with the Naboo and the New Republic. And that just simply wasn’t in their pay grade.
Boss Dan’wal was going to be upset, of course. But Bane would rather upset him than lose his hide.
“Fine,” he groused. “Everyone, fall back. The hunt has been called off. We’ll get them next time.”
Bane heard no objections as the Snatchers’ ship pulled back and headed back up into the sky, climbing through the thick clouds as they made their way through the atmosphere and into space. Within moments, each one had jumped into hyperspace, leaving Naboo and its devastating storms behind.
* * *
The Torment shuddered violently and Moff Panaka fell to the floor, the Sentinel having lost its grip around its neck due to the quake. He looked up in time to see Y-wing bombers streak across the viewport, dropping their payload on the Star Destroyer.
“Sir, we just lost one of our bridge deflector shields!” an officer called from the crew pit.
Captain Duvat grimaced, his eyes still intent on the action unfolding outside. “How many satellites do we still have in place?”
“We’ve just lost a third one, sir. Only four more remaining.”
“Focus fire on those starfighters. Redirect all TIE squadrons to—”
The ship shuddered again as the Y-wings went in for another pass. Two of them were shot down by the Torment’s turbolasers, although that did not make the impact of their bombs any less intense.
“Our other deflector shield has nearly lost all integrity,” the same officer reported. “Our shields are hanging on by a fingernail at this point.”
The Torment trembled once more, this time from firepower coming from the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser that had come up along its side. Panaka recognized it as the Restoration, flagship of the New Republic admiral Firmus Nantz.
Duvat squared his shoulders, his face steeling. “If we go down, we’re taking them with us. Angle the ship and set it on a collision course with the Restoration.”
The officers acknowledged the command, too fearful to protest the suicidal maneuver. Gritting his teeth, Panaka looked over his shoulder. The Sentinel was staring down at him, waiting for him to make a move.
Slowly, he rolled onto his stomach. The Sentinel shifted, ready to grab him again. Instead, Panaka got up onto one knee and bowed his head. He kept his left hand over his other wrist, making sure the droid could not perceive what he was doing.
“My Emperor,” he started to say, keeping his voice low.
Palpatine’s face appeared on the droid’s screen. “My dear friend….”
Panaka raised his right arm, pulling his sleeve back to reveal his holdout blaster. The Sentinel barely reacted in time as a blaster bolt shot out and struck its face. Its screen shattered into pieces as the plasma bolt fried its processing unit, and the droid fell to the deck.
Duvat turned around only to find Panaka’s blaster pointing directly at his face. Instinctively, the captain raised his hands while Panaka slowly rose to his feet.
“I will be taking command of this ship, Captain Duvat,” Panaka said through clenched teeth. “You are hereby relieved of duty.”
Duvat eyed the blaster for another moment before smirking. “It’s already too late. The damage is already done.”
A shudder and an explosion told Panaka that the rebels had already destroyed their remaining deflector shield. He did not need to hear the panicked report from the officer in the crew pit. Even now, the Restoration was moving into range to deliver the finishing blow.
“The Queen of Naboo is dead,” Duvat continued. “Executed by the very stormtroopers you had stationed to protect her.”
Panaka felt his body break out into a cold sweat. “When was this?”
“I gave the order right before we left Chommell Minor. She was dead before we even arrived.”
Panaka wasn’t sure what happened next first: Him pulling the trigger of his blaster and shooting Duvat between the eyes, or the Restoration opening fire on the Torment. Either way, the crew did not react to their captain’s death as they were too busy hanging on for dear life as turbolaser fire wracked the bridge.
As he remained where he stood on the bridge, Panaka faintly realized that he could still try to hail the Restoration on the comms and offer his surrender. Or he could make it to the escape pods and let the New Republic capture him. But what difference would it make? They would try and execute him for war crimes regardless, and they would be right to do so. He had violated his oath. He had betrayed Naboo. He had killed his Queen. There was nothing left for him to do, but to go down with his ship. It was the least he could do for all the men and women serving under him, giving up their lives in a futile attempt to keep the ship together for a few minutes longer.
As fires erupted all around the bridge, Panaka turned and looked out the viewport, giving one last glance to his home. He noticed that many of the storms had appeared to have stopped; perhaps the New Republic had already destroyed the last remaining satellites. Perhaps Naboo would survive after all.
It was a small comfort. A blast of plasma flashed from the Restoration’s primary cannon, aimed directly for the bridge, and Moff Panaka saw no more.
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