━━┛ 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍┗━━

━━┓'𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐰' ┏━━

━━ ★ ━━

. . . HYPERSPACE

𝐒𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 the excitement of listening to Han yell at Chewie, the navicomputer, and the entire Imperial fleet, the shaking of the ship stopped. Boredom set in not long after the ship began to drift in the peace of hyperspace. Chewbacca had eventually made his way to the common space and was sitting at the holochess table deep in a game with Cora. Tamis had always lost to her whenever they played, but she had spent years losing to Sammy, who always had the perfect strategy.

Cora stared down the Wookie as he took his time. He pushed his Grimtaash forward, and it smashed her poor Scrimp in the head. She groaned and the Wookie just laughed at her.

"I'm so glad you're enjoying this," Cora lamented.

He said a few guttural words, taunting her no doubt. It was maddening to not know what he was saying. She had never wanted to learn Shyriiwook more.

Luke was practicing with the lightsaber, currently locked in a battle with a floating metal ball. His face was screwed up in utmost concentration. Cora was trying to remain focused on the holo chess board, but she kept seeing the blue light flash in the corner of her eye.

Suddenly the light retreated and the saber shut off with an uncanny hiss. She glanced up to see Obi-Wan standing off to the side, leaning on the back of a chair with a stricken look on his face.

"Are you alright? What's wrong?" Luke said, concerned.

Cora looked out of the corner of her eye to see Obi-Wan lowering himself onto one of the narrow chairs on the other side of the room. She tried to remain unaffected. It was easier to act detached in the persona of Anika Rees. Cora could retreat from the world and hide within herself, burying emotions deep.

"I sensed a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened." He took a deep breath. "You'd better get on with your exercises."

Cora wanted to scream. The droning noise of the lightsaber was grating on her nerves. She had half a mind to grab the thing out of Luke's hand and melt it into a puddle.

"You can forget your troubles with those Imperial slugs!" Han said as he came down the hall. "I told you I'd outrun them."

Cora had her head balanced in her hands, staring at the holochess board in front of her. Obi-Wan was still sitting in his chair, watching Luke who was again focused on the floating ball droid that was shooting tiny ion fire.

Disappointed, Han said, "Don't everybody thank me at once."

"Our savior," Cora said sardonically.

Chewie laughed again, Han frowned. Cora wondered if the Wookie found any slight against Han hilarious.

"Anyway, we should be at Alderaan about 0200 hours," Han announced.

For a spare moment, Alderaan didn't matter. Cora saw her chance and took it, moving one of her pieces across the board and using it to obliterate one of Chewie's. She leaned forward and grinned as Chewie let out a low groan.

"Don't complain. You're already way ahead of me," Cora sighed.

"You can understand him?" Han asked.

She shook her head. "No. But defeat is a universal language."

"I'd let him have it if I were you," Han warned her. "It's not wise to upset a Wookie."

Cora stared Chewie right in his dark eyes. They stayed this way for a few seconds before Cora finally looked away. "Fine. You win."

Chewie lifted his arms and put them behind his head as if the altercation couldn't have ended any other way.

Cora turned toward where Luke stood. There was something natural to the way Luke held the lightsaber. The weapon was impossibly dangerous, a sword without any forgiveness. And yet he held it with ease.

"Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him," Obi-Wan coached.

"You mean it controls your actions?"

"Partially. But it also obeys your commands."

A bolt of ion fire hit Luke square in the thigh.

Han let loose a bark of laughter. "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid."

"You don't believe in the Force, do you?" Luke said with such conviction, no one would have believed he had only barely heard of it this morning.

"Listen, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other. I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe there's one all-powerful Force controlling everything. No mystical energy field controls my destiny."

Cora had to laugh.

Luke turned to face her. "You agree with him?"

Cora cocked her head to the side, no longer laughing. "I don't think it's a matter of agreeing with Han. The Force is a cheater's path to understanding the nature of the galaxy."

"Interesting take," Han said. "I just think it's a lot of simple tricks and nonsense."

No one in the room was going to come to the same conclusion. Obi-Wan just smiled knowingly.

"Try it again, Luke." He lifted a metal helmet off the shelf. "This time, let go of your conscious self and act on instinct."

Obi-Wan plopped the helmet on Luke's blond head. The visor was down, completely covering his field of vision.

"With the blast shield down, I can't see. How am I supposed to fight?"

"Your eyes can deceive you. Don't trust them." Obi-Wan said, as if that explained it all.

Luke ignited the saber again. The first blast from the droid hit him in the leg and he gritted his teeth in frustration. Cora stifled her laugh with a swift cough.

"Stretch out with your feelings," Obi-Wan coaxed.

This time, Luke parried the strikes easily. One, two, three of them.

"You see?" Obi-Wan grinned. "You can do it."

Luke pulled the helmet off, absolutely exhilarated. His blue eyes were alight in the dim confines of the ship, that head of golden hair falling just-so. Cora looked away before he noticed her staring.

"I call it luck," Han said from his side of the room.

"In my experience, there's no such thing as luck," Obi-Wan said.

Han scoffed. "Look, good against remotes is one thing. Good against the living? That's something else." The console in front of him beeped. "Looks like we're coming up on Alderaan."

Cora followed Han and Chewie to sit in the cockpit while they dropped out of hyperspace. She sat in the chair behind the pilot's seat, watching the silver blur of stars.

Han glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Clients don't usually sit in the cockpit."

"Clients don't normally pay 15,000 credits for a one way passage," Cora countered. "I feel like this is justified."

He just rolled his eyes and continued the drop sequence. Not for the first time, Cora thought about how Tamis would be enamored with this smuggler and his ship.

"Stand by, Chewie, here we go. Cutting the sunlight engines," Han relayed as he flicked both of the switches upwards.

The ship immediately shook with turbulence.

"What the–" Han said.

Chewie let out a frustrated string of words.

"We've come out of hyperspace in a meteor shower, some kind of asteroid collision." Han lamented. "It's not on any of the charts."

Right on cue, Luke ran in. His hand rested on the back of Cora's seat. "What's going on?"

"Our position's correct, except no Alderaan," Han said, bewildered.

Cora's breath hitched. –as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

She had been to the planet before, but only once. It was covered in mountains and alpine lakes, and it had golden shining libraries tucked into universities, an imposing royal castle, and parkways lined with verdant trees. In a way, it was the mirror image of Naboo. The way life might be if Naboo were free from the Empire.

But like all good and free birds, its wings were clipped and it had plummeted into nothing.

"What do you mean?" Luke's nose scrunched. "Where is it?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you. It aint there, it's been blown away."

"What? How?" Luke asked, head whipping around to face Obi-Wan.

But the answer came from Cora. "It was destroyed by the Empire."

They all turned to look at her. Han narrowed his eyes. "The entire Starfleet couldn't destroy the whole planet."

"Listen to the girl," Obi-Wan told him sternly.

"It's not the Starfleet," Cora continued. "This must be their new weapon. I thought it was still just a rumor, but what they've been working on–"

The console let out a series of shrill beeps.

"There's another ship coming in," Han said.

"Maybe they know what happened," Luke said hopefully.

Cora just stared at him. "Maybe we'll send you out there to ask them."

Luke scowled. "So long as you don't come with me."

"It's an Imperial fighter," Obi-Wan said, straight-faced an unmoving.

A TIE flew into view, and Luke ducked out of habit. "It followed us!"

"No, it's a short-range fighter," Obi-Wan explained.

"There aren't any bases around here. Where did it come from?" Han asked.

Cora shook her head and stood. "The Empire's plans for a new weapon have consistently overlapped with talks of a new base. A fighter that size couldn't get this deep into space on its own."

"So, you think their new base is a planet destroyer?" Han just laughed. "That's ridiculous."

Cora set her jaw. "Follow the TIE, let's see where it's going."

"He could have just gotten lost, been part of a convoy or something," Luke said.

For the past four years, she had risked life and limb for the Rebellion, and it wasn't without gain. Cora had the best access to the data network that the Rebel cells used to communicate. Stray transmissions went through her. She had snuck into the rafters of small meetings and conferences held on Naboo and on nearby planets. For a girl made of fire, she had learned to make the shadows her friend.

And she was growing tired of listening to everyone tell her she didn't know which way was up.

"He's heading for that small moon!" Luke told them now, as if they weren't all looking out the same window.

Han checked his radar. "I think I can get him before he gets there. He's almost in range."

"That's no moon," Obi-Wan gaped. "It's a space station."

"It's too big to be a space station," Han dismissed.

But as they drew closer, the truth was too clear to deny.

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Luke said quietly.

Han whistled. "Well, Anika, guess you were right."

"Turn the ship around," Obi-Wan said, deadly calm.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Han said. "Full reverse. Chewie, lock in the auxiliary power."

The ship's engine began to emitting a whining noise as it shook. They weren't moving.

"Chewie, lock in the auxiliary power," Han repeated. But it was fruitless, they could all see what was going to happen.

"Why are we still moving towards it?" Luke lamented.

Cora just looked at him. If he weren't so whiny, he would have a lot more going for him.

"We're caught in a tractor beam. It's pulling us in," Han shouted back, but he sounded resigned to it. Realistically, there was nothing that could be done.

But Luke still said it. "There's gotta be something you can do!"

"There's nothing I can do about it, kid. I'm at full power. I have to shut down. They're not gonna get me without a fight."

"You can't win," Obi-Wan said sagely. "But there are alternatives to fighting."

Cora sat back now, smiling slightly. If Leia was being detained, it would likely be aboard this space station. They were right where they needed to be. "We walk right into the jaw of death."

★

. . . THE DEATH STAR

𝐓𝐇𝐄 inside of the stormtrooper helmet smelled like the inside of a shoe. Luke could hardly see out of the thing at all as they stepped down the ramp of the Falcon.

"They'll send a boarding party first. Likely an officer and a small squadron of stormtroopers, all armed with blasters set to stun. They won't have an order to kill before their superiors know who they have their hands on," Anika had explained. They didn't have much time, and with her excitement it was almost difficult to keep up with her words.

"How do you know all this?" Han said, putting his hands on his hips.

She avoided answering. "I'm surprised you don't. I can't imagine you've never been boarded before."

Han had huffed at the insult. "And why should I even go through with all of this? I could just ditch you three and hand over those droids that seem to be such a hot item."

Luke froze. He hadn't even thought of that.

But Anika just smiled. "Alderaan is gone, and so are your credits. You rescue the princess, you still get paid by the Rebellion."

At the reminder of money, Han placated. "Do you even have a plan?"

The plan was to make the ship look like an abandoned decoy. The Imperials had the ship's serial and could match it to the one that had recently departed Mos Eisely with the two droids. They would scan the ship thoroughly, which was just as well. They all stowed themselves in the smuggling compartments and waited for the scanning party to board and leave.

"This is ridiculous," Han pulled himself up and sat on the edge of the compartment, blaster raised. "Even if I could take off, I'd never get past the tractor beam."

"Leave that to me," Ben said.

"Damn fool," Han cursed. "I knew you would say that."

"Who's the more foolish–the fool or the fool who follows him?"

Chewie roared in what sounded like agreement.

Now they were walking off the ship in stormtrooper uniforms lifted off of the ones that were now laying in an unceremonious heap. Anika was wearing the slate gray uniform of the poor lieutenant who had also rushed aboard to answer a false cry for help from the scanning crew. She had the cap pulled low over her face, dark hair tucked up and out of the way.

"How are we gonna explain the Wookie?" Luke asked.

Anika looked up at his hulking form sympathetically, pursing her full lips. "Still working on that one. You stay here, we'll head up to the control room."

"Why me?" Luke said.

She lifted a shoulder. "You make good bait."

Grudgingly, Luke stayed behind while the rest of them rushed off. It was quite a scene: A stormtrooper, two droids, a Wookie, a forgotten Jedi, and a lieutenant all moving at a steady clip.

A voice echoed in the com of his helmet. "TX-four-one-two. Why aren't you at your post? TX-four-one-two, do you copy?"

He waited until the gantry officer had seen him. The man nodded once in understanding, believing that Luke's com wasn't working. Five seconds later, there was a guttural roar of a Wookie and the obnoxious sound of blaster fire.

So much for inconspicuous.

Luke entered the command room and closed the door behind him before whipping off the helmet. "Between his howling and your blasting everything, it's a wonder the whole station doesn't know we're here," Luke chastised Han.

"Bring 'em on," Han said, setting his jaw in defiance. "I prefer a straight fight to all this sneakin' around."

Anika glanced up from where she was working at the computer, clearly unimpressed. "As much as I'd love to see you single handedly fight every battalion on this space station, I think we should aim for a more–" she waved a hand "–wise approach."

"We found the computer outlet, Sir," Threepio announced.

"Plug in," Obi-Wan said. "Artoo will be able to interpret the entire Imperial network."

The little droid beeped once.

Luke ran a hand through his hair with a silent scoff. Anika seemed so at ease, diligently working at the computer like she had everything under control. It made him feel significantly more useless.

Artoo chirped more, and Threepio interpreted. "He says he's found the controls to the power beam that's holding the ship here. He'll try to make the precise location appear on the monitor." The screen flashed with several different scenes of green-lined map readouts. "The tractor beam is coupled to the main reactor in seven locations. A power loss at one of the terminals will allow the ship to leave."

"I don't think you can help," Old Ben said to them. There was something solemn behind his eyes. "I must go alone."

"Whatever you say," Han groused as Ben began to walk towards the door. "I've done more than I bargained for on this trip already."

Luke stepped out and blocked his path. "I want to go with you."

"Be patient, Luke. Stay and watch over the droids," Ben told him. Luke began to protest, but he just shook his head. "They must be delivered safely or other star systems will suffer the same fate as Alderaan. Your destiny lies along a different path from mine."

He rested a gentle hand on Luke's armored shoulder. There was something distant in his expression, as if he were looking straight through Luke and remembering someone else. Then he pressed the button and the door hissed open again.

"The Force will be with you," Ben said, grinning now. In an instant, he became the great Obi-Wan Kenobi again. "Always."

Luke watched him go, waiting until he was fully out of sight before shutting the door again. He turned around to find Han and Chewie standing there with the same incredulous expression.

"Where'd you dig up that old fossil?" Han said, lips pulling into an arrogant grin.

Luke didn't have it in him to argue beyond, "Ben is a great man."

"Yeah, great at gettin' us into trouble."

"I didn't hear you give any ideas."

"Anything's better than just hangin' around and waiting for 'em to pick us up!"

"Who do you think–"

The computer let out a high-pitched chirp, and Anika made a sound of delight.

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Han said to her. "But what the hell are you doing?"

She shook her head. "I have a mission to complete. I don't actually care what you two do, stay here if you want." She glanced at the screen once more before standing up. "But I'm going to find Leia Organa."

"What are you talking about?" Han shook his head, looking at her like she had just volunteered to serenade Lord Vader.

"The droids belong to her," Luke reasoned. "We should go find her."

"She's scheduled to be terminated," Threepio added. "Level Five, detention block AA-23.

"Now, look, don't get any funny ideas. The old man wants us to wait right here," Han said, taking a seat and kicking up his legs.

Anika tilted her head. "So now, in the face of real danger, you decide it's time to follow the rules? I did have a feeling you could run your mouth more than you could ever make good on the bullshit that was coming out."

Han stared her dead on. "Fine. What's your plan?"

With their disguises, they had the perfect cover story. Two stormtroopers and a low-grade officer marching a Wookie down the halls to the detention level. The Wookie wasn't exactly pleased at being cuffed and having a blaster pressed into his chest by Han.

As they walked down the hall, a small MSE-6 droid skittered in their direction. Chewie bellowed at it in frustration.

Anika clicked her tongue. "Excellent job, I think you scared the shit out of a little droid. Can we keep going?"

Luke thought the Wookie might bellow at her, too, but he just gave a loose shrug.

517 to scan control, an intercom blared. 517 to scan control.

A stormtrooper duo stopped them in their path. "Where are you going with that–thing?"

Luke was about to do something, but Anika stepped forward. "Do you make it a habit of questioning your superiors?"

The trooper blanched. "No, I was just–"

"I suggest," Anika cut him off with a raised hand. "You take your curiosity somewhere else before I report you both to your commanding officer. Is that understood?"

"Yes ma'am," he muttered. Both of them quickly walked off.

Han let out a sharp whistle. "Nice one."

"What happens when we get to the detention level?" Luke whispered to Anika.

Her expression didn't change. She was acting her part suspiciously well, back rod-straight and gaze unflinching. Almost like she had done this before. "I'll take care of it. Don't you trust me?"

"Yes."

She broke a little and smiled. "Good."

━━ ★ ━━

a/n welcome back to the niche little club that is infamous! I'm sorry I dropped off the face of the earth when I said I would update this story but!! I hope youre still enjoying : )

things to look forward too:  Leia Organa's official (re)introduction