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The jungle planet of Deysdon IV was an isolated world, the perfect place for a Jedi to relax and meditate. Such was the case for Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight. He sat in the small hut that he had constructed from twigs and vines with his eyes closed and his mind open. He had been on the world for nearly a month now, healing from the wounds received during the battle with the evil Jedi clone, Joruus C’boath.

Luke had wanted to stay on Coruscant, to help train Leia and begin to test the twins for the Force, but Leia had put her foot down and told him that if he didn’t go somewhere to rest then she would have him put in a bacta tank. Remembering the vile taste of the bacta, Luke had respected Leia’s wishes and left that night.

Sitting in the hut, Luke’s eyes opened as he felt a disturbance in the Force. He knew that something was very wrong and used his Jedi powers to feel the surrounding landscape. He could feel the pain of plant and animal life dying. Luke ran from the hut and jumped on the speeder bike waiting outside. He raced through the jungle, towards Deysdon IV’s only city.

When he got there, Luke saw that parts of the city were already on fire. He sped towards the city’s spaceport. He stopped the speeder bike at a hangar and saw that his X-Wing’s engines were already on. R2D2 beeped to him and Luke nodded to him as he climbed the ladder of the X-Wing and grabbed his flight suit. He jumped down to the ground and pulled the orange suit on over his clothes and then put his helmet on. He strapped into the X-Wing’s cockpit as the canopy closed. Artoo appraised him of the situation.

An Imperial Victory-class Star Destroyer was in orbit and firing on the city. A mayday had already been sent to the New Republic and reinforcements were on their way. But Luke and Artoo both knew that the reinforcements probably wouldn’t arrive in time. The X-Wing flew out of the hangar and Luke could see two TIE Bombers attacking the city. Luke turned the X-Wing towards the TIE Bombers and put the first one in his sights. He pulled the trigger and two laser bolts tore the TIE Bomber in half. The Imperial bomber smashed harmlessly into a grove of trees and Luke looked around for the other bomber.

The bomber was clawing for altitude and heading for space, not wanting any part of the X-Wing. Artoo beeped a warning and Luke saw that two TIE Interceptors had dropped in behind him. Luke banked the fighter to the right and one of the TIE Interceptors sped past him. The other interceptor was still on his tail and Luke pulled the fighter up, jinking to the left and right. Luke finished the loop, ending up upside down with his nose pointed at the TIE Interceptor. Luke stabbed the fire button and one laser sawed off the TIE Interceptor’s right solar panel. The TIE Interceptor smashed into the jungle and Luke felt shots bang against his shields.

Luke smiled as he put his throttle to nearly zero. The rookie TIE Interceptor pilot didn’t notice that had slowed until he was just about to crash into the fighter. The Imperial pilot climbed and flew over the X-Wing, too distracted to fire his guns. As the TIE Interceptor passed overhead, Luke put it in his sights and opened fire. The TIE Interceptor broke apart and exploded. Luke booted in the X-Wing’s afterburners and climbed towards space.

The X-Wing broke through the atmosphere and Luke could see the huge Star Destroyer in orbit over the nearly helpless world. Two old corvettes were shooting at the Star Destroyer and launching Z95 Headhunters to deal with the horde of TIE fighters. But the corvettes were weakening and the Headhunters were taking heavy losses. Ignoring Artoo’s pessimistic beeps, Luke turned the X-Wing towards the fray.

Leia raced to the hangar of the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. Han ran behind her and Threepio and Chewbacca struggled to keep up. Leia had been feeding the twins when the feeling had hit her. She had sensed that Luke was in trouble and a visit to the command center had proven it. Leia ran up the ramp of the Millenium Falcon and sprinted to the cockpit. Han shook his head and watched from the hatchway as Leia turned on the engines.

“You know, this is my ship,” Han said casually. Leia threw him a stormy look and Han added, “but you can pilot it if you want.” Leia strapped into the pilot’s seat and Han knew that she was serious about going with the reinforcements. Han sat down in the copilot’s seat and Chewie roared at him. Han shrugged helplessly at him as the Falcon leapt into the sky.

The freighter was soon in space and met up with the light Mon Calamari cruiser that was going to aid Deysdon IV. Han looked over at his wife and then pulled the levers that caused the Falcon to leap into hyperspace. Leia sat back in the seat as space blurred by. She hoped that Luke had escaped from the planet, but she wasn’t going to take any chances. She looked over at Han and could clearly see that he was worried. She unstrapped herself and offered him the pilot’s seat. She knew that Han hated for anyone but him to pilot his ship and that in her hurry she had really gotten him worried for her safety. Han smiled at her and took the seat and Chewie growled at Leia. She let him take the copilot’s seat and then took the seat behind Han. Just like old times, she thought to herself.

Wedge Antilles strapped into his X-Wing and looked over the dozen X-Wings that made up Rogue Squadron. Wedge waited for the cruiser to finish its jump so that he and his squadron could launch. Wedge had heard that Luke was on the planet and hoped that he was all right. But Luke was a Jedi and Wedge knew that he could probably take care of himself.

Things were getting desperate for the defenders of Deysdon IV. Artoo squealed again as another laser hit the shields, that were getting lower and lower. No less than five TIE Fighters were behind Luke and two TIE Interceptors were coming at him from the front. Luke held the X-Wing steady another few seconds and then pulled straight up. The TIE Fighters and interceptors were unable to mimic the maneuver in time and the interceptors smashed into the fighters, destroying three fighters and both interceptors.

Only one corvette was left and only a quarter of the Headhunters remained. Two of the older fighters dropped in behind Luke and followed him as he blasted another TIE Fighter. The Imperials were taking heavy losses, but not enough. Another turbolaser streaked down towards the planet and hit the jungle around the city. The corvette backed away from the Star Destroyer and fired all of its remaining turbolasers. Two TIE Bombers flew at the corvette and dropped their payloads of heavy space bombs. The corvette was hit by the four bombs and its shields broke down and its hull began to rupture. The Star Destroyer fired a barrage of turbolasers at the corvette and Luke watched it explode. He was able to shoot one of the TIE Bombers that had attacked the corvette and the Headhunters behind Luke peeled off to chase down the other bomber. Luke armed his proton torpedoes and turned towards the Star Destroyer. He knew that it was a last-ditch attack, but he might be able to do something to help save the planet below.

Luke sighted the Star Destroyer’s shield generators and then waited for the tone. The tone sounded in his ears and Luke fired both torpedoes. The first was harmlessly deflected, but the other torpedo streaked towards the generator and smashed into it. The generator was still connected to the Star Destroyer, but was badly damaged. Luke pulled away from the Star Destroyer. Turbolasers streaked past him, but Luke was able to avoid them. Then several ion blasts hit the X-Wing and the electronics began to sizzle with blue energy. Artoo screamed and was then silent. Luke knew that the droid had been damaged from the ion blasts. The X-Wing began to slow and then drift. Luke looked around and was grateful that the fighter was far enough away from the Star Destroyer to go unnoticed.

“Artoo? Artoo, can you hear me?” Luke ventured. He only heard a low beep in response. “Artoo, we need to get the engines back on line.” Luke didn’t hear a reply and then sealed the pressure seals on his flight suit. He opened the canopy and grabbed his tool kit as he made his way to the back of the X-Wing. Luke gasped when he saw Artoo. The little droid was blackened and most of his panels had popped open. Luke knew that there was nothing he could do for the droid now, but he could try and get the engines on line so that he could escape. He opened the access panels up and saw that all of the circuits were fried. It looked hopeless, but even so Luke began to fumble around with the circuits around the engines.

The Falcon and the Calamari cruiser came out of hyperspace to see that most of the fighting had stopped. Leia ran to the top gun turret as Han maneuvered the freighter into the fight. Chewie roared at Han and then went down to get in the bottom laser turret. Leia fired her guns and a TIE Fighter broke off its attack on the Falcon. As she was lining up another shot, Leia felt something strange.

Wedge and Rogue Squadron blasted out of the cruiser and flew towards the Imperials. A group of Y-Wings and B-Wings were behind them to attack the Star Destroyer. Wedge saw fighters coming at him and the squadron broke up to engage the TIE Fighters. Wedge fired at one fighter and it exploded as he maneuvered to blast another enemy craft.

The light Calamari cruiser, Diplomat, closed on the Star Destroyer and then began assaulting it with its turbolasers. The Star Destroyer returned fire and the cruiser staggered under the intense counterattack. Two B-Wings launched their payloads of torpedoes but were destroyed in the crossfire as they pulled up. Three Y-Wings streaked under the Star Destroyer and fired their torpedoes into the underbelly of the ship. One Y-Wing was caught by one of the Star Destroyer’s tractor beams and was being hauled in when it wingman put the captured Y-Wing out of its misery.

Luke watched the battle and climbed back into the X-Wing’s cockpit for safety. He closed his eyes and felt around him with the Force. He could feel Leia out there and with all of his strength sent a message to her. He hoped that she got it and that someone would come to retrieve his battered fighter.

“Han! Luke’s out there! He’s stranded out there, we’ve got to help!” Leia shouted over the intercom.

“Where?” Han called out.

“Somewhere near the Star Destroyer!”

“The Star Destroyer? What’s he doing there?” Han asked himself as he turned the Falcon towards the Star Destroyer. He maneuvered around the crossfire as the cruiser pounded the Star Destroyer, and vice versa. A TIE Fighter was following them, blasting at the freighter with both of its cannons. Then a Headhunter dropped in behind the TIE Fighter and shot it to pieces. The Headhunter streaked past the Falcon’s cockpit and its pilot gave Han a thumbs-up. Han returned the salute and then the fighter was gone. Han looked around and then the Falcon’s sensors picked up a metallic object ahead. Han slowed down and then saw the X-Wing. Leia was already down from the gun turret and looking out the cockpit window.

“There he is!” She shouted as Han maneuvered the Falcon to the X-Wing. Threepio was also looking out of the window and saw Artoo’s electrified casing.

“Artoo! What have you gotten yourself into this time?” Threepio moaned as the Falcon stopped. No one paid attention to the droid and Han turned on the radio.

“Diplomat, this is the Millenium Falcon. We’ve got a disabled fighter here that needs retrieved. Do you have anything on board that could move it at this time?” Han called.

“Falcon, this is Diplomat. Negative on your request. We can dispatch a shuttle to retrieve the pilot.” The comm officer of the cruiser replied.

“Thanks, but we can handle that. Falcon out. Leia, do you think you can get a message to Luke to tell him that we’ll open the top hatch for him?”

“I’ll try, but I’m not sure.” Leia closed her eyes and used what little training Luke had given her on how to use the Force. She reached out and thought of Luke sitting in the cockpit of the fighter. The top hatch is open, Leia thought and then exhaled. She sat down and watched Han open the hatch.

Luke heard Leia’s message and popped the canopy. He jumped out of the fighter and then spacewalked to Artoo’s socket. Luke concentrated and then lifted the droid out with the Force. He grabbed the battered droid and maneuvered to the hatch. He put the droid in first and the platform in the hatchway lowered. When it was safe Luke jumped down and the hatch closed after him. Luke undid the pressure seals on his flight suit and then took off his helmet. Leia, Han, and Threepio were there to meet him. Chewie roared a welcome from the bottom gun turret and Leia hugged him, glad that he was safe.

Threepio began fussing over Artoo and dragged the still droid to the lounge. Han patted Luke on the shoulder and smiled at him. “You owe me another one, kid,” Han laughed. Luke smiled and shook Han’s hand. “Can you still handle the quads?”

“You bet I can. I hate to have to leave my X-Wing here, but it can be picked up later,” Luke said as he climbed the ladder to the top gun turret. Han and Leia went back to the cockpit and Han turned the engines back on. He turned back towards the fight and saw that neither side was really winning.

Wedge shot another TIE Fighter and noticed that there were a lot fewer of them now. The eleven remaining Rogue X-Wings, five Y-Wings, and three B-Wings lined up for an attack run. The Star Destroyer’s shields were down, but the cruiser was in bad shape. Wedge led his pilots towards the Star Destroyer as the other craft moved to strike from another angle. Each X-Wing carried two proton torpedoes and the Y-Wings and B-Wings carried a full load of torpedoes. Wedge dodged a turbolaser shot and then fired off both of his torpedoes. The other X-Wings followed suit and Wedge could see that the Star Destroyer was badly damaged. As Wedge was heading back towards the cruiser to rearm and refuel, he saw the Millenium Falcon rush towards the Star Destroyer and launch a volley of missiles. TIE Fighters were fleeing to the Star Destroyer and Wedge knew that it wouldn’t be long until the ship left the area.

The Falcon, the Y-Wings, and the B-Wings fired everything they had at the Star Destroyer and Wedge shrugged and led his squadron back for another run. Wedge pulled the trigger and then pulled up as his lasers hit the surface of the Star Destroyer. All of the X-Wings completed their runs and then all of the New Republic ships left the Star Destroyer and the Diplomat fired its weapons. The Star Destroyer finally began to break apart and then exploded as it was mercilessly pounded by the light cruiser. The radio frequencies were filled with the cheers of pilots as they watched the Imperial ship’s debris burn up in the atmosphere of Deysdon IV. Wedge led Rogue Squadron around the Diplomat, doing several victory rolls before he landed his X-Wing in the ship’s hangar. Han landed the Falcon on the Calamari cruiser and medics rushed to the ship to check on Luke. Luke told them that he was fine, but his droid needed some work. Artoo was unloaded and Threepio followed the repair crew to make sure that Artoo got the best care possible.

A messenger from the ship’s bridge met Leia as she came down the Falcon’s ramp. “We just got a message from the planet’s surface, Your Highness. The city council would like to see you and Commander Skywalker as soon as you can make it. The captain told me that he already has a shuttle waiting for the both of you,” the messenger pointed to a Tyderian shuttle that was warming up its engines.

Han stood behind Leia and threw his hands up in despair. No matter where they went it seemed that Leia always had some diplomatic function to attend to. Chewie growled at Han and Han nodded. “I know, we never seem to get a break.” Leia went to go find Luke and break the bad news to him. Han went back to the Falcon’s cockpit and began warming up the engines. Chewie rumbled a question and Han continued flipping switches. “I’m not going to let them go down there alone. We’re going to escort them, remember all of those traps that have been sprung on us? I’m going to make sure that Leia gets down there and back.” Chewie sat down in the copilot’s seat and checked the Falcon’s instruments. Soon the freighter was launching back into space and orbiting the planet.