The Other Skywalker (Star Wars FanFic) [ON HOLD]

Chapter Eight - The Rescue

At the last moment, they heard the sound of troopers trying to get through the door.

"Get behind me! Get behind me!" the man shouted at the Wookie. Lili ran down the passage toward Leia's cell just before the shooting started.

The man and the Wookie backed down the passage behind her.

"Can't get out that way."

"Looks like you've managed to cut off our only escape route," said Leia angrily.

"Maybe you'd like it back in your cell, your highness."

"Shut up!" hissed Lili. She whirled to look at the people behind her. It seemed that the only other rebel was the light-haired one called Luke, but that didn't feel right. Lili knew she had felt another presence.

But where is the other?

The shooting started up again, and Lili ducked into a safer place behind Leia. The red lasers from the clones' blasters ricocheted towards them, the dark-haired man trying his best to hold off the troopers.

"C3PO, C3PO!" shouted Luke into a transmitter in his hand. "Are there any other ways out of the cell bay? We've been cut off!"

Leia looked worried and annoyed. Lili was a bit frightened herself. If she were caught assisting the rebels, many things could happen. None of which were favorable. She knew her father would believe her if she told him she was forced to help them, but she didn't doubt that the strangers would say otherwise. Insist otherwise, in fact, and if they were interrogated, even a mind-probe would be able to find no different. That might cause a few problems for her.

"What was that? I didn't copy."

A faint crackling sound came from Luke's transmitter.

"There isn't any other way out!"

The Wookie howled.

"I can't hold 'em off forever! Now what?" demanded the man with the gun.

"Some rescue! When you came in here, did you have a plan for getting out?"

Lili tapped the princess' shoulder. She whispered, "Garbage chute," and pointed out the grate on the floor. As disgusting as the thought was, she was sure that the rebels would rather jump down there than die at the hands of the storm troopers.

"He's the brains, sweetheart!"

"Well, I didn't -" but Luke was cut off when Leia grabbed his blaster and used it to shoot a hole large enough for a Wookie to jump through in the grate.

With the noise from at least half a dozen blasters, Lili couldn't hear what the dark-haired man shouted at Leia, but she could hear the other girl's response.

"Somebody has to save our skin! Into the garbage chute, fly-boy!" She tossed the gun back to Luke and jumped.

There was quite a bit of trouble trying to get the Wookie down there. He howled and started to back away, but was kicked down the chute by the dark-haired man.

"Wonderful girl," he said to Luke. "Either I'm gonna kill her, or I'm beginning to like her. Get in there!"

He kept shooting at the troops.

"Go on, get in there!" This was directed at Lili.

"No, I can't," she said. "Just go. Trust me, go!"

For once, he didn't argue. He shot at the clones a few more times, then jumped headfirst.

Lili knew the troopers would have to be told where the rebels went. They'd find out with or without her help. She had a plan.

She just hoped it would work.

The storm trooper that was leading the attack on the rebels told his men to hold their fire. Slowly they began to advance down the passage.

Suddenly a red beam of light stretched horizontally from where the rebels had been hiding. It slowly moved as its wielder stepped into view.

"All of your firing was getting quite tiresome, Commander. Especially in the past two minutes. The rebels are no longer here."

"I'm sorry, milady. I didn't know you were here."

Lili nodded. "One had me covered. He had a light-saber. I could do nothing. They dived down there." She motioned toward the garbage chute.

The clone commander thanked her and led his troops out. There was still a way to get those rebels.

Darth Vader listened closely for any sound that might lead him toward his old master. He used the Force more than anything.

Of course....

His footsteps quickened as he turned the next corner.

He knew where Obi-Wan was going.

Lili hurried toward the hangar and past it. She knew where the others would be, if her feelings were right. And her feelings had never failed her before.

"No reward is worth this," came the deeper voice of the dark-haired man. Lili stopped walking and turned around.

When Leia led the group around the corner, her face betrayed her surprise.

"I wondered if you'd show up again."

Lili smirked and looked at the rebels. Like was soaked.

"Looks like the creature in the trash compactor got its tentacles around you."

The Wookie howled.

"Someone shut that thing's trap!" shouted an exasperated Leia.

Lili gave the dark-haired man a moment to shout at the princess before she spoke again.

"You're going the wrong way. While I'm sure your scouting skills are unrivaled, Leia, this is a battle-station - the most secure one ever built, in case you've forgotten. You need help." She paused.

The dark-haired man looked like he was about to protest, but Luke stopped him.

"Han, she's right."

Lili smiled. "Han. You 'cover' me with your gun. Leia, you get behind him - it's the safest place. Luke, you get in the back. Protect Leia. And here -" she tossed her light-saber at him. "I'm gonna need that back. Now come on."

While Leia much preferred being in charge, she had to admit that Lili knew what she was doing. Darth Vader's daughter had a nearly flawless plan - so long as none of the emperor's men saw them. She had told the group that if they were discovered, her claim would be that the rebels forced her to lead them to the hangar.

Leia knew that that was the only thing Lili could really do. Lili could not claim to have been helping the rebels. That's why she gave Luke her weapon.

Before any of them knew it, they were above the hangar.

"You came in that thing?" exclaimed Leia. "You're braver than I thought."

"Nice. C'mon."

Han Solo was tired of taking orders from women. He led the group down a hall.

"No, wait!" called Lili, but Solo ignored her.

"It's them!" shouted a storm trooper. "Blast them!"

Solo was now wishing that he'd listened to the girl that had been leading them. He compulsively shot at the troopers and shouted at the others to get back to the ship.

The group split up, and soon they were all being chased by the army of white.

Lili sighed and decided to find Luke. If nothing else, she had to get her light-saber back.