High Heavens (Star Wars - Luke Skywalker)

II - Escape to Tatooine

The ship jerked to the side again, throwing Mara and Elix off-balance for a moment. They braced themselves against the table as the vessel shuddered again.

"That's gotta be a star destroyer," Elix stated, reaching out for Mara's hand as he made his way to the door. "They must have followed us from Scarif."

"If they did, then I don't think they'll be taking many prisoners." Mara grabbed his hand, and they stumbled towards the door. "We have to get to the bridge – plan an escape for the princess."

Mara lead the way out of the conference room at a sprint. Sirens wailed overhead, and through the shrill alarms, Mara could hear the sounds of the Blockade Runner firing back at the Imperial ship; a counter-attack, which wouldn't buy them much time, even if they were lucky. They passed a group of rebel troops jogging towards the boarding area, blasters in hand, ready to defend all entrances.

She practically skidded into the bridge, Elix on her heel. Leia turned towards them, and the look on her face that said enough for Mara to gather that the odds weren't leaning in their favor.

"Princess?" she asked anyways. "Don't tell me that's a star destroyer."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Captain, but I'm afraid it is," Leia said, turning back towards the viewport. Tatooine was now in sight, but the red orb of a planet just wasn't close enough for them to make a swift escape.

"Mara, what about a squadron?" Elix asked, turning towards her. "You came straight from Scarif. Surely there may still be some fighters close enough that can provide us with support."

Mara shook her head. "The battle scrambled everyone's comms, contacting anyone would be a shot in the dark. Even if I could, they wouldn't make it in time." She turned towards Leia. "Princess, you need to take an escape before the star destroyer intercepts us, which at this point, I believe is inevitable."

"We're not close enough," Captain Antilles said, not seeming to like the information as he said it. "By the time we're in range to jettison a pod, that star destroyer will be right on top of us."

"It wouldn't be of any use, anyway," Leia said, all eyes moved to her. "Even if I did make it to Tatooine, every stormtrooper on the planet will be after me. They all know my face." She looked to Mara and Elix with a cunning glint in her eye. "But they don't know yours."

It took a moment for Mara to understand what the princess was implying. "Princess Organa, being on this ship when they board is practically suicide. If you make it to the planet's surface, you'd at least have a chance."

"Except it wouldn't be suicide," Elix said quietly, causing Mara to stare at him in shock. He met her gaze. "She's a princess, and a senator – if they kill her, the Senate will practically riot."

Leia nodded at him. "Exactly. Attacking a diplomatic cruiser is one thing, but killing me? The Senate would not sit still for that. At the very least, I can buy the two of you time to find Kenobi and bring him and the Death Star plans back to my father."

"That star destroyer probably followed us straight from Scarif," Mara reminded her. "There's no lie you could conjure that they would believe. Princess..." She shook her head. "You'd be tortured for information on the Rebellion. How can you expect us to leave you here?"

"Because it's an order," Leia said firmly. "Now, I can record a message for Kenobi. Captain Antilles has an R2 unit that would be perfect for the job. You can take it, and the plans, to Tatooine."

Mara opened her mouth, trying to find the words to protest, but she found none. Unfortunately, Leia was right. She was also her princess, which meant Mara would listen.