Star Wars: Hope Fails

Chapter 1: Vader Victorious

The Battle Of Yavin was nearly over. Rebel Alliance X-Wing and Y-Wing fighters were making a desperate attempt to prevent the Imperial battle station, codenamed "Death Star", from destroying Yavin 4 - the moon that their base was hidden on. The Empire's moon-sized battle station was defended by TIE fighters. Leading those TIE fighters was The Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader. He chased the final X-Wing down a narrow trench circling the Death Star's equator.

Vader's gamble to allow Princess Leia to escape Imperial imprisonment with the Death Star plans revealed to the Rebels an unforeseen weak spot - an unshielded thermal exhaust port - in the battle station's design. His gamble also led the Empire to the secret base of the Rebellion, as Vader knew it would. But Governor Tarkin, commander of the Death Star, was afraid. Both losing as important a political prisoner as Leia Organa, and the Rebels possessing a copy of the Death Star's blue-prints could lead to loss of favor with the Emperor. Tarkin lacked the Emperor's faith in Vader's methods. However, if this Rebel pilot managed to launch a proton torpedo into the thermal exhaust port that he was nearly on top of, Vader would lose a lot more than just favor with the Emperor.

"The Force is strong with this one", Vader grumbled. The X-Wing's pilot was managing to stay on target as well as evade the TIE fighter's guns. If the Force were with the Rebels it could prove to be more of a problem for Vader than he'd imagined. The Emperor would be very displeased if the Death Star were destroyed - by a Jedi.

Could this be a pupil of Obi-Wan? And if he was, where did he come from? How adept in the ways of the Force was he?

Vader put his thoughts aside. Instead, he focused his anger on the X-Wing. He squeezed the TIE's firing stick and delivered a glancing shot to the rear of the Rebel ship. Smoke trailed from its destroyed R2 unit but the pilot held course. And the exhaust port was now within firing range. Time to end this. Vader's targeting computer locked. "I have you now," he hissed.

Tie cannon laser bolts slammed into the X-Wing. Its pilot fired torpedos but too late - they would never find their target. Vader watched the ship careen and nearly crash into the trench wall. But the pilot was good - or the Force was with him - and he pulled up into open space.

Vader followed. The X-Wing listed and floundered but its pilot somehow managed to maintain control. Vader felt a tinge of...curiosity? But he pushed the feeling aside and focused on destroying this troublesome Rebel once and for all. His targeting computer locked but before Vader could fire... Yavin 4 exploded!