Episode 6 by Return of the Jedi (James Kahn)

Author:Return of the Jedi (James Kahn) [Jedi, Return of the]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-03-10T13:35:49+00:00

Leia hopped up, ran all about the area, crouched, turned her head from side to side. It seemed safe for the time being. She motioned to her chubby new friend. ‘Come on, we’d better get out of here.’

As they moved into the thick flora, Wicket took the lead. Leia was unsure at first, but he shrieked urgently at her and tugged her sleeve. So she relinquished control to the odd little beast and followed him.

She cast her mind adrift for a while, letting her feet carry her nimbly along among the gargantuan trees. She was struck, suddenly, not by the smallness of the Ewok who guided her, but by her own smallness next to these trees. They were ten thousand years old, some of them, and tall beyond sight. They were temples to the life-force she championed; they reached out to the rest of the universe. She felt herself part of their greatness, but also dwarfed by it.

And lonely. She felt lonely here, in this forest of giants. All her life she’d lived among giants of her own people: her father, the great Senator Organa; her mother, then Minister of Education; her peers and friends, giants all…

But these trees. They were like mighty exclamation points, announcing their own preeminence. They were here! They were older than time! They would be here long after Leia was gone, after the Rebellion, after the Empire …

And then she didn’t feel lonely again, but felt a part again, of these magnificent, poised beings. A part of them across time, and space, connected by the vibrant, vital force, of which …

It was confusing. A part, and apart. She couldn’t grasp it. She felt large and small, brave and timid. She felt like a tiny, creative spark, dancing about in the fires of life … dancing behind a furtive, pudgy midget bear, who kept beckoning her deeper into the woods.

It was this, then, that the Alliance was fighting to preserve - furry creatures in mammoth forests helping scared, brave princesses to safety. Leia wished her parents were alive, so she could tell them.

Lord Vader stepped out of the elevator and stood at the entrance to the throne room. The light-cables hummed either side of the shaft, casting an eerie glow on the royal guards who waited there. He marched resolutely down the walkway, up the stairs, and paused subserviently behind the throne. He kneeled, motionless.

Almost immediately, he heard the Emperor’s voice. ‘Rise. Rise and speak, my friend.’

Vader rose, as the throne swiveled around, and the Emperor faced him.

They made eye contact from light-years and a soul’s breath away. Across that abyss, Vader responded. ‘My master, a small Rebel force has penetrated the shield and landed on Endor.’

‘Yes, I know.’ There was no hint of surprise in his tone; rather, fulfillment.

Vader noted this, then went on. ‘My son is with them.’

The Emperor’s brow furrowed less than a millimeter. His voice remained cool, unruffled, slightly curious. ‘Are you sure?’

‘I felt him, my master.’ It was almost a taunt. He knew the Emperor was frightened of young Skywalker, afraid of his power.

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