Leia turned, frantically trying to unlock the doors behind her, the charred mechanism smelling of scorched circuitry. Han had taught her how to hotwire doors and she lifted her blaster to the panel, shooting the plate free, burning her fingers on the hot metal and cursing it when it wouldn't move, finally dragging it aside to pull out the wires within and seeing it was useless; that everything was blown. She kept her eyes on the lock though, squinting in the flashes and the gloom; ordered herself to concentrate - not to look back, not to listen - to do her job, to open the door...
And suddenly there was silence...
She turned to a darkened hallway heavy with smoke which swirled in thick roils, burning her eyes, the metallic twist of blood mixing with the smell of charred flesh and burned cordite, catching in the back of her throat. The bodies of those she'd known were scattered about her, twisted awkwardly, deathly-still. Blum, the last soldier standing, had stepped in front of her to protect her.
Visibility was just a few feet, lights knocked out, panels on the wall sparking in the dim haze, making her flinch - but in the centre of the choking gloom, bright and loud in the darkness, wrapped about by the twisting, roiling smoke, that scarlet blade still glowed ominously...
The dark smoke curled away at some unseen movement, shrinking back in perfect eddies as if unwilling to be near this shadow-wraith... and the Sith lifted his head slowly, blood-red blade dropping low behind him, tip to the floor.
He looked at her, his chest still heaving from the exertion of the fight, wild mismatched eyes locking hers- and Leia did the one thing she'd never done before in her entire life...
She froze, rooted to the spot, unable to move beneath that razor gaze-
The single moment stretched to eternity, reality hazing to a distant, distorted blur- all that existed were brown eyes locked on mismatched blue-
And something- something cut through every thought in Leia's mind; a mental whisper with the power of a punch exploding inside her head, as much a feeling as a thought, overwhelming, overpowering, making her flinch beneath its intensity-
RUN!!
It was like an electric shock coursing through her, like a charge fizzing round, firing every muscle-
She stumbled backward as the locked door grated open behind her, backstepping wildly, almost falling through the doorway as she gripped at Blum's sleeve, dragging him with her.
Without hesitation, without once raising her blaster, Leia turned and fled, the heavy blast door springing closed behind her with a reverberating clang, cutting him off.
She passed at full tilt the remainder of the unit, heading down a side-corridor, having set off to find another way to reach her and her trapped team. She didn't stop, didn't slow down, shouting to them to follow.
By the time they reached the escape ship, stormtroopers were close on their tail, their exit path held clear by Han's group, but in truth she hadn't even registered them or the blaster bolts which had fired wild down the pristine corridors of the new Star Destroyer, Han gesturing wildly as Chewie warmed up the engines of the stolen shuttle.
They barrelled onboard and blasted off as the ship's ramp was still sealing, setting a twisting course, running for hyperspace, the darkness about them lit to daylight by the ranging shots of too many Destroyers closing in about them, Han throwing the shuttle into complex manoeuvres, cursing the whole way.
Leia stood distant and removed, statue-still, everything somehow hazy and indistinct, reality relegated to vague washes of color and movement.
When the stars turned to streaks of light she was still stood in the cockpit, hand gripped knuckle-white about her unfired blaster, heart pounding like a hammer against her ribs, every beat hitching in her short breaths. Not at the ambush, nor the close shave...
But at that moment, running over and over in her head, when his presence had cut through her thoughts like a blade, filling her with terror, instilling absolute dread, one single word overriding every rational thought...
Run!!
She lifted her free hand, looking to it now - it was still trembling...
.
.
.
Luke walked calmly back from the devastated stretch of corridor towards the Bridge, stormtroopers beginning to converge on his position though he didn't slow, forcing the Unit Commander to turn about as he spoke.
"Sir- the Rebels had released the lockdown on a shuttle in..."
"They're gone." Luke said calmly. Still deeply immersed in the Force, he could sense relief flood the trooper's thoughts; that he'd expected an explosion on delivering that news. "Stand down. Lock all sections and bays down and take all active 'trooper units to start a slow sweep of every floor, starting from the Bridge. I want every single person onboard checked against security logs- from the Palace; don't use those onboard. And get a 'tech team into the ops room where they were - check they've not left any surprises in the system." He turned to a second stormtrooper, hand out, "Comlink?"
The 'trooper handed over his comlink without hesitation; it was well known that the Commander never carried one of his own and even if he did, no-one was about to question him right now.
Admiral Joss answered Luke's comm, "Sir?"
"Status?"
"The Bridge is secured, Commander. We have no further reports of incursions and all inward corridors are sealed and guarded. The Dauntless, the Victory and the Vanguard are moving to flanking positions. The Executor is also closing."
"The Rebel ship?" Luke held his breath, though he already knew.
"Sir the ship made it to lightspeed; we were far enough from Coruscant that they could initiate drives immediately."
Luke didn't react; didn't let out the breath; there were too many eyes close by, not all of which could be trusted. "Trajectory?"
"Calculating, Sir- but the variables..." Joss paused momentarily, then; "Sir, The Emperor commands your presence."
"On my way."
.
.
By the time Luke reached the Bridge, security was off the scale, Royal Guard everywhere, the dignitaries having withdrawn into a small group like the sheep they were.
Palpatine was stood quite apart from the hectic rush of the busy bridge, gazing out of the viewscreen at the Destroyers converging on their position, forming a defensive wall about them.
He turned immediately as Luke approached, gesturing for him to rise when he'd only just made to kneel, genuine approval in his voice, "Rise- rise, my friend."
"The insurgents are gone, Master. The ship is being secured but I think they were an isolated threat."
"Who were they?" Palpatine's yellow-flecked eyes glowed, his pallid skin ashen in the strong light of the Destroyer bridge.
"Rebels." Luke replied simply; if his Master new the attack was imminent, then Luke had no reason to think that he wouldn't know who was planning it.
Now the Emperor's indulgent tone confirmed that he'd chosen the right course; Palpatine had known, and Luke's decision to move decisively against them had not been missed. "How do you know?"
He still couldn't resist this test, Luke knew, so obvious as to be insulting.
"Leia Organa was with them." This too had been carefully considered; if Luke had sensed her then his Master must have done the same, so to claim ignorance would be a glaring error, while to willingly admit it would be a valued reassurance. Though of course he didn't expect his Master to admit such out loud.
"You're sure?"
"Security footage will confirm it but yes, I'm sure."