On the Wings of Valkyrie

Chapter XXXVII

The base was in chaos. The moment Luna's message had been broadcasted over the intercom, many if not all the Imperial soldiers dropped what they were doing and started running. Luke, Leia, and Han had all run into or past groups of men sprinting down the halls, all in the same direction: out. A few troops fired at them, but in general, the Imperials mostly ignored the Rebels. Perhaps the fact they still had the stormtrooper armor on was also working in their favor and drawing attention away from their faces. Another stroke of luck was that they had yet to stumble onto one of Palpatine's Hands meaning that they were clear to flat out sprint to what would hopefully be a clear landing zone big enough for the Falcon. They had it planned out before, but now that everyone else was trying to get themselves a respectable distance away from the base, boarding might be an issue.

"Luke!" the Rebel Jedi heard his comm buzz as they made a turn down another corridor. He grabbed it off his belt and turned it on.

"Yes, Mother?" he responded.

"Forget the EVAC point, it's complete madness. Where are you?"

"Nearly to where we split up on our way in."

"I'll meet you there."

"Anyone got a plan B EVAC point that won't be crowded?!" Han asked.

"The roof?" Luke suggested.

"We didn't plan out a path to the roof."

"Well, lucky you," a voice said. Luke nearly tripped over his own feet as he turned to find Apollo's near invisible ghost following behind him. "I know how to get there."

"....Alright, that works," Han muttered, glancing back at the ghost before commenting to Luke, "I wonder how well your Mother would take to the appearance of a ghost."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Leia responded. "She took it well enough last time."

"Last time he looked more like a boy and less like a vapor!"

"Hey, that's not nice!" Apollo shouted. "I'll turn off the lights!"

"Please, don't," Luke muttered.

"Han, be nice—he's our only way out," Leia pointed out.

"I'm not a fan of this paranormal stuff!" Han responded. "All the Force mumbo jumbo's bad enough."

"It's a good thing you can't see Force ghosts then," Apollo commented.

"Force what-now?!"

"Can we please have this discussion later?" Luke requested.

"After someone explains that last statement, sure!"

"I wouldn't bother. I kinda wish I couldn't see them myself," Apollo said, frowning. "Or at least not hear them. Regular ghosts are a lot less holier-than-thou."

"....Oh, you've got to listen to that old hermit? I don't envy you, buddy."

"Stop hating on Ben," Luke complained.

"Thank you for actually understanding!" Apollo exclaimed, completely ignoring the Jedi. "I mean, really. He and Qui-Gon act like it's awful to help out in the land of the living. I mean it'd make sense on Earth, but considering the Force is a big deal, you'd think there'd be a lot more leeway over here."

"....Hold on, that's why Ben said he wouldn't help me when I fought Vader on Bespin?" Luke asked with a frown.

"....I'd take a guess if I didn't think Obi-Wan would smite me. I'll get back to you when I've got a definite answer."

"Right, well, we're here," Leia commented as the group stopped at an intersection, trying to slip out of the direct flow of the halls as people struggled to race towards the exit. Apollo didn't bother with it, just standing and letting people pass through him—a disconcerting image if Luke had ever seen one. He dimly heard Han telling Chewie the new plan as the Jedi scanned the crowd.

"Luke! Leia!" a voice called. The twins turned, spotting Padmé as she fought against the flow of people to them.

"Mother! Are you alright?!" Luke shouted, not taking a moment to notice her armor was painted in red.

"Fine!" she answered as she made it the last few meters to their group. "Have we figured out where the Falcon will be picking us up?"

"Roof," Han answered, putting his comm away. "Also, what's your opinion on ghosts?"

"....I fail to see any connection to the task at hand."

"Can we just get moving?" Apollo questioned. Padmé spun at the voice, quickly spotting the transparent boy. Luke reached out to steady her even as he glared at Han. "We've got less than ten minutes before the bomb gets here."

"What—?" Padmé began.

"Mother, this is Apollo, one of Luna's old friends from Earth," Luke explained. "Apollo, you know Padmé."

"Why is he...." she began.

"He's dead," Han supplied. Leia facepalmed.

"And you'll be joining me if we don't get moving," Apollo added even as he turned to head down a hallway. "Hurry it up. I want to meet back up with Angelica and Luna."

"Angelica," Han repeated, trying to remember where he'd heard the name before as they started moving again—Luke leading his still rather stunned mother.

"Luna's mother, right?" Leia asked.

"Her mother's dead," Padmé pointed out slowly.

"Yep," Apollo responded, "and she conforms to Obi-Wan's School of Minimal Interference."

"....Then I'm guessing that means the odds of meeting her are low," Luke muttered.