Playlist:

❶ "Main Title/Approaching the Death Star" 1.30–end —Return of the Jedi OST

⊘ Silence

❷ "The Return of the Jedi"—Return of the Jedi OST

❶ The antique Y-wings emerged from hyperspace over the planet Castell. A black Resultant-class star destroyer orbited the M-9 class planet, its rows of running lights glinting in the darkness of space.

Squadrons of TIE fighters streamed out of the mother ship, intercepting the Republic Y-wings. The group split into two battalions, wedging the Y-wing fighters between them. A vocal modulator transmitted over their headsets. "Republic envoys, do not break formation. Follow your escort to the surface."

Jannah replied into her headset, "Copy that. Following the leader on vector three-oh-five."

While the thrusters cooled and the landing gear vented steam, the Jedi contingent hopped out of their craft. Naluma used the Force to lift Artoo out of his socket. The little droid sputtered and beeped while she lowered him to the tarmac.

A squad of white-armored stormtroopers marched in double-time to intercept the group. A lieutenant with gray hair and a plethora of wrinkles on his face led the cadre. He pointed to Artoo-Detoo. "Hold. Your astromech droid stays here."

Naluma turned to the lieutenant as Tandolleau ducked under their Y-wing to join them. "He holds vital information for our defense. He goes where we go."

The officer looked behind the three, searching for something. "Where is Master Skywalker? I was told to expect him?"

"Detained." Naluma held out her hand in greeting, but the man ignored it. As she lowered her hand to her side, she said, "Jedi Knight Naluma Fau. Second-in-command of the Jedi Order. This is Jedi Knight Jannah Witerspah, lead counsel."

The lieutenant snorted and frowned. "Your weapons, please." He extended his hand as all three removed their alternate sabers from their belts.

Naluma actually thought the ruse might work when the spunky droid failed to interject himself into the conversation. Tandolleau had secured his primary saber in his cockpit, while Jannah and Naluma had hidden their sabers in Artoo.

Tandolleau said, "I'll stay with the ships."

The officer stuck his nose in the air and spoke in a supercilious voice, "Young man, the trial will last days. Surely, you will be more comfortable in the quarters we've provided."

Tandolleau jerked his head at the man and said, "Orders are orders. I'll be fine out here."

The lieutenant sniffed before saying to Naluma and Jannah, "Follow me." The man pivoted on his heel, leading the commission through the stormtroopers. 

Naluma glanced at the white-armored soldiers falling in behind their party of dignitaries.

⊘ The punctilious officer directed the group to a small courtroom in the main complex. The room held two metal desks that faced one judge—a man in a black robe with a black-and-silver mask on his face. What's one of these dark lords doing here? Haven't seen one of them since Telti. And where's the jury?

The Republic pilot, Ensign Frensu, slumped in the witness stand, his uniform torn and scorched. His dark eyes held a haunted look. Blood streaked his uniform and body as he shook in his seat.

Jannah said to the judge, "I request time to speak with my client before the proceedings."

His metallic voice booming throughout the tiny room, the judge said, "Impossible. Had you arrived on time, we might have allowed a private conversation. The trial was set for thirty minutes ago. Be seated while the court sentences the guilty party."

Jannah clenched her teeth as Naluma and she sat at the empty desk and Artoo rolled to the center of the courtroom, preparing to display his holographic evidence.

The judge continued, "Ladies and gentlemen of the galaxy, as you can see the Republic representatives have finally arrived—just in time for the sentencing."

"The defense objects. We have vital evidence to submit. Will this not be a fair trial, or is it the will of the First Order to rule through a dictatorship authority?" Jannah crossed her arms in front of her chest and straightened her back.

Caution, Jannah. Don't use the Force. It won't work on him. Naluma caught the holovid cameras capturing every angle of the courtroom—the witness stand, the judge, and even the defense team.

The judge gestured with his hand toward Jannah and Naluma. "Again, how can you trust the Republic and the Jedi to protect you if they cannot even show up on time to defend their own spy? Ensign Frensu, having been found guilty of espionage in the highest form, this court sentences you to death by firing squad." The judge stood and retreated from his bench that was adjacent to the witness stand.

❷ The squad of stormtroopers who had escorted Jannah and Naluma to the courtroom formed up on Frensu. The scared young man shot a glance at Jannah and Naluma as the troopers raised their weapons. "You may fire when ready, Commander," the judge said as he looked on at the scene.

As the stormtroopers raised their blasters to their shoulders, Artoo shot out the lightsabers in shallow parabolas. Naluma and Jannah grabbed them with the Force. Naluma activated Luke's green saber and side-armed it with the Force at the squad, slicing through their blasters as the commander yelled "Fire!" 

Naluma pushed out with the Force at them, sending them backward against the rear wall and knocking them out with a Jedi trance. Only the commander and the Knight of Ren remained.

Jannah deflected laser fire from the stormtrooper commander while Artoo rolled over to the nearest holovid camera. The little droid blasted the lens with an electric bolt.

The older Jedi pulled Luke's saber back as she challenged the judge. "I don't know what your intentions were, but we both know this wasn't a fair trial. Now, we're taking our pilot and leaving this system. I recommend that you do not oppose our departure."

The dark knight activated his red saber and advanced on Naluma. Striking down in a shoulder-heavy slash, the knight almost overpowered Naluma.

However, she was able to raise both her purple and Luke's green sabers in a diagonal cross, pushing his saber away. He may be taller than me, but if I can get him to overextend ...

"Artoo, call Tandolleau for back-up," Jannah yelled as she swung her blade at the stormtrooper commander. The man's head rolled across the floor as Jannah grabbed the weakened pilot.

Get out of here! Naluma ordered through mindspeech to Jannah.

I'm not leaving without you.

Mission first. Get the pilot to safety. Cover Tandolleau as he takes off.

Jannah bit her lips together as she staggered under the weight of Frensu.

That's an order, Jannah. I'll steal a TIE or a shuttle. Get going.

Jannah lugged the ensign out the door as Tandolleau arrived on the scene, his blue blade providing cover for Jannah. She took over the saber defense as Tandolleau hefted the inert body of Ensign Frensu to his shoulder. The two Jedi raced to the tarmac, staving off attack from legions of stormtroopers. Artoo rolled behind them, staying tight on their heels.

When they reached the fighters, Jannah covered Tandolleau as he lifted first Frensu and then Artoo into his Y-wing.

"Lift off and cover me," Jannah said as her blue blade whirled in circles, deflecting multiple bolts. Some hit the Y-wings, while others whizzed past and died out as they lost inertia.

Tandolleau launched the fighter while his canopy was still closing. He aimed at the stormtroopers, firing warning shots above their heads.

Jannah Force-lifted herself to her cockpit, hopping into the seat and launching in one movement. Once the canopy had sealed and she had put on her helmet, she said over headset, "Launch. I'll cover you to the jump-point."

Tandolleau said, "What about Naluma?"

"Orders."

Tandolleau said, "We've got enemy fighters coming in at point one three."

"On it."

"Defensive split on my mark," Tandolleau said as the fighters approached. "Three, two, one, mark."

The clunkier Y-wings rolled in formation, breaking into the defensive split and coming around on the TIE fighters. Jannah took both out with her forward blasters. "Now get out of here, Tandolleau, before any more get here."

"See you on Freedom. Duwamba out." His Y-wing disappeared into hyperspace as Jannah angled her ship toward the planet.

Eight more TIE fighters chased after the lone Y-wing as Jannah pulled her fighter into a Split-S.

While lying on the floor, Naluma pulled her lightsabers into a diagonal cross. Instead of her opponent overextending his reach, she had overextended her own. She rolled in time to avoid his next swipe.

Pulling herself up, she dived above the man, ending with a tumble on the floor behind him. She came up in a low crouch with both sabers held low. After swinging with her purple saber, she brought Luke's green saber around on the knight's right side.

The green saber hissed as it cut into the man's right shoulder. An ugly gash burned through his black robe and leather sleeve. In response to the pain, his red saber dropped its guard for a brief moment.

The Jedi took advantage of his pain, severing the man's neck in one powerful slice. When she sped out the door, two more Knights of Ren attacked. I knew they always came in threes. She raised both sabers to block the red.

As the two pulled their weapons back for a riposte, Naluma pulled hers up together. She struck at her right-hand opponent and then her left with quick movements that left the Knights of Ren confused.

She continued her assault until blaster fire from TIE fighters fired at the three. Naluma ducked and rolled, evading the fire, as the TIEs roared above her as they tailed a Y-wing.

Her opponents attacked again. Lying flat on the ground, she raised her sabers for defense. On their next attack, she dropped both sabers and pushed out with her hands to both of the knights, sending them against the complex's wall and knocking them senseless.

As she dusted herself off and retrieved her lightsabers, the Y-wing roared past again, this time with only three TIEs on her tail. Naluma raised her sabers, swinging them in defense against the blaster bolts directed at her by the last TIE.

As the last fighter roared over her head, she threw Luke's saber—propelling it with the Force—and pierced the cockpit. Naluma pulled the lightsaber back before the TIE fighter spun out of control and erupted in a fireball when it struck the building.

She glanced to the sky, as Jannah rolled into a pitch back, coming in behind the two fighters and taking them out with a bolt each. The blasts scorched the earth beneath them as Jannah landed the Y-wing near Naluma.

With the Force, the older Jedi pulled herself up to the wing as the cockpit canopy opened. Before she was seated, Jannah launched them into the atmosphere. More company coming. Man the guns while I compute the hyperspace jump.

"Where's Artoo?" Naluma asked once her helmet was on.

"Dolly has him."

"He got away?"

"As far as I know. Here they come," Jannah said as four more TIE fighters attacked. "Looks like an entire squadron. The skies will be ablaze any minute."

"Forget jumping to Cato Neimoidia. Plot for the closest system. Recalculate later." Naluma fired the heavy ion cannons, swinging the gun from side-to-side to take out two at once.

As a TIE fighter spun out of control on a collision course with Jannah's viewport, the stars turned into streams of light and then the welcome geometric planes of hyperspace.

Did you know ...

● The TIE fighters attacking Naluma was inspired by one of the shots in the Rogue One trailer that ended up on the editing room floor on the film.

● Modern dog-fighting maneuvers are used for the snub fighters in the films. However, due to a lack of gravity in space, some maneuvers would be "pretty on film" but not "effective in space battles."

● Ion cannons do not obliterate ships. Rather, they circumvent the electrical systems, so that the ships lose power and life support, providing an opening for the blasters to destroy the ship.

Tell me what you think ...

● Knowing how the chapter ends, what do you think the main purpose was in having this trial? Why didn't they just kill Frensu to begin with?

● Are you shipping Jannah and Tandolleau? Why or why not?

● Would Naluma have survived her first lightsaber conflict in this chapter without the dual blades? Why or why not?

● What is the importance of having Naluma on missions? Would it be better if she just stayed at the academy and trained the Padawan while Luke ran the missions?