Fic: cares we travail to content us (4/6)
Title: cares we travail to content us
Author: angelqueen04
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 30,430 (this part 5,225)
Characters/Pairings: Morgana/Arthur, Gwen/Morgause, Merlin, Nimueh, and a host of supporting characters
Warnings: hints of femslash, implications of torture (nothing graphic), eventual character death
Summary: It is a dark time for the galaxy. Emperor Uther has held much of known space in a violent chokehold for over two decades now. He ordered the annihilation of the Jedi Order, and demands that any person exhibiting Jedi abilities be executed for treason. His goddaughter, Princess Morgana of Alderaan, will do anything to see freedom restored to the galaxy, and serves as a spy for the Rebel Alliance. When she is captured by the Emperor’s agents, she is eventually brought into contact with Arthur Pendragon, Captain of the Excalibur. Their meeting alone will bring about changes unforeseen, as there are other, mysterious forces at work, and secrets locked away for years are about to come out. Of course, they’ll have to keep from killing each other as well.
Author's Notes: This story is a fusion of the Merlin and Star Wars universes, with the characters and a few other names/places/things all being fitted into a Star Wars setting. It was initially written for the Morgana/Arthur Big Bang, which, sadly, did not come about due to a myriad of factors. So, I'm posting this for you now. The title comes from Sir Thomas Heneage, in a poem he wrote for Elizabeth I.
Part Three
Gwen had no idea what was going on, why three of their party of five had just passed out at the exact same moment, but she knew what to do in a crisis. Demanding a first-aid kit, she knelt down next to her unconscious companions and started checking their vitals. Their pulses were quick - but otherwise all right - as was their breathing. When Arthur appeared with the requested kit, she rummaged through it, and was thankful to see that it was adequately stocked. Pulling out one carefully labeled vial in particular, she unscrewed the lid and held it under their noses: Nimueh’s, Merlin’s, and finally Morgause’s. In that same order, their eyes shot open.
Merlin groaned, his hand reaching for his head. “What just happened?” he muttered.
It was a moment before anyone answered, and finally Nimueh said, her voice sounding almost dead, “A disturbance in the Force… something horrible has happened…”
Gwen raised an eyebrow, but helped Morgause sit up and said nothing. Arthur, on the other hand, was less tactful. “The Force?” he scoffed. “It’s just something for tricks. Helps out occasionally in tough spots,” he added hastily when Merlin shot him a nasty look.
The Excalibur’s first mate shook his head. “She’s right, Arthur,” he said. “Something bad just happened.” He looked up at the other young man. “Remember the texts in the attic? The ones my uncle left?”
Arthur’s lips tightened into a thin line and he nodded shortly.
“The Jedi were able to sense things that happened, even if they were far away,” Merlin continued. “Especially if they were important things.”
Gwen knew little about the Jedi, but she could see both Nimueh and Morgause nodding in agreement. “It’s true,” Morgause contributed. “The Force binds everyone together, connects us -”
“And yet it did not save the Jedi from the Emperor’s exterminating them,” Arthur snapped, cutting her off. “It can’t protect anyone from being condemned as a traitor and executed for being able to sense it or even being associated with someone who can. Like Hunith.” He then pushed himself to his feet and stormed out of the main hold, in the direction of the cockpit.
Morgana’s sense of defeated horror did not last long. After a few moments of staring at the dead rocks that had once been a lush, green world peopled by billions of Alderaanis, she lost all sense of control. She ripped herself free of Ector’s grip, which had grown slack with her apparent docility, and lunged again toward Aredian, her hands aiming for his throat. He reared back in response, grabbing her wrists and holding them in a vice-like grip. She thrashed violently, trying to kick, bite, do anything she could to maim him or cause him some pain at the very least.
She could feel herself screaming, though Morgana could not determine if there were any words or if she was just shrieking incoherently. Her mouth had seemingly gained a mind of its own, and she had no desire to bring it back under control.
It took the combined strength of three stormtroopers and Ector to pull her away from Aredian and off the bridge. She was hardly aware of the trip back to her cell; focused on lashing out at any body she could make contact with. When Ector finally got her into her cell, he shoved her down on the bench. “That’s enough, Morgana!” he shouted.
Morgana pushed her disheveled hair out of her eyes and glared up at him. “Damn you, Ector!” she hissed. “Damn you and your line to hell! My world was just destroyed by a madman, and you did nothing! Their blood is not just on his hands, but on yours and Uther’s as well!” Her fists clenched and she stood up again. “You may tell your precious Emperor that he is dead to me. He is the murderer of my family and people, just as much as Aredian is. Tell him I hope he suffers as he has never suffered before!”
Ector did not respond, and eventually Morgana was left alone. For some time - seconds or minutes, she didn’t know which - she did not move. Then, slowly, she became aware that her hands were shaking. She clasped them in front of her in an effort to stop it, but it did her no good. Her breath became shaky and difficult. She tried to breathe deeply, but her throat was tight almost to the point of being closed completely.
It wasn’t until she shut her eyes that she realized that she was weeping.
The atmosphere in the main hold of the Excalibur was an awkward one after Arthur left in a huff. Merlin said little as the three women conferred with one another quietly, his eyes glued on the direction Arthur had gone.
He’d honestly had no idea that Arthur felt that way about the Force and Merlin’s abilities. Oh, he had always known that his abilities were an immediate death sentence for him if anyone outside the family found out. His mother had taught him from the cradle to hide what he could do, to never let anyone but her and Arthur know. As children, he and Arthur had become quite good at covering up anything unusual that happened as a result of what Merlin could do. Still, he’d never known that Arthur had actually come to resent the Force so much. How could he have been so blind?
A hand settled on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Merlin.”
He looked up to see Morgause staring at him. She continued, “If Arthur cannot accept you for what you are, then he’s not worth fretting over. You can leave.”
Shock settled into Merlin’s gut at the very thought. Leave Arthur? Never!
Nimueh apparently sensed his dismay, and she stepped in. “It is hardly that simple, Morgause.”
That was true enough. Merlin had always known that Arthur was meant for a life greater than the one they lived, that he would become something more than a ship captain. His mother had hinted as much on occasion over the years, but even if she had said nothing, the reality of it was something that was as much a part of Merlin as his heart or lungs were. He just knew that Arthur had more to do in life, and that he himself had to be there to help him, to stand by him.
A crackle from the intercom interrupted Merlin’s thoughts, and Arthur’s voice blared through the main hold. “We’re coming up on Alderaan. Merlin, get up here.”
Merlin pushed himself to his feet and hurried out without hesitating, leaving Gwen, Morgause, and Nimueh to themselves. He arrived in the cockpit within seconds. Arthur was seated in his chair, his attention focused on the console in front of him. He didn’t even glance in Merlin’s direction as he sat down in the co-pilot chair next to him. “Coming out of lightspeed in thirty seconds,” Arthur said.
Merlin nodded as he began to prep the ship for the massive deceleration. “Got it.”
At the appropriate time, the two of them grasped the appropriate controls and manipulated them in a sync born of many years of practice. The stars, which had been streaking by outside the cockpit window, came to a halt and appeared as a immense canvas in front of them.
That wasn’t all, however. Almost immediately after slowing the Excalibur, something slammed into the hull.
“What the -” Arthur exclaimed, only to be cut off by yet another violent collision.
Nimueh, Gwen, and Morgause rushed into the cockpit at that point. “What’s happening?” Nimueh demanded.
Merlin was pulling up their star-charts and other navigation tools. “We’re in some kind of asteroid field that’s not even on any of our charts!”
“Double-checking our coordinates,” Arthur said distractedly. After a tense moment, his brow furrowed even more. “Position is correct. This is the Alderaan system.”
“But it isn’t here!” Morgause exclaimed. “Where is it?”
“It’s gone.” Nimueh said. Her voice had dropped to barely more than a hoarse whisper, and yet it seemed to bounce loudly off the walls. “Destroyed.”
A choked sound escaped Gwen, but Merlin didn’t have time to look at her. Hopefully Morgause or Nimueh would see to her. He could hear Arthur protesting the impossibility of something destroying a perfectly normal planet out of the blue, but Merlin kept running scans, looking for anything at all that might provide some answers.
At first, there was nothing but a large debris field where Alderaan should have been. Huge chunks of rock and metal ore. Then, at the edge of the field, Merlin spotted something, round and perfect amid the disorder and chaos. He narrowed his eyes and asked, “Alderaan didn’t have any moons, did it?”
There was a pause before Gwen responded, “No.”
“Then what’s that?”
Merlin’s eyes went from the scanners to the cockpit window, and they widened. The moon-like object was enormous. It had to be, for it to be so large in their field of vision while still being far away.
“Arthur,” Nimueh’s voice was low and urgent, “something’s wrong. Get us out of here.”
Merlin saw Arthur nod out of the corner of his eye. “Good idea,” he muttered. “Full reverse, Merlin.”
Their hands flew over the consoles, seeking to change their directory and get back out of the system, but nothing happened. “Lock in the auxiliary power!” Arthur ordered. Still nothing.
“Why aren’t we leaving?!” Morgause demanded as the moon came steadily closer. The ship began to shake by then.
“A tractor beam,” Merlin blurted. “We’re being pulled in.”
“They’ll get on the ship as soon as we’re aboard,” Nimueh pointed out. “We cannot be held and questioned, especially not Guinevere.”
Merlin automatically glanced at Arthur, who looked at him at that exact same moment. “Give us a minute,” Arthur said after a brief pause. “We might have a solution.”
The station’s security personnel began to search the Excalibur once it was brought into the docking bay were thorough and efficient, but nonetheless, the five of them remained undiscovered. Morgause sat hunched in one of the two shielded compartments that Arthur and Merlin had led them to, Gwen’s trembling form pressed against her side. Morgause didn’t have to use the Force to sense her companion’s grief, but she didn’t know what to say to her. Alderaan was the world of her birth too, but Morgause had no real emotional connection to it. She was a child of Tatooine. Gwen, though, had lived her entire life there, and now it - and probably her family - was gone.
Uncertain, Morgause carefully moved her right arm until it was draped around Gwen’s shoulders, and then pulled her close. The handmaiden froze for a moment, and then Morgause could feel Gwen’s hands clench at her tunic and her face hidden against her neck. Her sobs were quiet, and Morgause could feel her warm tears against her skin. She bit her lip, and reached up to stroke Gwen’s curls.
They stayed that way for some time, and in order to give Gwen the space she needed to grieve and then regain control of herself, Morgause began to reach out tentatively with the Force. Perhaps it might give her some information they could later use to facilitate her escape. She didn’t have to reach far, however, for her to sense other presences, one that was both familiar and unknown, and another that was sickening to all her senses. Morgause inhaled sharply and pulled back from the latter, shrouding herself from it as best she could, and focused on the former. Closing her eyes, she struggled to gain an image of the presence.
Dark hair, a blue gown. Rage. Anguish. Sorrow. Mama, Papa, I’m sorry!
Morgause’s eyes shot back open. Morgana. Sister.
A tapping on the wall of the compartment interrupted her thoughts, the pre-arranged signal for them to emerge. Gwen heard it too, because it caused her to pull back from Morgause’s embrace, almost violently. Morgause could sense her embarrassment, so she studiously focused on unlatching the top of the compartment. Lifting it, she peered out into the main hold of the ship. Right next to her, the other lid also came up, revealing Arthur, Merlin, and Nimueh.
“Lucky you had these compartments,” Morgause commented.
“The previous owners used them for smuggling,” Arthur replied as he climbed out.
Merlin followed him, and then held out a hand to Nimueh. He said to Arthur, “Even if we could take off, they’ll drag us right back in with the tractor beam. Unless they just decide to shoot us and be done with it.”
Everyone was silent for several moments as they stared at them. “Thank you, Merlin,” Arthur finally quipped, “for that cheerful assessment of the situation.”
“It’s not trouble.”
Nimueh cut in, “I will deal with the tractor beam.”
“How?” Arthur demanded. “We don’t know the layout of this place. There’s no way to even know where to begin!”
She smiled enigmatically. “The Force will provide.”
Arthur just rolled his eyes, and yet again, Morgause resisted the urge to punch him.
In the end, the Force did provide. A scanning crew came aboard along with three guards. Arthur and Merlin dealt with them quickly and donned two of the trooper uniforms, Morgause taking the third for herself. After that, it was relatively easy to get up to the docking bay’s observation station and take over.
Nimueh and Gwen brought up the rear, coming in only when the others had established control. Gwen immediately seated herself at one of the consoles after Morgause dragged a body off of it. “This is the main access port,” Gwen said after several moments.
“Good,” Nimueh said. “You should be able to access the information that we need. Check for tractor beam energy levels and maintenance schedules.”
Everyone waited tensely, as Gwen’s nimble fingers flew over the keyboard. Several images flitted across the screen in front of them before finally stopping on one. “Here,” the handmaiden said. “It’s the closest maintenance area, though there are several others. If you drain the power from just one, it will start a cascade failure. They won’t be able to use it to stop us from getting away.”
“Wonder why they built it like that,” Merlin commented. “Seems like a pretty big design flaw.”
“Indeed, but it is one that will work to our advantage,” Nimueh told him. “Let us not question the Empire’s stupidity for the moment. I’ll go alone.”
Arthur made no protest, and Merlin looked a bit reluctant, but he nodded. Gwen and Morgause, however, immediately began to disapprove. “Mother, wait,” Morgause said, “there’s more.”
“What?”
Her tanned face was set in grim lines. “I sensed Morgana’s presence.”
Gwen shot out of her seat and stared at Morgause before Nimueh could formulate any response. “You’re sure?” Nimueh asked. Morgause had never met her younger sister. How could she possibly know the girl’s signature?
Morgause nodded. “I am certain, and we cannot just leave her here. We must free her.” She looked at her significantly. “The Force is with her, Mother. You know what Uther will do.”
Nimueh pressed her lips together. Her daughter was right; if Morgana stayed here, sooner or later Uther would have her killed. If she was free, Morgana would be an obvious rallying point for nearly all of Uther’s enemies. “I’ll shut down the tractor beam,” she finally said, and then turned to Arthur. “Captain, you’ve already been pulled into things that were not a part of our agreement, but I must ask for your help.”
He did not answer at first, and she stared at him. Do not disappoint me, Arthur Pendragon, she thought silently. Prove to me you are Ygraine’s son.
“All right,” Arthur said. “I’ll not be party to someone’s death when I can prevent it.”
Relief spread through Nimueh. Then she saw the look of pride that swept across Merlin’s face, and could not help but feel sorrow when she remembered another young man, a Jedi, with a similar expression concerning his closest friend, the future Chancellor.
May you two fare better than Uther and Gaius have.
The plan was put together swiftly, and it was hardly one Gwen liked. Nimueh would see to the tractor beam, while Morgause and Arthur would free the princess. Gwen would remain in the observation station, feeding them any information through the communication mike that they might need as well as setting off distractions throughout the station to cover their escape. Merlin would remain with her as a guard. Gwen disliked the idea that she could not go and help free Morgana. She was Gwen’s charge. Possibly the only good part of it all was that Merlin was not pleased too. He didn’t like Arthur going somewhere without him either.
Gwen watched Nimueh take Morgause aside before they set out. The Jedi Master spoke in low tones, but she could still make out the words.
“If worst comes to worst, Morgause, you must get Gwen and the plans out of here,” she said. “The Alliance must have them, no matter the cost.”
“But Morgana -”
“The princess sacrificed her freedom to keep those plans out of Imperial hands,” Nimueh cut Morgause off firmly. “She is bound by duty, just as you are. Do you understand me?”
Gwen could see that Morgause was upset, but she still nodded. Gwen wondered at the other woman’s pain. Why was she so concerned with Morgana’s fate? They had never met; Morgana would certainly have informed her that Jedi Master Nimueh had a daughter if she’d known about her.
She did not get a chance to ask, because Nimueh, Morgause, and Arthur chose that moment to slip out of the observation station, leaving Gwen and Merlin to themselves, along with several dead bodies that had been pushed over into a corner.
To occupy herself, Gwen turned back to the console. After searching through the database, she quickly found the imprisonment records. Morgana’s name was at the top of the list, so she accessed that record and began to read the information.
Prisoner 2187 - Organa, Morgana.
Subject has been accused of supplying information to known malcontents.
Subject has been discovered to be a traitor to the Empire (Force sensitive).
Subject to be transferred to Coruscant to the Imperial Department of Corrections (Emperor’s personal order).
Gwen shuddered, dread and terror sweeping through her. It was terrible, to read about her mistress’ intended fate in such stark, simple words. In a simple record, Morgana had been reduced from the Princess of Alderaan to a simple number, a ‘subject’. It was sickening that Morgana - that anyone - could be treated in such a way. Were they not a society of laws and rights? Did not every citizen have the right to appeal for their liberty, to defend themselves? How could the Emperor condone such injustice? Bad enough that it was done on ordinary people, but would he really do this to his own goddaughter?
Morgana couldn’t go back to Coruscant, not as long as Uther was Emperor. If she really was a Force sensitive, then it would mean her death. Uther spared no Force sensitive that she knew of, and she doubted he would make an exception, not even for his own goddaughter.
Arthur was fairly sure that he had gone insane. There could be no other explanation. Merlin and his girlish tendency to adopt every stray that came along had finally pushed him over the edge. That was the only possible cause that could have inspired him to help rescue an imprisoned princess whose planet had been destroyed.
Honestly, it sounded like one of the stories Hunith had told him and Merlin when they were very young. It was ridiculous!
Yet he had agreed, and now he considered himself honor-bound, so there was no backing out. For better or worse, he had to risk his neck and Merlin’s to save a girl that apparently his passengers cared for.
Disguised as stormtroopers and equipped with the information Gwen had managed to procure, he and Morgause made their way through various corridors until they approached the detainment area.
“This is going to get us killed,” Arthur groused quietly.
“Shut up, Pendragon,” Morgause snapped. “Unlike your friend, I do not have the patience to put up with your whining.”
He glared at her from behind the mask he was wearing, but kept quiet. When the doors opened to the detainment area, Arthur found himself facing a half-dozen guards and technicians. Two against six, he thought. If it had been Merlin and him, he wouldn’t be worried, but he had Morgause with him and he didn’t know what her abilities were.
One of the technicians, an officer, stepped forward to meet them. “Who are you here for?” he asked.
“Prisoner transfer,” Arthur answered. “From cell 1138.”
The officer cocked his head quizzically. “Governor Aredian did not send a notification of any transfer from that cell. I will have to clear it with him.”
Arthur suppressed a shudder. Aredian was a name he knew - that most people knew. He had no desire to meet the man, especially with Merlin onboard and in jeopardy. As two guards approached, Arthur pulled his blaster and was relieved to see Morgause doing the same.
Chaos erupted. The guards and officers in the room had been taken unawares, and thus two were already on the ground by the time they pulled their own blasters. Arthur grabbed Morgause and they dove behind a console, continuing to fire. It was over before they knew it, and they had luckily come out of it without a scratch.
As the smoke cleared, Arthur stood up and hurried over to the console, where the body of one of the officers was lying draped across it. Yanking him off, he muttered, “All right, let me get Gwen. We’re going to need her to create a diversion, or we’ll have company down here real quick.” He glanced up at Morgause. “Go find your princess, and be quick about it. Tell her there isn’t time for her to do her hair and whatnot.”
Arthur ignored the nasty glare the woman shot in his direction and opened the communication commands. “Gwen?” he asked after several moments.
Her response was quick, thank goodness. “We’re here. Do you have Her Highness?”
“Morgause has gone to get her,” he assured her. “We had a bit of trouble getting in. There was a firefight. We need you to take their attention off of us.”
“On it. Several moments passed, and then she continued, “There. Fire alarms are going off on three different sublevels, including one near the primary weapons systems. That should keep them busy for a while.”
Arthur nodded. “Good. I’m going to take the comm mike with me, so be ready for my signal if we should need anything else.”
Morgana had fallen asleep eventually, though it was hardly a restful one. Her dreams were filled with shrill cries of pain, of fire. So when the sound of her door opening awakened her, she could only feel thankful for it. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she peered at her visitor, a single stormtrooper who was, strangely enough, not barking orders at her. Instead, he was just staring.
Morgana took him in for several seconds, and then noticed something strange - blonde strands of hair sticking out from beneath the helmet. She raised an eyebrow and jibbed, “Doesn’t the military have regulations against untidy hair sticking out from a helmet?”
“What?” the stormtrooper replied blankly, and Morgana’s other eyebrow went up. Was this trooper stupid, or was there something strange going on here? She did not get a chance to ask because the trooper interrupted, “Oh, the uniform. Right.” The trooper reached up and pulled the helmet off, revealing not an enlisted Imperial man, but a woman.
What in the world?!
The woman, who really didn’t look all that much older than Morgana herself - she was perhaps Gwen’s age? - did indeed have long, blonde hair, though it was matted down and in need of a good brushing. Her skin was deeply tanned, but what Morgana found was her most remarkable feature was her eyes. They were a deep, deep blue, much like the northern seas of Alder -
Morgana forced herself to cut the thought off, knowing that thinking of Alderaan would be the end of her right now. The woman didn’t seem to notice her distraction, thankfully, because she said, “I’m Morgause; I am here to rescue you.”
“You’re who?” Morgana asked, pushing herself off of the bench.
“Morgause!” the woman exclaimed. “I helped rescue your handmaiden and the information for the Alliance. I’m here with Jedi Master Nimueh!”
“Nimueh?! Why didn’t you say so?” Morgana shot back. She hastened toward the door without waiting for an answer.
As they rushed out into the cellblock corridor, they were met by another person dressed as a stormtrooper, but also missing the helmet. This one too had brilliant blue eyes and blonde hair, the shades almost identical to Morgause’s. They looked as though they could be siblings.
“We have to find another way out,” he stated. “They’re sending a squad to take over. Couldn’t stop them.”
“Didn’t you have Gwen create the distractions we talked about?” Morgause demanded.
Morgana perked up. “Gwen?” she asked. “Gwen’s here?”
The blonde woman nodded distractedly. “Yes, she’s back near where our ship is being held. She’s safe.” Morgause looked down the corridor in the opposite direction of the main entrance. “Isn’t there another way out of here?”
Both Morgana and the man responded, “Yes.” She glanced at him appraisingly, and found him staring at her in a similar manner. She continued, “There is a lift a short distance from here. They took me on it to the bridge some time ago.”
Morgause started to speak, but was interrupted by sudden blaster fire, which hit the wall near Morgana’s head. She ducked instinctively, and all three of them began to move backward. “There goes that escape route,” Morgana muttered as her two rescuers fired back.
“Perhaps you’d rather go back into your cell, Your Highness,” the man snapped.
Just who is this brat? Morgana wondered angrily. She didn’t get a chance to ask, though, as they continued to retreat. It took a little time, but eventually they found the lift Morgana had mentioned to them earlier. They got into it just in time, as the squad of troopers pursuing them had just rounded the corner. The doors shut right before they could open fire again.
“Which level do we need to get to?” Morgana demanded, looking at the controls.
“Level sixteen,” the man said, leaning against the wall and wiping his arm across his brow.
She punched in the appropriate level, and then turned to look at him. “Who are you? Morgause was kind enough to introduce herself, but you did not.”
He stared back at her. “Arthur Pendragon,” he finally responded after a moment of silence. “At your service, milady.” Morgana bristled inwardly at the sarcasm in his tone, but the lift suddenly ground to a halt before she could snap at him. She was much too preoccupied with staying upright.
“What happened?” Morgana asked.
Morgause reached out to the console, tapping the controls. They did not respond. “They must have some sort of emergency override.” Her expression was grim. “They’re stranding us here until they can open the doors and take us prisoner.”
“Or kill us,” Arthur added unhappily. “Great. Didn’t you think that they would have overriding controls for a lift that leads to the detainment area?” he asked Morgana, staring angrily at her.
“Well, excuse me for helping us get away from the troopers who tried to blast us to dust,” she snarled back at him. “Listen, hotshot, I don’t know what your problem is, and I really don’t care. I didn’t ask you to -”
“All right, that’s enough,” Morgause cut her off, her voice full of warning. “Both of you. Let’s just focus on getting out of here. Before they open those doors to capture or kill us.” She turned to Arthur, “Can Gwen do anything from where she is?”
Arthur shrugged, but pulled out a comm mike. “Gwen?” he asked into it.
There was a brief pause, and then Morgana heard Gwen’s welcome voice. “I’m still here. Where are you? They’ve put out an alert that there are three suspects pinned down in one of the lifts -”
“That’s us,” he interrupted. “Can you override the controls from there, so we can get on with it?”
“I’ll try.”
“Oh,” he added, “and set off a few more distractions. Maybe a few electrical fires? Merlin! Make yourself useful!”
There was no response at first. Then there was a burst of static and a distinctly annoyed male voice, which said, “Who do you think has been setting off those diversions, you prat?”
They ended up waiting several minutes, most of which Morgana tried to ignore the impatient noises Arthur kept making. She also tried - and failed - to understand why Morgause kept staring at her.
Merlin, Gwen discovered, was fairly handy with computer systems as well, so much that he was soon setting off false emergencies all over the station. He even appeared to be enjoying himself, if the amused quirk of his lips was anything to go by.
His technical skills left Gwen free to further explore the station’s database, and she ended up finding a ransom’s worth of information. Troop information, movements, intelligence on possible Rebel agents throughout the Empire, and many other things had been stored within the station’s computers. Perhaps even more importantly, Gwen found the security recordings of what was going on when the Imperials opened fire on Alderaan. She watched the recording, tears gathering in her eyes, and saw Morgana frantically try to preserve their world, only to have Aredian cruelly annihilate it before her very eyes. She watched the station rain down death. Choking back her sobs and feeling grateful that Merlin’s offer of support - a hand on the shoulder - was silent, Gwen made a copy of the recordings and placed it within her robes, right next to the datapad. The Alliance could put them to use.
It was at that time that Arthur finally contacted them. Once they let them know of their position, Gwen shrugged off her sorrow and focused on the task at hand. “Merlin,” she said, “can you find the source of the override controls?”
“Give me a minute,” he replied as he sat back down at one of the other consoles.
Gwen nodded, but Arthur also heard his comment, and snapped, “Not a minute, Merlin. Now!”
Merlin rolled his eyes, but his fingers did not pause as they flew over the keyboard. “It’s coming from the detainment area,” he said. “They must have gotten some people down there to retake it. Working to override… there! Is it working now?”
“Yes! Good, Merlin. You’re not entirely useless.”
Merlin snorted. “Always glad to be of service to you, Your Highness. Now, get back here so we can get the hell off this station.”
There was no response for a moment, until Morgause spoke to them. “Have you heard from my mother yet?”
Gwen glanced at Merlin. “No,” she replied. “Not yet.”
Part Five
Author: angelqueen04
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 30,430 (this part 5,225)
Characters/Pairings: Morgana/Arthur, Gwen/Morgause, Merlin, Nimueh, and a host of supporting characters
Warnings: hints of femslash, implications of torture (nothing graphic), eventual character death
Summary: It is a dark time for the galaxy. Emperor Uther has held much of known space in a violent chokehold for over two decades now. He ordered the annihilation of the Jedi Order, and demands that any person exhibiting Jedi abilities be executed for treason. His goddaughter, Princess Morgana of Alderaan, will do anything to see freedom restored to the galaxy, and serves as a spy for the Rebel Alliance. When she is captured by the Emperor’s agents, she is eventually brought into contact with Arthur Pendragon, Captain of the Excalibur. Their meeting alone will bring about changes unforeseen, as there are other, mysterious forces at work, and secrets locked away for years are about to come out. Of course, they’ll have to keep from killing each other as well.
Author's Notes: This story is a fusion of the Merlin and Star Wars universes, with the characters and a few other names/places/things all being fitted into a Star Wars setting. It was initially written for the Morgana/Arthur Big Bang, which, sadly, did not come about due to a myriad of factors. So, I'm posting this for you now. The title comes from Sir Thomas Heneage, in a poem he wrote for Elizabeth I.
Part Three
Gwen had no idea what was going on, why three of their party of five had just passed out at the exact same moment, but she knew what to do in a crisis. Demanding a first-aid kit, she knelt down next to her unconscious companions and started checking their vitals. Their pulses were quick - but otherwise all right - as was their breathing. When Arthur appeared with the requested kit, she rummaged through it, and was thankful to see that it was adequately stocked. Pulling out one carefully labeled vial in particular, she unscrewed the lid and held it under their noses: Nimueh’s, Merlin’s, and finally Morgause’s. In that same order, their eyes shot open.
Merlin groaned, his hand reaching for his head. “What just happened?” he muttered.
It was a moment before anyone answered, and finally Nimueh said, her voice sounding almost dead, “A disturbance in the Force… something horrible has happened…”
Gwen raised an eyebrow, but helped Morgause sit up and said nothing. Arthur, on the other hand, was less tactful. “The Force?” he scoffed. “It’s just something for tricks. Helps out occasionally in tough spots,” he added hastily when Merlin shot him a nasty look.
The Excalibur’s first mate shook his head. “She’s right, Arthur,” he said. “Something bad just happened.” He looked up at the other young man. “Remember the texts in the attic? The ones my uncle left?”
Arthur’s lips tightened into a thin line and he nodded shortly.
“The Jedi were able to sense things that happened, even if they were far away,” Merlin continued. “Especially if they were important things.”
Gwen knew little about the Jedi, but she could see both Nimueh and Morgause nodding in agreement. “It’s true,” Morgause contributed. “The Force binds everyone together, connects us -”
“And yet it did not save the Jedi from the Emperor’s exterminating them,” Arthur snapped, cutting her off. “It can’t protect anyone from being condemned as a traitor and executed for being able to sense it or even being associated with someone who can. Like Hunith.” He then pushed himself to his feet and stormed out of the main hold, in the direction of the cockpit.
Morgana’s sense of defeated horror did not last long. After a few moments of staring at the dead rocks that had once been a lush, green world peopled by billions of Alderaanis, she lost all sense of control. She ripped herself free of Ector’s grip, which had grown slack with her apparent docility, and lunged again toward Aredian, her hands aiming for his throat. He reared back in response, grabbing her wrists and holding them in a vice-like grip. She thrashed violently, trying to kick, bite, do anything she could to maim him or cause him some pain at the very least.
She could feel herself screaming, though Morgana could not determine if there were any words or if she was just shrieking incoherently. Her mouth had seemingly gained a mind of its own, and she had no desire to bring it back under control.
It took the combined strength of three stormtroopers and Ector to pull her away from Aredian and off the bridge. She was hardly aware of the trip back to her cell; focused on lashing out at any body she could make contact with. When Ector finally got her into her cell, he shoved her down on the bench. “That’s enough, Morgana!” he shouted.
Morgana pushed her disheveled hair out of her eyes and glared up at him. “Damn you, Ector!” she hissed. “Damn you and your line to hell! My world was just destroyed by a madman, and you did nothing! Their blood is not just on his hands, but on yours and Uther’s as well!” Her fists clenched and she stood up again. “You may tell your precious Emperor that he is dead to me. He is the murderer of my family and people, just as much as Aredian is. Tell him I hope he suffers as he has never suffered before!”
Ector did not respond, and eventually Morgana was left alone. For some time - seconds or minutes, she didn’t know which - she did not move. Then, slowly, she became aware that her hands were shaking. She clasped them in front of her in an effort to stop it, but it did her no good. Her breath became shaky and difficult. She tried to breathe deeply, but her throat was tight almost to the point of being closed completely.
It wasn’t until she shut her eyes that she realized that she was weeping.
The atmosphere in the main hold of the Excalibur was an awkward one after Arthur left in a huff. Merlin said little as the three women conferred with one another quietly, his eyes glued on the direction Arthur had gone.
He’d honestly had no idea that Arthur felt that way about the Force and Merlin’s abilities. Oh, he had always known that his abilities were an immediate death sentence for him if anyone outside the family found out. His mother had taught him from the cradle to hide what he could do, to never let anyone but her and Arthur know. As children, he and Arthur had become quite good at covering up anything unusual that happened as a result of what Merlin could do. Still, he’d never known that Arthur had actually come to resent the Force so much. How could he have been so blind?
A hand settled on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Merlin.”
He looked up to see Morgause staring at him. She continued, “If Arthur cannot accept you for what you are, then he’s not worth fretting over. You can leave.”
Shock settled into Merlin’s gut at the very thought. Leave Arthur? Never!
Nimueh apparently sensed his dismay, and she stepped in. “It is hardly that simple, Morgause.”
That was true enough. Merlin had always known that Arthur was meant for a life greater than the one they lived, that he would become something more than a ship captain. His mother had hinted as much on occasion over the years, but even if she had said nothing, the reality of it was something that was as much a part of Merlin as his heart or lungs were. He just knew that Arthur had more to do in life, and that he himself had to be there to help him, to stand by him.
A crackle from the intercom interrupted Merlin’s thoughts, and Arthur’s voice blared through the main hold. “We’re coming up on Alderaan. Merlin, get up here.”
Merlin pushed himself to his feet and hurried out without hesitating, leaving Gwen, Morgause, and Nimueh to themselves. He arrived in the cockpit within seconds. Arthur was seated in his chair, his attention focused on the console in front of him. He didn’t even glance in Merlin’s direction as he sat down in the co-pilot chair next to him. “Coming out of lightspeed in thirty seconds,” Arthur said.
Merlin nodded as he began to prep the ship for the massive deceleration. “Got it.”
At the appropriate time, the two of them grasped the appropriate controls and manipulated them in a sync born of many years of practice. The stars, which had been streaking by outside the cockpit window, came to a halt and appeared as a immense canvas in front of them.
That wasn’t all, however. Almost immediately after slowing the Excalibur, something slammed into the hull.
“What the -” Arthur exclaimed, only to be cut off by yet another violent collision.
Nimueh, Gwen, and Morgause rushed into the cockpit at that point. “What’s happening?” Nimueh demanded.
Merlin was pulling up their star-charts and other navigation tools. “We’re in some kind of asteroid field that’s not even on any of our charts!”
“Double-checking our coordinates,” Arthur said distractedly. After a tense moment, his brow furrowed even more. “Position is correct. This is the Alderaan system.”
“But it isn’t here!” Morgause exclaimed. “Where is it?”
“It’s gone.” Nimueh said. Her voice had dropped to barely more than a hoarse whisper, and yet it seemed to bounce loudly off the walls. “Destroyed.”
A choked sound escaped Gwen, but Merlin didn’t have time to look at her. Hopefully Morgause or Nimueh would see to her. He could hear Arthur protesting the impossibility of something destroying a perfectly normal planet out of the blue, but Merlin kept running scans, looking for anything at all that might provide some answers.
At first, there was nothing but a large debris field where Alderaan should have been. Huge chunks of rock and metal ore. Then, at the edge of the field, Merlin spotted something, round and perfect amid the disorder and chaos. He narrowed his eyes and asked, “Alderaan didn’t have any moons, did it?”
There was a pause before Gwen responded, “No.”
“Then what’s that?”
Merlin’s eyes went from the scanners to the cockpit window, and they widened. The moon-like object was enormous. It had to be, for it to be so large in their field of vision while still being far away.
“Arthur,” Nimueh’s voice was low and urgent, “something’s wrong. Get us out of here.”
Merlin saw Arthur nod out of the corner of his eye. “Good idea,” he muttered. “Full reverse, Merlin.”
Their hands flew over the consoles, seeking to change their directory and get back out of the system, but nothing happened. “Lock in the auxiliary power!” Arthur ordered. Still nothing.
“Why aren’t we leaving?!” Morgause demanded as the moon came steadily closer. The ship began to shake by then.
“A tractor beam,” Merlin blurted. “We’re being pulled in.”
“They’ll get on the ship as soon as we’re aboard,” Nimueh pointed out. “We cannot be held and questioned, especially not Guinevere.”
Merlin automatically glanced at Arthur, who looked at him at that exact same moment. “Give us a minute,” Arthur said after a brief pause. “We might have a solution.”
The station’s security personnel began to search the Excalibur once it was brought into the docking bay were thorough and efficient, but nonetheless, the five of them remained undiscovered. Morgause sat hunched in one of the two shielded compartments that Arthur and Merlin had led them to, Gwen’s trembling form pressed against her side. Morgause didn’t have to use the Force to sense her companion’s grief, but she didn’t know what to say to her. Alderaan was the world of her birth too, but Morgause had no real emotional connection to it. She was a child of Tatooine. Gwen, though, had lived her entire life there, and now it - and probably her family - was gone.
Uncertain, Morgause carefully moved her right arm until it was draped around Gwen’s shoulders, and then pulled her close. The handmaiden froze for a moment, and then Morgause could feel Gwen’s hands clench at her tunic and her face hidden against her neck. Her sobs were quiet, and Morgause could feel her warm tears against her skin. She bit her lip, and reached up to stroke Gwen’s curls.
They stayed that way for some time, and in order to give Gwen the space she needed to grieve and then regain control of herself, Morgause began to reach out tentatively with the Force. Perhaps it might give her some information they could later use to facilitate her escape. She didn’t have to reach far, however, for her to sense other presences, one that was both familiar and unknown, and another that was sickening to all her senses. Morgause inhaled sharply and pulled back from the latter, shrouding herself from it as best she could, and focused on the former. Closing her eyes, she struggled to gain an image of the presence.
Dark hair, a blue gown. Rage. Anguish. Sorrow. Mama, Papa, I’m sorry!
Morgause’s eyes shot back open. Morgana. Sister.
A tapping on the wall of the compartment interrupted her thoughts, the pre-arranged signal for them to emerge. Gwen heard it too, because it caused her to pull back from Morgause’s embrace, almost violently. Morgause could sense her embarrassment, so she studiously focused on unlatching the top of the compartment. Lifting it, she peered out into the main hold of the ship. Right next to her, the other lid also came up, revealing Arthur, Merlin, and Nimueh.
“Lucky you had these compartments,” Morgause commented.
“The previous owners used them for smuggling,” Arthur replied as he climbed out.
Merlin followed him, and then held out a hand to Nimueh. He said to Arthur, “Even if we could take off, they’ll drag us right back in with the tractor beam. Unless they just decide to shoot us and be done with it.”
Everyone was silent for several moments as they stared at them. “Thank you, Merlin,” Arthur finally quipped, “for that cheerful assessment of the situation.”
“It’s not trouble.”
Nimueh cut in, “I will deal with the tractor beam.”
“How?” Arthur demanded. “We don’t know the layout of this place. There’s no way to even know where to begin!”
She smiled enigmatically. “The Force will provide.”
Arthur just rolled his eyes, and yet again, Morgause resisted the urge to punch him.
In the end, the Force did provide. A scanning crew came aboard along with three guards. Arthur and Merlin dealt with them quickly and donned two of the trooper uniforms, Morgause taking the third for herself. After that, it was relatively easy to get up to the docking bay’s observation station and take over.
Nimueh and Gwen brought up the rear, coming in only when the others had established control. Gwen immediately seated herself at one of the consoles after Morgause dragged a body off of it. “This is the main access port,” Gwen said after several moments.
“Good,” Nimueh said. “You should be able to access the information that we need. Check for tractor beam energy levels and maintenance schedules.”
Everyone waited tensely, as Gwen’s nimble fingers flew over the keyboard. Several images flitted across the screen in front of them before finally stopping on one. “Here,” the handmaiden said. “It’s the closest maintenance area, though there are several others. If you drain the power from just one, it will start a cascade failure. They won’t be able to use it to stop us from getting away.”
“Wonder why they built it like that,” Merlin commented. “Seems like a pretty big design flaw.”
“Indeed, but it is one that will work to our advantage,” Nimueh told him. “Let us not question the Empire’s stupidity for the moment. I’ll go alone.”
Arthur made no protest, and Merlin looked a bit reluctant, but he nodded. Gwen and Morgause, however, immediately began to disapprove. “Mother, wait,” Morgause said, “there’s more.”
“What?”
Her tanned face was set in grim lines. “I sensed Morgana’s presence.”
Gwen shot out of her seat and stared at Morgause before Nimueh could formulate any response. “You’re sure?” Nimueh asked. Morgause had never met her younger sister. How could she possibly know the girl’s signature?
Morgause nodded. “I am certain, and we cannot just leave her here. We must free her.” She looked at her significantly. “The Force is with her, Mother. You know what Uther will do.”
Nimueh pressed her lips together. Her daughter was right; if Morgana stayed here, sooner or later Uther would have her killed. If she was free, Morgana would be an obvious rallying point for nearly all of Uther’s enemies. “I’ll shut down the tractor beam,” she finally said, and then turned to Arthur. “Captain, you’ve already been pulled into things that were not a part of our agreement, but I must ask for your help.”
He did not answer at first, and she stared at him. Do not disappoint me, Arthur Pendragon, she thought silently. Prove to me you are Ygraine’s son.
“All right,” Arthur said. “I’ll not be party to someone’s death when I can prevent it.”
Relief spread through Nimueh. Then she saw the look of pride that swept across Merlin’s face, and could not help but feel sorrow when she remembered another young man, a Jedi, with a similar expression concerning his closest friend, the future Chancellor.
May you two fare better than Uther and Gaius have.
The plan was put together swiftly, and it was hardly one Gwen liked. Nimueh would see to the tractor beam, while Morgause and Arthur would free the princess. Gwen would remain in the observation station, feeding them any information through the communication mike that they might need as well as setting off distractions throughout the station to cover their escape. Merlin would remain with her as a guard. Gwen disliked the idea that she could not go and help free Morgana. She was Gwen’s charge. Possibly the only good part of it all was that Merlin was not pleased too. He didn’t like Arthur going somewhere without him either.
Gwen watched Nimueh take Morgause aside before they set out. The Jedi Master spoke in low tones, but she could still make out the words.
“If worst comes to worst, Morgause, you must get Gwen and the plans out of here,” she said. “The Alliance must have them, no matter the cost.”
“But Morgana -”
“The princess sacrificed her freedom to keep those plans out of Imperial hands,” Nimueh cut Morgause off firmly. “She is bound by duty, just as you are. Do you understand me?”
Gwen could see that Morgause was upset, but she still nodded. Gwen wondered at the other woman’s pain. Why was she so concerned with Morgana’s fate? They had never met; Morgana would certainly have informed her that Jedi Master Nimueh had a daughter if she’d known about her.
She did not get a chance to ask, because Nimueh, Morgause, and Arthur chose that moment to slip out of the observation station, leaving Gwen and Merlin to themselves, along with several dead bodies that had been pushed over into a corner.
To occupy herself, Gwen turned back to the console. After searching through the database, she quickly found the imprisonment records. Morgana’s name was at the top of the list, so she accessed that record and began to read the information.
Prisoner 2187 - Organa, Morgana.
Subject has been accused of supplying information to known malcontents.
Subject has been discovered to be a traitor to the Empire (Force sensitive).
Subject to be transferred to Coruscant to the Imperial Department of Corrections (Emperor’s personal order).
Gwen shuddered, dread and terror sweeping through her. It was terrible, to read about her mistress’ intended fate in such stark, simple words. In a simple record, Morgana had been reduced from the Princess of Alderaan to a simple number, a ‘subject’. It was sickening that Morgana - that anyone - could be treated in such a way. Were they not a society of laws and rights? Did not every citizen have the right to appeal for their liberty, to defend themselves? How could the Emperor condone such injustice? Bad enough that it was done on ordinary people, but would he really do this to his own goddaughter?
Morgana couldn’t go back to Coruscant, not as long as Uther was Emperor. If she really was a Force sensitive, then it would mean her death. Uther spared no Force sensitive that she knew of, and she doubted he would make an exception, not even for his own goddaughter.
Arthur was fairly sure that he had gone insane. There could be no other explanation. Merlin and his girlish tendency to adopt every stray that came along had finally pushed him over the edge. That was the only possible cause that could have inspired him to help rescue an imprisoned princess whose planet had been destroyed.
Honestly, it sounded like one of the stories Hunith had told him and Merlin when they were very young. It was ridiculous!
Yet he had agreed, and now he considered himself honor-bound, so there was no backing out. For better or worse, he had to risk his neck and Merlin’s to save a girl that apparently his passengers cared for.
Disguised as stormtroopers and equipped with the information Gwen had managed to procure, he and Morgause made their way through various corridors until they approached the detainment area.
“This is going to get us killed,” Arthur groused quietly.
“Shut up, Pendragon,” Morgause snapped. “Unlike your friend, I do not have the patience to put up with your whining.”
He glared at her from behind the mask he was wearing, but kept quiet. When the doors opened to the detainment area, Arthur found himself facing a half-dozen guards and technicians. Two against six, he thought. If it had been Merlin and him, he wouldn’t be worried, but he had Morgause with him and he didn’t know what her abilities were.
One of the technicians, an officer, stepped forward to meet them. “Who are you here for?” he asked.
“Prisoner transfer,” Arthur answered. “From cell 1138.”
The officer cocked his head quizzically. “Governor Aredian did not send a notification of any transfer from that cell. I will have to clear it with him.”
Arthur suppressed a shudder. Aredian was a name he knew - that most people knew. He had no desire to meet the man, especially with Merlin onboard and in jeopardy. As two guards approached, Arthur pulled his blaster and was relieved to see Morgause doing the same.
Chaos erupted. The guards and officers in the room had been taken unawares, and thus two were already on the ground by the time they pulled their own blasters. Arthur grabbed Morgause and they dove behind a console, continuing to fire. It was over before they knew it, and they had luckily come out of it without a scratch.
As the smoke cleared, Arthur stood up and hurried over to the console, where the body of one of the officers was lying draped across it. Yanking him off, he muttered, “All right, let me get Gwen. We’re going to need her to create a diversion, or we’ll have company down here real quick.” He glanced up at Morgause. “Go find your princess, and be quick about it. Tell her there isn’t time for her to do her hair and whatnot.”
Arthur ignored the nasty glare the woman shot in his direction and opened the communication commands. “Gwen?” he asked after several moments.
Her response was quick, thank goodness. “We’re here. Do you have Her Highness?”
“Morgause has gone to get her,” he assured her. “We had a bit of trouble getting in. There was a firefight. We need you to take their attention off of us.”
“On it. Several moments passed, and then she continued, “There. Fire alarms are going off on three different sublevels, including one near the primary weapons systems. That should keep them busy for a while.”
Arthur nodded. “Good. I’m going to take the comm mike with me, so be ready for my signal if we should need anything else.”
Morgana had fallen asleep eventually, though it was hardly a restful one. Her dreams were filled with shrill cries of pain, of fire. So when the sound of her door opening awakened her, she could only feel thankful for it. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she peered at her visitor, a single stormtrooper who was, strangely enough, not barking orders at her. Instead, he was just staring.
Morgana took him in for several seconds, and then noticed something strange - blonde strands of hair sticking out from beneath the helmet. She raised an eyebrow and jibbed, “Doesn’t the military have regulations against untidy hair sticking out from a helmet?”
“What?” the stormtrooper replied blankly, and Morgana’s other eyebrow went up. Was this trooper stupid, or was there something strange going on here? She did not get a chance to ask because the trooper interrupted, “Oh, the uniform. Right.” The trooper reached up and pulled the helmet off, revealing not an enlisted Imperial man, but a woman.
What in the world?!
The woman, who really didn’t look all that much older than Morgana herself - she was perhaps Gwen’s age? - did indeed have long, blonde hair, though it was matted down and in need of a good brushing. Her skin was deeply tanned, but what Morgana found was her most remarkable feature was her eyes. They were a deep, deep blue, much like the northern seas of Alder -
Morgana forced herself to cut the thought off, knowing that thinking of Alderaan would be the end of her right now. The woman didn’t seem to notice her distraction, thankfully, because she said, “I’m Morgause; I am here to rescue you.”
“You’re who?” Morgana asked, pushing herself off of the bench.
“Morgause!” the woman exclaimed. “I helped rescue your handmaiden and the information for the Alliance. I’m here with Jedi Master Nimueh!”
“Nimueh?! Why didn’t you say so?” Morgana shot back. She hastened toward the door without waiting for an answer.
As they rushed out into the cellblock corridor, they were met by another person dressed as a stormtrooper, but also missing the helmet. This one too had brilliant blue eyes and blonde hair, the shades almost identical to Morgause’s. They looked as though they could be siblings.
“We have to find another way out,” he stated. “They’re sending a squad to take over. Couldn’t stop them.”
“Didn’t you have Gwen create the distractions we talked about?” Morgause demanded.
Morgana perked up. “Gwen?” she asked. “Gwen’s here?”
The blonde woman nodded distractedly. “Yes, she’s back near where our ship is being held. She’s safe.” Morgause looked down the corridor in the opposite direction of the main entrance. “Isn’t there another way out of here?”
Both Morgana and the man responded, “Yes.” She glanced at him appraisingly, and found him staring at her in a similar manner. She continued, “There is a lift a short distance from here. They took me on it to the bridge some time ago.”
Morgause started to speak, but was interrupted by sudden blaster fire, which hit the wall near Morgana’s head. She ducked instinctively, and all three of them began to move backward. “There goes that escape route,” Morgana muttered as her two rescuers fired back.
“Perhaps you’d rather go back into your cell, Your Highness,” the man snapped.
Just who is this brat? Morgana wondered angrily. She didn’t get a chance to ask, though, as they continued to retreat. It took a little time, but eventually they found the lift Morgana had mentioned to them earlier. They got into it just in time, as the squad of troopers pursuing them had just rounded the corner. The doors shut right before they could open fire again.
“Which level do we need to get to?” Morgana demanded, looking at the controls.
“Level sixteen,” the man said, leaning against the wall and wiping his arm across his brow.
She punched in the appropriate level, and then turned to look at him. “Who are you? Morgause was kind enough to introduce herself, but you did not.”
He stared back at her. “Arthur Pendragon,” he finally responded after a moment of silence. “At your service, milady.” Morgana bristled inwardly at the sarcasm in his tone, but the lift suddenly ground to a halt before she could snap at him. She was much too preoccupied with staying upright.
“What happened?” Morgana asked.
Morgause reached out to the console, tapping the controls. They did not respond. “They must have some sort of emergency override.” Her expression was grim. “They’re stranding us here until they can open the doors and take us prisoner.”
“Or kill us,” Arthur added unhappily. “Great. Didn’t you think that they would have overriding controls for a lift that leads to the detainment area?” he asked Morgana, staring angrily at her.
“Well, excuse me for helping us get away from the troopers who tried to blast us to dust,” she snarled back at him. “Listen, hotshot, I don’t know what your problem is, and I really don’t care. I didn’t ask you to -”
“All right, that’s enough,” Morgause cut her off, her voice full of warning. “Both of you. Let’s just focus on getting out of here. Before they open those doors to capture or kill us.” She turned to Arthur, “Can Gwen do anything from where she is?”
Arthur shrugged, but pulled out a comm mike. “Gwen?” he asked into it.
There was a brief pause, and then Morgana heard Gwen’s welcome voice. “I’m still here. Where are you? They’ve put out an alert that there are three suspects pinned down in one of the lifts -”
“That’s us,” he interrupted. “Can you override the controls from there, so we can get on with it?”
“I’ll try.”
“Oh,” he added, “and set off a few more distractions. Maybe a few electrical fires? Merlin! Make yourself useful!”
There was no response at first. Then there was a burst of static and a distinctly annoyed male voice, which said, “Who do you think has been setting off those diversions, you prat?”
They ended up waiting several minutes, most of which Morgana tried to ignore the impatient noises Arthur kept making. She also tried - and failed - to understand why Morgause kept staring at her.
Merlin, Gwen discovered, was fairly handy with computer systems as well, so much that he was soon setting off false emergencies all over the station. He even appeared to be enjoying himself, if the amused quirk of his lips was anything to go by.
His technical skills left Gwen free to further explore the station’s database, and she ended up finding a ransom’s worth of information. Troop information, movements, intelligence on possible Rebel agents throughout the Empire, and many other things had been stored within the station’s computers. Perhaps even more importantly, Gwen found the security recordings of what was going on when the Imperials opened fire on Alderaan. She watched the recording, tears gathering in her eyes, and saw Morgana frantically try to preserve their world, only to have Aredian cruelly annihilate it before her very eyes. She watched the station rain down death. Choking back her sobs and feeling grateful that Merlin’s offer of support - a hand on the shoulder - was silent, Gwen made a copy of the recordings and placed it within her robes, right next to the datapad. The Alliance could put them to use.
It was at that time that Arthur finally contacted them. Once they let them know of their position, Gwen shrugged off her sorrow and focused on the task at hand. “Merlin,” she said, “can you find the source of the override controls?”
“Give me a minute,” he replied as he sat back down at one of the other consoles.
Gwen nodded, but Arthur also heard his comment, and snapped, “Not a minute, Merlin. Now!”
Merlin rolled his eyes, but his fingers did not pause as they flew over the keyboard. “It’s coming from the detainment area,” he said. “They must have gotten some people down there to retake it. Working to override… there! Is it working now?”
“Yes! Good, Merlin. You’re not entirely useless.”
Merlin snorted. “Always glad to be of service to you, Your Highness. Now, get back here so we can get the hell off this station.”
There was no response for a moment, until Morgause spoke to them. “Have you heard from my mother yet?”
Gwen glanced at Merlin. “No,” she replied. “Not yet.”
Part Five