Chapter 2
Luke had woken the next morning with a hope that everything would be resolved between Ben and his father. Instead, Ben climbed into the speeder's passenger seat and greeted Luke with, "I don't want to talk about it." Ben offered no protest when Luke reminded him he now owed him a game of Kessel Runner, seeing as the controlled annoyance of Captain Jarnet had been nothing compared to the threat of being hunted down by a lightsaber-wielding Sith Lord.
By the end of the school day, Ben had cheered up a little. Luke decided it was safe to bring up the issue as they walked through the mall towards their regular arcade.
"Listen, I'm sure it will turn out all right," Luke said. He paused to suck a frozen drink through a straw. "If this woman and your father are as incompatible as you say, then it'll probably be over in a few months."
"Then I'll have to put up with a heartbroken father. He'll probably start skipping work and watching self-help channels on the HoloNet."
Luke smiled at the idea. "He'd never do that. Besides, can you really blame him for being attracted to snobby women? I have two words for you. Ophelia Halifax."
Ben grinned. It was the first genuine smile he'd received from his friend since last night, and Luke was glad to see it.
"At least I acknowledge that I have no chance with her. I don't try to act sophisticated to impress her. It would be pretty pathetic if I did."
"Personally, I would never go for a girl who expected to be waited on," Luke said while side-stepping to avoid a running child. "I prefer strong. Independent. Brave. The kind of girl you know could probably beat you up if she wanted to."
"So you want a woman who bosses you around all the time? That's where that would end up."
"No! It wouldn't be like that."
Ben was still grinning, but his smile faded when they arrived outside the arcade. "Hey, what happened?"
Luke glanced up. The security gates were blocking the way.
"It says it's closed due to maintenance," Luke said, pointing to a sign.
"Ah, why did it have to be now? Just when I felt like blowing up some asteroids."
"Don't worry. We'll find another place with Kessel Runner. How about the one Greein told us about?"
Greein was another hologaming fan in their year at school.
"That was right over on the outskirts," Ben said. "In the Glass Fountain mall. I don't think I've ever been there."
"We'll look it up on the nav computer."
Their quest to play Kessel Runner soon became a long speeder ride, made longer by the rush hour sky traffic. Ben amused himself by watching the speeder's HoloNet monitor, while Luke kept his eye on the nav computer.
"You weren't kidding when you said it was on the outskirts," Luke said, turning into a tunnel. According to the computer, the shopping zone should be on the other side.
"Hopefully it's as good as Greein says." Ben switched off the HoloNet.
They both gazed around in surprise after passing through the tunnel. A vast holographic sign glowed in the air, welcoming them to the Glass Fountain shopping zone. The mall itself was a collection of glass towers, all shining in the afternoon sun. It was spectacular in comparison to the drab grayness of the surrounding buildings. Luke accelerated forward, joining a swarm of speeders heading for the landing pads.
They flew in circles a few times before the nav system alerted Luke to the presence of a parking space just above the entertainment tower. After entering the building, they ended up taking half an hour just to reach the elevator. It was only after Ben reminded Luke of the passing time that he managed to tear himself away from a store selling virtual reality headsets.
"We should come here again when we have more time," Ben said as they arrived at another floor.
"Maybe this weekend." Luke stepped out of the elevator. "I think Greein said the gaming place was in the outer ring."
"We better find it soon or we'll only have time for one or two games," Ben said, dodging two chatting Twi'lek girls.
"This place is even more crowded than Imperial City mall." Luke jumped up, trying to see over the top of an entire family of Duros. The store behind them was selling remote control toys.
Ben started to reply but fell silent when someone stopped beside them. It was a girl who didn't look much older than them. Luke stared at her, wondering if she knew them from somewhere. Apart from her otherwise human appearance, she had two straight horns sticking out just above her eyebrows and Luke knew he would have remembered someone like that.
"You two look lost," she said, giving them a friendly smile. "Can I help you find something? I'm here all the time."
"We're looking for an arcade," Luke said, returning the smile.
"Oh, I know the place. Follow me!"
She beckoned behind her as she walked on. Luke noticed her hands were the same silvery color as her horns. She led them out through the crowd and into a relatively quiet part of the area. A glowing sign welcomed them to "Hologame Paradise!"
"Thank you so much," Luke said as the girl pointed at the entranceway. "You wouldn't ... uh .... you wouldn't like to stay and play some Kessel Runner with us, would you?"
Ben was probably rolling his eyes, but Luke decided he didn't care.
"I'm just on my way to the landing pad to hand out these flyers," she replied, raising her other hand. "But thanks anyway."
"You work for the mall?" Ben asked.
"Not exactly." She passed them a flyer each. "I'm working with an organization trying to draw attention to the plight of a planet called Vanbane. The Empire has a mine there which is causing irreversible damage to the environment. If it isn't shut down immediately, the planet could become uninhabitable."
Luke glanced down at the flyer. Large words across the top read: "Please help save our planet!" There was a picture of what Luke assumed must be some Vanbane children. They had a humanoid shape, but their skin was covered in hexagonal blue markings.
"We've tried to get this issue raised in the senate, but no luck so far," the girl continued. "So we're encouraging everyone to send a message to their senator. If enough people get involved, maybe we can save this planet before it's too late."
"I can help," Luke said eagerly. "Don't worry, I might be able to help more than you can imagine."
"Wait a minute," Ben said. "Is there any proof the mine is causing environmental damage?"
"Vanbane scientists estimate that if the mining continues at its present rate, their planet is less than a year away from structural collapse."
"What about Imperial scientists?" Ben asked. "What do they say?"
"There's been no scientific investigation commissioned by the Empire. We're still not sure they're even aware of the issue."
"Don't worry," Luke said. "I'll make sure they are."
"You sound pretty sure of yourself," the girl said, giving him another warm smile.
"The Empire might as well run and hide when Luke is sure about something." Ben shook his head.
"Luke, huh? I'm Uleti."
"Uleti," Luke repeated. He wanted to tell her that he thought her name was pretty, but he suddenly felt a little shy.
She gave them a wave. "I better go. See you around."
Luke stared after her as she walked back towards the elevators.
"See, that's what I mean," he said to Ben. "Confident. Brave."
"Probably loves bossing people around."
"I'll get my father to shut down this mine. She'll be so happy."
"Oh yeah, I can see it now." Ben grinned. "Lord Vader shuts down an important mine so Luke can impress a girl."
"I'm not going to tell him there's a girl involved. Besides, if this mine is doing what she says it's doing, then it should be shut down."
"Nothing is ever that simple."
"Well, it should be. I think issues are simple. It's just politicians that make things complicated." Luke carefully folded his flyer and put it safely in his pocket. Ben was reading his again. He seemed fascinated by the picture.
"There's Kessel Runner," Luke said, pointing into the arcade.
Ben reached into his pocket and handed Luke some credits. "Grab it before anyone else takes it. I'm just going to the refresher."
Luke ran over to do as Ben suggested. The arcade was more crowded than their usual haunt. There was a Mon Calamari on his left absorbed in a game of Battle Droid Arena. On his right were three Cerean children arguing over whose turn it was next. Luke dropped the credits in the slot and entered his and Ben's names for player one and player two. He glanced over at the refresher door after a while, wondering how much longer Ben was going to be.
He amused himself by watching the Mon Calamari's game for a while.
"Wow, you're good," he said as the high score sign flashed.
"What's it to you?!"
"Ah, nothing," Luke said, taken aback. He had feeling the Mon Calamari had been playing the game non-stop for a very long time. He shifted back so he was in front of his own terminal and found a Quermian standing on the other side.
"Are you playing that game or just staring at the screen?" he asked.
"It's just on pause while my friend is in the refresher," Luke said.
The Quermian made an odd noise that Luke could only assume was a sign of frustration. "Tell me when you've finished."
He walked a few meters away and stood watching him.
Luke glanced back at the refresher door. Come on, Ben, where are you? There were only so many times he could read the game instructions. The Quermian never took his eyes off him. At least, that's what it felt like to Luke, and he knew he was rarely mistaken about such things. It should be illegal to spend this long in the refresher.
Just when Luke's patience was about to reach an abrupt end, he felt a hand on his back. Ben was behind him. One look at his friend's expression caused Luke's annoyance to fade.
"Luke, I have to go."
The urgency in his tone caused Luke to abandon the game and start moving immediately.
"What's wrong?"
Ben didn't reply. He led the way out of the busy arcade and wove around the various shoppers. Luke ran to catch up. Once they were in the privacy of the elevator, he repeated his question.
"Ben, what is it?"
"I feel sick." Ben rubbed his head. "I need to go home."
"We can go to a medcenter. There's probably one in the mall."
"No, it's not that bad." Ben wasn't meeting his gaze. "I just want to go home."
Luke didn't press the issue. Although, he couldn't deny there was something very odd about this. Ben was never one to make a big deal about being sick. Not unless it was time for a physical ed class, anyway. And his friend had been fine mere minutes ago ...
"Was it something you ate?" Luke asked when they reached the speeder.
"I don't know."
"Well, here, take this." Luke reached in the glove compartment for a plastic bag. "I'll try and fly gently."
"Don't worry, I'm not going to ruin the upholstery," Ben mumbled. He closed the passenger-side door and leaned against it.
"Good, because my father would kill me."
He glanced at Ben a few times during the journey back. He was hunched up in the seat and gripping his seat restraints tightly.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Luke asked once they'd reentered the core of Imperial City. "Maybe you should see a meddroid. You could have food poisoning."
Ben sat up a bit straighter. "I'm okay. I just need to rest. Sorry we didn't get to play Kessel Runner."
"No problem." Luke dived down towards Ben's apartment. "You should take the day off school tomorrow."
"No way," Ben said, sounding more like his usual self. "We're starting a new unit in science. Also, Mr Kyde is giving out the new essay topic in history."
"Sounds thrilling." Luke rolled his eyes.
When he parked the speeder, Ben jumped out, moving energetically for someone who was supposedly sick.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he said in a rush. "Bye."
Luke started to unbuckle his seat restraints, thinking he'd walk Ben back to the door of his apartment. But he soon stopped when he saw his friend had run off and entered the building. Perhaps he'd just leave him alone for an hour or two and then call later on tonight to make sure he hadn't caught anything contagious.
Vader was in the middle of staring at a blank wall when the sound of the doorcom interrupted his musing. Unread reports and unanswered messages were spread out on the conference room table before him. He didn't want to remember what thoughts had just distracted him, as he had a funny feeling it was to do with droids. Two droids in particular.
The doors hissed open, and a pajama-clad Luke filled the doorway. He hovered for a few seconds before entering the room completely.
Vader glanced at the time on a nearby monitor. It was nearly midnight.
"Is something wrong?" Vader asked, stretching out to check on Luke's presence in the Force.
"No, not really." Luke took a hesitant step forward.
"You should be asleep."
"I need to ask you something, and I couldn't find you earlier." His son began smoothing out a crumpled piece of paper against the table top.
"What is that?"
Luke pushed the paper across the table towards him. "Do you know about an Imperial mine on a planet called Vanbane?"
Vader was shocked into silence. If he hadn't been able to see the word on the piece of paper, he'd have wondered if he'd heard right. Vanbane. The planet he'd just returned from yesterday. And the top-secret mine that, until recently, had been cursed with an embezzling administrator.
"Where did you get this?" Vader asked, picking up the paper.
"At the mall. Is it true the mine is destroying the planet?"
Vader didn't reply. He was reading the text on the simple document. There was no organization identified and no immediate clues as to its origin. Only a request for this issue to be brought to the attention of the senate.
Once he'd finished reading, he looked up and found Luke was sitting casually on the table.
"You were given this at the Imperial City mall?"
"No, it was another mall. Ben and I went over there because our usual arcade was closed. So, you know about this mine, then?"
Vader met his son's gaze squarely. "Which mall?"
"Why does that matter? You're completely missing the point here!"
Luke started to climb down, causing Vader to quickly stand up. He had a sudden vision of Luke running off and leaving him none the wiser about the origins of this little piece of sedition.
"Son," Vader said, raising a hand to indicate he should remain still, "this is important. More important than you realize. I need to know exactly where you obtained this."
"Why?" Luke sounded genuinely confused. "Why does it matter where I got it? Isn't the mine more important? "
"Luke, if you—" Vader broke off, hearing anger in his tone. This wasn't going to work. Judging by past experience, the more demanding he became, the more defiant Luke would become. Turning this into a battle of wills was not going to produce any results, at least with any speed. He would have to try something more subtle.
"Luke," Vader repeated, assuming a more conversational tone, "if I am going to do something about this issue, I must know all the relevant information."
"You mean you'll help?" Luke stared at him with intensity.
"Yes." Vader did his best to sound convincing. It worked.
"Thank you." Luke eyes widened in surprise. "If this mine is destroying Vanbane, then it should be shut down as soon as possible. Right?"
"The information on this flyer will have to be verified before any action can be taken. There may be several Imperial mines on Vanbane. It would be helpful to know exactly where this group believes the mine is."
This seemed to alleviate any remaining doubts Luke had.
"Well, I could go to the mall again tomorrow," Luke said, looking thoughtful. "A girl gave it to me. She said she's at the mall all the time. I'm sure she could give me more information, or at least get me in touch with someone who did."
So, there was a she behind this flyer. That explained Luke's interest in this matter.
"As you said, this should be dealt with as soon as possible. You have school tomorrow. I can arrange for someone to find the person concerned tomorrow morning."
"But she might be scared if a stormtrooper shows up."
"I can send an intelligence operative. Someone who will not appear intimidating."
Luke nodded in agreement. "All right."
"I will need a description of the girl and the exact location where she gave you this flyer."
"Sure. Her name was Uleti. Have you got a datapad I can write the details on?"
Vader pressed a button on the table, and a writing pad slid out of the surface. Luke unclipped the lightpen from the attached holder and started writing down the details. He spent a long time over this, but Vader was careful not to interrupt. When Luke finally handed him the datapad, Vader was amused to see there was a very detailed description of the girl's appearance.
"That should be enough for someone to find her. I better get to bed. Thanks again for doing this. I know how busy you are."
"Do not hesitate to bring issues to me in the future. You did the right thing."
Luke gave him a smile. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Son."
Vader waited for a few minutes after Luke had left the conference room, making sure his son was not waiting outside. Once satisfied, he moved immediately to the holocom and entered the frequency for the Emperor's assistants. A pale man answered whom Vader recognized as part of the night shift. The assistant stood up straighter when he recognized his caller.
"Good evening, Lord Vader."
"I must speak to the Emperor." Vader glanced at the flyer, which sat resting on the table. "As soon as possible."
"Very well, sir. We will contact you when His Majesty is available."
Vader disconnected the call and entered the frequency for his own assistants. An officer answered immediately.
"Yes, sir?"
"Contact Commander Neyor and tell him his presence is required at the Imperial Palace."
Commander Neyor was the commander of the Coruscant division of Imperial Security.
"At once, sir."
Vader switched off the comlink and walked swiftly towards the door. The chance of getting anything resembling rest tonight was fading fast.
An hour later, the Emperor arrived in the royal audience chamber, by which time Vader was pacing up and down with impatience. He came to a halt when the Emperor appeared in the doorway, flanked by two royal guards. His master raised a hand, indicating that the guards should remain outside. They closed the doors behind them.
Vader didn't waste time with any formal greetings. "Master, Luke was handed this flyer at a shopping mall this afternoon." Vader presented the offending item. "It claims an Imperial mine on Vanbane is having disastrous environmental consequences for the planet."
The Emperor took a seat at the head of the table and extended a pale, wrinkled hand, drawing the flyer towards him. Vader gripped the back of a chair while the Emperor read it, feeling the tension in the room increase by the second.
"Who gave this to him?" The Emperor's tone was neutral.
"A young girl, Master. She may not represent a Rebel faction, but if the Rebel Alliance learns of this ..."
"Tell me," the Emperor said, placing the flyer on the table, "do we have any other sources of this Haliatite mineral they mine on Vanbane?"
"There are other known deposits. But no mines capable of producing the quantity required by the Death Star construction. If we shut down the mine on Vanbane, the Death Star project would be delayed at least another year."
"Further delays are unacceptable."
There was something supremely final about the Emperor's tone. Personally, Vader felt a year's delay was the preferable option rather than risking early discovery of the Death Star by the Rebel Alliance. The construction was at a vulnerable stage; a concentrated attack by a starfleet could destroy the entire thing.
"If shutting down the mine is not acceptable, then we must protect it," Vader said. "The only risk is that a sudden military presence on Vanbane may arouse the suspicions of the Rebels."
"Indeed. If we wish to avoid Rebel attention on this mine, then we must provide a distraction."
Vader could almost see the plan forming in Palpatine's eyes.
"Tomorrow, the media will run headlines informing the population of Coruscant that Rebels have been discovered in their midst, trying to lure their children to their twisted cause."
Vader was surprised. "Such a thing will cause panic. They will question the Empire's ability to protect them."
"Panic, yes. Fear, yes." The Emperor grinned at the word fear. He feasted on public fear. "In times of fear, people do not turn on their leaders, Lord Vader. They call them to action. And the Empire will respond. Extra troops will guard every place of congregation. Public service advertisements will run on every HoloNet channel, urging parents to educate their children to resist the Rebellion. Every school in Imperial City will celebrate Imperial Pride week. And the Rebellion will watch all this and wonder what has stirred us into such extreme action."
Vader could already guess where this plan was going.
"We then leak information about an insignificant Imperial target, exaggerating its importance, and allow the Rebels to attempt to destroy it," Vader finished.
"Yes, exactly."
This was all so complex. For the amount of time and effort involved, Vader would prefer to simply stand guard over the Vanbane mine himself. The Emperor, of course, would never agree.
"Now, as far as this flyer is concerned ..." The Emperor gestured at the troublesome piece of paper. "Has your son provided enough information for those responsible to be found?"
"Yes. I have intelligence agents working on locating the girl as we speak. I hope to have her under arrest before dawn."
"Interrogate her as soon as possible. We must know the true extent of this breach."
They were interrupted then by the sound of the doorcom. The Emperor raised his hand, and the doors opened on command. A royal guard stood on the other side.
"Your Highness," he said. "Lord Vader. Commander Neyor has arrived."
"Good, have him shown in," the Emperor said.
The guard bowed and left.
"I think I will let you handle this particular conversation," the Emperor said, giving Vader a grin of anticipation.
