Author's Note: And of course the new "life" thing is being all screwy and giving me more time. Ah well. Happy Canada Day!
Dedication: To Rinter, who was the only person to review the last chapter all week. Where had all my readers gone? To all of you out there who didn't review, please review this time around! And to Rinter, who is wonderful, I present the next chapter and a very large THANK YOU!
Chapter Two: Manhunt
Twenty-three-year-old Leia Organa opened the door to the conference room where Mon Mothma, General Rieekan and Admiral Ackbar were waiting for her. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting," she said, breathless from trying to make the appointment on time. "Lando and Chewie found more information on Han's whereabouts."
"I thought he had been given to Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine," Mon Mothma commented, knowing how much the smuggler meant to the youngest Alliance leader.
"He was. Lando says that now they have a pretty good idea of where in the Palace he is, though."
"That is excellent news," Ackbar agreed. "And we have some more for you, too, if you'd like to hear it."
Leia looked at him curiously. "What is it?" she asked.
"One of our men has escaped Imperial prison," Rieekan announced, showing her the HoloNet article.
Leia studied it. "It doesn't say he was one of us, and I don't recognize his name. Are you sure?"
Mon Mothma bit her lip. "Not entirely," she admitted reluctantly. "But when have you ever heard of an arrest made that hasn't involved a Rebel?"
Leia nodded slowly. "Good point," she agreed, "but let's not be too hasty. How about Luke and I go to meet him, and see if he is one of us? At least that way we'll know for sure. I mean, he could even be an Imperial plant, for all we know."
Rieekan looked to his colleagues, then nodded consent. "Your argument is strong, Princess. We'll allow you and Commander Skywalker to go find him." He paused, looking worried. "But Leia, do you really want to do this? I know you're worried about Captain Solo --"
"-- which is precisely why I have to do this, General. I can't just sit here, waiting for news --" She broke off and took a deep breath in order to maintain her composure.
Mon Mothma broke in. "Then go with our blessing."
"Thank you," Leia sighed, and fled to find Luke.
Vader was furious. How the stormtroopers could have allowed security so lax while guarding a rapist, he would never know or understand. He would have preferred they allow a Rebel to escape than a man like Torrin Gledn.
Gledn, according to his record, had raped at least thirty-six women, all on different worlds. About half of them had been damaged so badly by the experience that they could never have children. About half of those and slightly more than a quarter of the rest had entered religious service and took vows of chasity because of the psychological trama.
Which left less than a quarter to lead as normal a life as possible, after such an event.
And people called him a cold-blooded, merciless monster.
Vader cast his gaze over the 501st Legion. They had been with him since the beginning, even before this blasted suit. A little over a third of their previous size now, the legion called Vader's Fist was slowly regaining its numbers after being devastated when the Death Star was destroyed by Vader's son.
But only Vader knew about his son's involvement.
Well, Vader and --
"Hey! Uncle D! Slow down, would you?"
-- Jixton.
Vader paused and waited for his agent to catch up. "What, Jixton?"
"Nothing," Jix replied. "Just wanted to walk with you. You know, companionship and comradeship and all that fun stuff."
Vader snorted and strode off again. "Don't waste my time, Jix."
Jix sighed and jogged after his boss. "Okay, fine, be that way. I wanted to know what you want me to do during this whole affair."
Affair. Definitely not the right word to describe the manhunt being organized. Vader was certain Gledn's victims would agree.
"Is there something you think you should be doing?" Vader asked, knowing Jix too well to know he had already looked into it, probably deeper than Vader himself had. Jix was valuable that way.
"Well, I was going through some Rebel transmissions, and they were sending out a notice for anyone who sees this Gledn guy to let them know. They think he's a Rebel. I think."
Vader gave Jix a strange look through the mask, slightly shocked. "Why the Force would they think that?"
"Well, considering that most of the people we've arrested over that past two decades or so have been Rebels . . ." Jix trailed off suggestively.
"This is just great," Vader growled. "Not only do I have to find and catch a rapist, I also have terrorists wanting to help him out. What did I ever do to deserve this?" He stalked off angrily.
Jix followed. "So --"
"I want you to follow either him or the Rebels looking for him."
"Luke Skywalker's one of them," Jix felt compelled to point out, grinning at his superior. Ever since he had found out that Luke was Vader's son, he had made up a point to bring him up as often as humanly possible.
Vader groaned inwardly. Jix was going to have a field day with this case.
"Make sure he comes to no harm," Vader replied. "I'm quite certain he hasn't gotten around to building another lightsaber yet."
"He probably has a blaster," Jix replied, slightly horrified that his attempt to rib Vader about Luke had backfired and he was being asked, in his opinion, to babysit. Vader waved the remark off.
"Blasters are no match for a lightsaber. Watch him, Jix. I don't want him doing anything foolish with this convict on the loose."
Jix nodded. "I doubt he's Gledn's type, but sure thing, Uncle D. But – my primary assignment is to keep an eye on the rapist, right?"
Vader rolled his eyes and smiled at Jix's preference for espionage over being a bodyguard, thankful the mask hid the motions. "Come along, Jixton," he ordered. "It's time to brief the troops."
Torrin Gledn walked around the city of Vakeyya, capital of Socorro. He congratulated himself for choosing this world; he was enjoying himself immensely. This world was full of smugglers, gamblers and other petty criminals. No one would bother to look for a an escaped Imperial convict here, on a world where crime was overlooked on a daily basis. It was one of the best places he could have chosen.
He had landed his ship on the outskirts of the city and had walked into town. He had already gotten a job, and would live in his ship until he had enough credits to buy a place of his own. He would make this place his home, and he would live well. Smugglers all seemed to help each other out, and the prices weren't inflated too badly. It would be easy to survive here.
He hadn't seem many decent women around, but that was alright. He was sure there were some around somewhere. Every world had its share of beautiful humanoid females. And then his life here would be truly complete.
In the meantime, he would make good on his promise to search for the Organa girl. She could not evade him forever.
He walked into a cantina, to buy an drink and to study how the local people acted. If he could act like them, he would fit in better.
He glanced around, uninterested in the rowdy sabacc games and loud, boisterous drinking games. His eyes fell on a small HoloNet receiver hidden away in a corner. He made his way toward it. It would be in his best interest to keep up on the investigation that that no doubt followed his escape.
The report was a far different one from what he was expecting.
Gledn couldn't believe his eyes. The Rebels were looking for him. The Rebels! They had hated him in prison. Why were they being so friendly now?
He continued to read, his eyes widening when he reached the names of the people to contact if someone saw him. Luke Skywalker was totally meaningless to him, but Leia Organa was a name he knew well.
Grinning with venomous pleasure, he reached for his comlink.
"You volunteered us to what?" Luke demanded of Leia.
'Find and talk to the guy who just escaped Imperial prison," Leia repeated. "Mon Mothma, Rieekan and Ackbar think he may be one of us, so I said we'd go see if he was."
"Leia, he could be anywhere! The galaxy's not exactly small, you know."
Leia rolled her eyes. "Really? I thought it was absolutely minuscule," she shot back sarcastically. "We're doing everything we can to find him, Luke. Everybody's keeping an eye out for him. It won't be as hard as it sounds."
Luke sighed, not quite believing her. "If you say so."
"I do," she informed him pertly, at the same moment her comlink beeped.
"See, Luke, I told you it would be too difficult!" Leia exclaimed happily as she finished speaking to Torrin Gledn himself.
"Get in, I'll set a course for Socorro," was Luke's only reply.
Wrenga Jixton enjoyed being a spy. He didn't mind being an assassin, either, but espionage was his favourite job.
It was fun, poking his nose into other people's business without letting them know he knew what they were up to. Sometimes, if he did well and got close enough to the people involved, they would tell him outright what he needed to know and he didn't even have to go digging for it. That was the fun part.
However, digging did have its perks, as proved by his research on this Gledn guy. He had found the Rebels' HoloNet article entirely by accident, but it had opened floodgates in his investigatiion.
Jix gave a half-smile as he caught the message to Leia Organa's comlink. "Socorro," he murmured. "Good choice."
Jix had been to Socorro a time or two himself. He hadn't particularly enjoyed it – a bit to warm a climate for his tastes, and he didn't really care for the black sand the planet was famous for, either, but if he wanted to disappear into the galaxy, Socorro would be a good place to start. It was kind of like Tatooine, that way.
His grin widened as he punched Vader's number into his own comlink. "But not good enough."
Immediately upon receiving Jix's message, Vader loaded the 501st onto the Executor and headed for Socorro.
"My lord, what are your orders upon reaching Socorro?" Admiral Piett asked Vader as the Sith Lord stared out of the window on the bridge.
"The 501st and I will shuttle down to the planet's surface and arrest Gledn. If the Rebels are there, we'll arrest them, too. If they have already left . . ." Vader paused, then continued firmly. "We will follow them across the galaxy if necessary."
"Why don't we shoot them if we are in range? They are just Rebels; they aren't civilians," Piett pointed out.
Vader glared dangerously. "I want them alive, Admiral. If they are in any other state when I receive them, there will be dire consequences for all involved."
Piett swallowed nervously, taken aback by the force of the Dark Lord's threat. "Of course, my lord. I'll have the men keep the tractor beam in a state of perfect repair," he offered, trying to appease his commander.
"See that you do," Vader replied darkly.
"Hello," Leia greeted Torrin warmly in a cantina in Vakeyya. "We're so glad you could meet with us."
"The pleasure is all mine," Torrin replied sincerely, his gaze barely flicking to Luke before fastening on her face again.
Leia smiled. "Let's get down to business, shall we?" She and Luke sat across from Torrin.
The stranger smiled engagingly. "Of course, ma'am."
Leia leaned forward, across the table. "You understand Commander Skywalker and I are with the Alliance to Restore the Republic."
"Of course." He nodded politely.
"We have lost many of our members to Imperial prisons. If I may be blunt, Mr Gledn, we would like to know if you are one of those members."
Gledn leaned on the table too, his face just inches away from Leia's. "I was not a member or your Aliance," he replied, "but I was wrongfully convicted, I assure you of that fact. And if you will have me, I would be honoured to serve in your Rebel Alliance."