Retribution, Lies and Forgiveness.
by Regina Ong
skyjade@movieluver.com
(NOT the same person as the other Skyjade who owns a webpage)
This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by
Lucasfilm, Ltd. No money is being made and no infringement is intended.
All characters portrayed and official dialogue are the property of Lucasfilm,Ltd.
Chapter 2
Mara Jade gazed at the console before her,cursing colourfully as the data took a huge amount of time to transmit into her data pad. She frowned heavily as her data pad begin to decipher the message it was receiving. She knew that it was too soon for the imperial agent to contact her but she accepted the message anyway.The frown deepened when she read the short but precise message.
REQUEST PERMISSION TO ATTACK NOW.
REBELS HAVE BEEN CONTACTED.
WAIT IN TWO DAYS FOR THEIR ANSWER.
The fiery woman chewed her lips absently as she regarded the message thoughtfully. She switched of the console and was about to contact the emperor when she felt a sudden pressure in her mind. Breathing in deeply, she opened her mind to the force to focus on her master's presence.
* What is the message? *
Mara was not surprised that her master knew what she was about to present to him. He always seemed to know her better than she did.
* He says that the Bothans have contacted the rebels and will wait for two days for their answer.He also request permission to attack them now.* she sent back.
There was a moment of silence as the emperor contemplated the report.
* Obviously Jin has acted foolishly in allowing two precious days slipped by him.* the emperor laughed at the thought.
Mara waiting until her master's laughter had subdied before asking him a question
* What should I tell the contact? *
* Tell him that he has my permission to attack the Bothans. Have him kill some of the Bothans, but he must allow Jin and his family to live. Have them be interrogated also.*
Mara nodded although she winced slightly at the mentioned of an interrogation. She had been interrogated once as part of her training program to ensure that she would be unable to leak out any useful information. Fortunately, the emperor chose to dismissed her sudden change in sense,and Mara cursed herself inwardly at the slip of thought.
* Proceed with your duty, my Hand *
* Yes,my master *
And with that the pressure eased of from her mind. For a moment, she wondered about her sudden apprehension at the idea of the Bothans being interrogated. For the past few months now,she had always felt a slight tug in her emotions whenever she was commanded to perform a task that would hurt the enemies of the empire. It aggravated her that she could not finger the problem nor understand why she should feel pity for these beings who obviously deserved what they got, if what the emperor had told her about their past atrocities were true. She never questioned her masters explanation. She had complete faith in them for she knew that he would never lie to her, after all the deeds she had done for him. She frowned again,as she felt her sense shaken a bit by that last thought.
Her master would never lie to her, that she knew for certain.What she didn't understand was why she was even questioning her master's belief, or for that matter, sitting alone in her room thinking deeply about her feelings. Scowling at the console before her, she switched on the controls, albeit forcefully, and proceed to transmit her master's command.
The imperial agent smiled as he received the full command. He had waited for days to strike at the Bothans, and his wish had finally come true.Very soon, he would be able to complete the task his master had set him for.
He allowed himself another small smile as he began transmitting new orders to the imperials under his command.With a sigh of contentment, the emperor's Hand sat back comfortably in his chair as he glanced wistfully at the paused holo of the exotic red-haired woman who gazed unknowingly back at him with her beautiful emerald green eyes and wished for the umpteenth time that he could meet with her again.
The two data pads detached themselves from one another as they floated miraculously in the air, shaking a bit slightly as if they had to struggle to defy the laws of gravity. Artoo moaned thoughtfully as he noticed this unexplained yet seen before phenomena.Twittering softly to himself, he glanced towards his master who sat silently by his side.
Luke Skywalker appeared to be in a deep trance to his faithful little droid, but he was merely closing his eyes to enable him to rely more on the force than on his sense of sight. Even though he was still under medical therapy, he had used most of his time to practice on his force skills. Given the encounter with Vader at Bespin had tarnished his once cheerful mood considerably, he knew that it was hopeless and foolish to dwell in a melancholy state. As he was currently dismissed from any duty to the rebellion, he had spent more time in meditation to calm his swirling emotions.
Therefore, he was surprised that the force had come more easily to him now during these meditations then it ever had before, even in the presence of Yoda. Perhaps it was his ability to trust more in the guidance of the force than his uncontrolled feelings and his then stubborness to believe in his capabilities of the Force.
Back then, he was easily miffed and had lost his temper too often whenever Yoda set forth a difficult task for him. However, it was THE revelation that had calm his anger considerably. He knew that anger could cause one to fall to the dark side, as was proof in Vader. Vader, who was connected to him by blood.
Abruptly, the two data pads which he had been controlling nearly dropped from his force grip.
* Stop it!Concentrate on the Force.Forget about Vader! * Luke ordered himself.
With an effort, he pushed the thought as far back away in his mind as he could,and concentrated on the two floating objects before him. Hearing the little droid by his side twittering and chiding him about his lack of control, Luke smiled and decided to add another object to his exercise.
Using the force, he was able to lift the slightly disgruntled Artoo as well. The droid twittered unhappily at being part of his master's exercise again, probably remembering all the times that his master had lost control and dropped him not too gently onto the dark swamps of Dagobah. Luke tried not too smile,but knew that he would achieve control now. Artoo became silent as his master exchanged his current position with the two floating data pads, probably fearing that a little beep from him would break his master's concentration and allowing him to make contact with the floor sooner than expected.
Princess Leia Organa walked into the room at the moment and gasped at the feat. Fortunately for Artoo, Luke had since learned to extend his senses while using the force,and had sense the princess's presence as well as her surprised emotions. Luke opened his eyes as the little droid beeped gratefully when his little wheels made contact with solid floor.
The former farmboy laughed at the amazed expression on her face and was rewarded with a cold stare for his effort. But it only lasted a second, and the princess smiled as she stepped into the room.
" Well, I can see that you're making progress," she commented lightly as she switched on a console in the room.
Luke opened his mouth to explain when he caught the sudden dread in the other's sense.
" What's wrong?" he asked.
Leia sighed. "There's no way I can keep my thougths to myself, can I?"
Luke shooked his head. "I wouldn't have pried into your thoughts without permission, Leia, but your sense of dread was loud enough for me to pick it up."
Leia sighed again. It unnerved her that Luke was showing more than potential the last time she had seen him. Back then, he had virtually known nothing about the extend of his force sense. Now, he was able to lift Artoo up and also pick up on her mood with practically no effort at all.
Flicking on the console, she began transmitting some data into the computer.
" These are reports of the Bothan spies making contact with us three days ago. According to this, they had a vital information about the empire and requested that a group was sent to receive this information. Naturally, General Madine, who was in charge at the time the Bothans made contact with us, requested two days to discuss with the others about it, as per protocol." She tapped a few keys and a new set of data appeared on the screen."As I said before, this was three days ago,and they have not make any contact ever since.They were last contacted on Aria, although their present location now is still unsure." She turned to the young commander at the last word.
"You're thinking it's a hoax?" Luke asked pointedly.
The princess frowned at his revelation of her unspoken thought.
"Well, it does seem to be likely. Bothans have always been known to play politics like nobody's business.With this sudden cut off, their obviously waiting for a group of us to come rescue them and fall for their trap."
Luke gazed thoughfully at the data before him."What does Mon Mothma say about this?"
Leia scowled at him. "You had to ask me that,didn't you?"she continued without waiting for an answer. "She believes it's authentic, and is willing to risk sending a small group to check it out."
Luke pressed the play button of the recorded transmission between Madine and the Bothan. He streched out his senses, the way Yoda had taught him, in a way that allowed him to understand body languages more completedly. Leia gazed on silently when she understood what he was doing, even though she didn't know how she knew. After a while,the young Jedi Knight turned to face the former princess, who raised her eyebrows pointedly.
"I don't think it's a trap. He seems to nervous about something. It could very well be that the empire had finally caught up with them."
She nodded thoughfully at the remark. Picking up her data cards, she smiled at Luke.
" I had better inform Mon Mothma to hold a meeting immediately."
Luke caught her arm as she headed towards the doorway." Leia, are you just going to trust my judgement just like that?" he asked incredulously.
Leia smiled kindly at him, " Don't ask me how, but I believe you are right about this. Also, time is running out for us."
Luke frowned slightly "I don't believe the others would accept that as your explanation at the sudden change of thought."
"So,you've heard," It was not a question. Luke sighed heavily as he sat back on one of the chairs in the room." It's it just me,or does everybody suddenly feel like they couldn't trust me as much as they did before?"
Leia sat down on one of the chairs facing him."I won't deny that the others have been concern about you, Luke."
Luke snorted. "I think afraid is the word you meant, Leia"
Leia slapped him hard on his leg,"Luke Skywalker,they are not afraid of you. You were the one who saved all of their lives when you destroyed the Death Star."
" Thanks for reminding me that I was also responsible for the deaths of a billion people," he said wryly.
Leia looked Luke firmly in the eye."I won't deny that there were many imperials aboard the station, but by doing what you did, you saved ten times more than a billion lives of those unfortunate imperials. And, you avoided Yavin from becoming another Alderaan!"
Luke smiled gratefully at Leia."I know that, it's just that,with this new sense of the Force, I could sense beings with more clarity now. It scares me to know what kind of shock I must have created in the Force with that one torpedo."
Leia shooked her head. " You need to rest, Luke.Now is not the time for the rebellion to question your beliefs.We need you, Luke!"
The young Jedi Knight glanced away from her , muttering softly "You wouldn't need me if you knew the truth."
"What truth, Luke?" Leia asked worriedly.
She was unprepared for the haunted look in his eyes that seemed to turn his blue eyes into a smoky grey as he gazed back at her.
" Luke, what did Vader do to you?"she whispered, almost afraid that he would break down if she asked him too forcefully.
But Luke surprised her again ,and the haunted look vanished as if it had never been there.There was now an even more unnerving calmness about him that chilled her.
" You wouldn't want to know, Leia. And I wish," here he sigh tiredly, " that I too could never have known about it, and that Han could be with us right now to tell me what a fool I've been"
Leia gently brushed back a lock of his hair, the motion distracting her from crying at the mentioned of Han and how Luke constantly blamed himself for Han's imprisonment. Luke caught her hand,and looked at her steadily.
"We will rescue Han, Leia,"he said, repeating his earlier promise to her aboard the medical frigate.
Leia nodded and stood up, her emotional well attempting to break apart. It hurt her that the empire had once again decided to strike those closest to her. Han was still part of a cargo in someone's ship while Luke, who had always managed to cheer her during her darkest time, now relied on her to do the same for him. She knew her feelings were probably raw enough
for Luke to catch up on to it, and she had no desire to allow that. She was a princess not only by stature but in spirit. She was in control of her emotions, and she did not want to add to Luke's already jumbled emotions.
Freeing her hand gently from his grasp, she stood up and headed towards the door.
"Rest, Luke. I'll tell Mon Mothma about your opinion." She smiled at him. "In the meantime, I'll have Too-Onebee check on you regularly to ensure that you would recover quickly."
Luke groaned at this, his calmness replaced with a defeated expression. "I'll rather have Threepio."
The princess smiled mischeviously. "In that case, I'll have Threepio AND Too-OneBee to accompany you more often. I know how you just love their mother-henning," she stepped quickly out of the room to avoid a retort from Luke, but nevertheless heard him cry her name out loud in indignation.
She shooked her head. Some things never change.
The dark dank smell of the cell only served to add tension and despair to the five bothans imprisoned within. Occassionally,a stormtrooper would stop by their cell and hand them some rotten piece of food that even made ration bars taste wonderful, as well as some stale drink to quench their thirst. Mitha'kla looked up from her corner of her cell where she was still trying to placid a sobbing Jeinn'nya who had lost her betrothed in the ensuing firefight two days ago. She frowned, noticing that Jin,who was sitting across from her, was staring at Jeinn'nya with a sad expression. He looked up when he noticed her gaze, but instead of acknowledging her,
he glanced away to the side, as if feeling somewhat responsible for the death of two of their comrades.
Well, he should be, she thought angrily. Mitha'kla's fur rippled with anger as she thought of how stupid he had been to allow two wasteful days for the rebellion to think over their offer. He had not negogiate skillfully, as should be for one of their race. Instead, they had allowed
him to talk it over with the general and had even agreed to his wishes as they believed that,according to custom, he still had power over the administration of the data. She cursed herself for not interventing during the talks,and for believing that he was right about the decision. It was by pure luck that Gein and Joft had managed to escape the onslaught with Seth.
She smiled triumphantly at the thought that she had managed to slip the data chips containing the plans to Gein by hiding it in the medallion he always wore around his neck, without his knowledge.
However,she was not able to slip in the other important data, the C-1728 data which could spell doom to the entire Bothan race. Only she and Jin knew of its existence, and it terrified her that the imperials might recover it. Jin had confided in her, when he had returned from wherever he had came from,that this was the only information concerning the Caamas incident which he had managed to steal from the emperor. He had also been horrified that the emperor had not destroy the data as was part of the contract, but had secretly kept it with the other prized information he had concerning the galaxy.
Mitha'kla was aware that most of the Bothan leaders had long suspected that the some of the Bothans had played a role in the Caamas incident,and she was scared for her honour as she too had been one of the guilty party involved.They had no choice in the matter,for they believed that their honour was at stake, and had even doubt the full capabilities of the empire in harming a planet then. How wrong they had been, and how the foolish of them to trust an emperor who would never kept his word. A few of the them had committed suicide after knowing what they had contributed to, while the others lived on with only guilt as their companion and the knowledge that the emperor would strike at them with that guilt.
And that was when Jin and his wife had suddenly disappeared, leaving their young son to the care of his aunty. He had later contacted them secretly and told them that he and his wife had decided to rejoin the empire to ensure that there was no data concerning the incident. He said that it was their love for their planet that they had done the sacrifice.The others had been mortified with his decision, for he had not discussed the matter with them beforehand.
He had been assured that it was the right choice, and Sinal'lya had blindly followed him into destruction. And he had been right,but at a cost.The emperor had indeed deceived them, holding their lives in his hand with the C-1728 data, so that he could demand their duty once again with it.
Somehow, Jin had managed to obtain it,and had stubbornly refused to destroy the data. She did not know his reasons for doing so,only that it had caused him to loose it again.
She gazed at Jin again, noticing the guilty look in his eyes. He had told her that he had managed to store it safely at a hidden place in the base and that he would retrieve it once the rebels managed to rescue them. He was positive that the rebels would come to their rescue, for they knew the importance of the other datas. She truly hope that he would be right this time.
Mon Mothma,ex-senator of the old republic and leader of the rebel Alliance,cast a quiet look to all who were present in the control room. Admiral Ackbar was standing near a console, conversing quietly with Princess Leia Organa while General Crix Madine sat on one of the plush chairs in the room , his thoughts to himself. Wedge Antillies, second in command in Rogue Squadron, shifted about his seat, feeling left out and uncomfortable among such high officials as he gazed nervously at other delegates who were present. Each of them became silent when they felt the piercing gaze of the regal leader.
" Each of you must be wondering by now why I have called an urgent meeting at such an unusual hour ."
Wedge smirked at that ,but was promptly silenced by Leia.
Mon Mothma continued "It has been reported to me that the empire has been secretly building a superweapon since their defeat in the Battle of Yavin.What this superweapon might be....is still unclear,but our spies have reported that this latest threat might spell doom for the rebellion."
There was a steady murmur around the room as each contemplate the disturbing information. They stopped speaking when Mon Mothma held up her hand in a gesture for silence. Before she could begin,the main door open to reveal Commander Skywalker . Mon Mothma arched an eyebrow as Luke strode towards her and bowed silently.
" Mon Mothma, forgive me for being late."
" You do not need to ask for forgiveness,commander. It is enough that you were able to attend this meeting. Please be seated," Mon Mothma said,gesturing to the seat next to Wedge. Luke bowed again and sat himself next to an elated looking Wegde , who hadn't seen his friendin ages.
Leia was a bit surprised that Mon Mothma had called Luke to attend the meeting as he had not recovered fully.
"As I was saying,the empire has been secretly building a massive superweapon. It has also been reported to me that some spies in the Bothan sector have successfully gain the complete readout of this new superweapon. However,we have lost contact with the bothanspies and can only presume that they are hiding themselves somewhere in the outer rim territories. Our last contact with them however, has pinpointed that their last destination was in the Arix system, on the Planet Aria. And, to send any kind of transmission to them would not only endanger their lives but that of the alliance as well. "
"In that case,a group must be sent at once to make contact with the Bothans,"Admiral Ackbar suggested, gesturing with his flippered hand.
Mon Mothma smiled and looked around the room."Yes,I have already discussed the situation with General Madine. He has already rounded up a group of two people to accompany him. Princess Leia ,it is also recommended that you be part of this mission. As an official for the alliance ,you would be able to help to appease the Bothans.....and I was wondering if Commander Skywalker could be part of this team. Your Jedi skills might be needed for this mission. "
Luke nodded his agreement silently. Mon Mothma looked questioningly at Leia. The old Luke (as Leia was used to refering to lately) would have jumped for joy at being chosen to be part of an important mission,especially if Leia was in it too.
"But is a small group enough to face whatever surprise the imperials might throw at them?" Wedge asked doubtfully.
Mon Mothma nodded silently to General Madine. The general cleared his throat.
"The idea is to sneak in as quietly as possible. And as for any unwanted surprise, I believe that the rebellion has faced far too many of them lately,and yet we were always prepared and ready. However, it is better if we gain the upperhand if we happened to run into some unwanted 'friends'. The Corellian frigate which we would be using may not look like much,but it is prepared for any assault on our ship."
Luke spoke up "If we are unable to communicate with the Bothans,how would we be able to meet with them. A planet is a pretty big place to search for them."
" We would be in contact with them when we are in the same system,thus we would be able to arrange a meeting place with them," Madine assured him.
After a few more debates about the mission, Mon Mothma glanced around the room silently.
" If any of you are still uncertain about the mission, please be free to express it."
As none replied her,she nodded "Good. And as for you, Lieutenant Antilles,you are once again commisioned to take over the command of the rogue squadron in the absence of Commander Skywalker," Mon Mothma proposed.
She nodded curtly."This meeting is adjourned."
Wedge heaved a sigh of relief, stood up and gave Luke a bear hug.
" H..Hey, take it easy Wegde!" Luke laughed.
" Luke! Where were you? You got the whole squadron worried sick when you didn't show up at the rendezvous. And what's this I hear of you fighting with Vader?" Wedge asked.
Luke only smiled grimly before slapping his friend's back.
" I'll tell you everything later,Wegde. Come,tell me what the squadron's been up to while I was gone." Slapping each other repeatedly on their backs while laughing, the two men exited the room.
Leia looked on amusingly, feeling glad that Luke was still able to laugh despite the heavy loud forming around his head. Mon Mothma strode towards Leia as the others exited the room.
" Leia, I would like to speak to you personally for a while, if you do not mind." Leia nodded,curious as to what Mon Mothma had to say to her.
" Although I have no right to pry, I believe that Commander Skywalker had been walking a dark path and has yet to recover from it." Mon Mothma said in a tone that she meant well.
Leia nodded. "Luke has been like this ever since we rescued him from the cloud city. I believed that it has something to do with what Vader .....did to him."
Mon Mothma nodded in understanding, but did not pry any further."I believe that his Jedi skills is improving,considering that he managed to survive the duel with Darth Vader. "
" Yes......."
" And that your heart still longs to find Captain Solo is unmistakable. " Leia nodded slightly, not surprised that the Alliance leader had known about her feelings.
" You are right. It has taken me a great effort to restrain myself from blasting into the unknown to find Han. I know that my allegiance lies here......"
" Which is why I assigned you to this mission, for the destination of this mission is only a few systems from Tatooine. After the mission is completed,you have my permission to begin your search on Captain Solo." Leia looked up in surprise.
" Don't be so shock, my dear. Lando Calrissian has already explained to me everything. "
" But Mon Mothma..."
" Please Leia, you have been like a daughter to me ever since your father died,and I know you well enough that your heart would never fully be with the Alliance if the other part of you still longs to find Captian Solo."
Leia blinked back sudden tears that seem to sprung out from her emotional well. For Mon Mothma to be able to release Leia from any important duties to search for the man she loves ......
" Thank you, " Leia managed to blurt out.
Mon Mothma smiled knowingly."And do keep an eye on Luke,but perhaps he is now more capable than any of us are in a time like this. May the Force be with you, Leia."
"And to you too," Leia said, smiling in gratitude before exiting the room.
"And may the Force be with everyone of us," Mon Mothma added quietly.
******
Luke Skywalker adjusted his tunic and turned to stare at himself in the mirror. He was now fully dressed in black,in an appropriate uniform which , he believed , that the legendary Jedi Knights of the past had worn. Although black was the symbol of evil,and of Darth Vader ,Luke believed that by projecting a dark image and having good intentions at the same time would confuse his enemies. It was also an act of defiance against Vader. Luke was still unable to bring himself to admit that the Dark Lord was his father. If the rebellion knew what he knew, he doubt that even his most trusted friends would be near him. But then........'They will believe you' a small voice in his head seemed to say.
"I wonder what Yoda might think,me dressed in black and all" Luke said to no one in particular. At the thought of the little Jedi Master, Luke thoughts grew grim. He had promised to return to complete his training ,but the alliance needed him and he had promised himself,and Leia,that he would rescue Han. Besides,he was not ready to face Yoda, to learn the truth
and why they had lied to him. Or perhaps it was Vader who had lied to him?
Luke closed his eyes ,remembering his own denial when Vader had revealed their blood ties on Bespin. Even know,he could 'feel' the truth in the Dark Lord's words.Vader had spoken the truth,and Ben had lied. But he did not feel any anger towards Ben, only sadness that his trusted friend and teacher had not revealed the truth. Luke grinned sheepishly. Perhaps it was best that Ben had not told him the truth back in Tatooine. He had been to naive and young then ,and with the truth that Vader was his father blasted in his face, he would have thought that Ben was a crazy old hermit!
With a sigh, Luke went into a Jedi trance to calm himself down. He had to focus on the present and be mindful of the future at the same time.The past would be dealt with later.
A beep at the comm interrupted him. Exhaling his thoughts,Luke broke out of his Jedi trance. Sensing through the Force, he smiled. "Come in ,Leia"
Leia walked into the room,dressed in a plain and simple suit but still managed to look beautiful. She arched a sceptical eyebrow at him. "I suppose that you knew it was me through the Force?"
Before he could reply ,Leia continued. "It's almost time to leave. Are you sure we should bring the droids?"
"Artoo would be able to store whatever the Bothan spies wants to give us in his memory banks, and Threepio might be useful if we come upon any natives in the Planet Aria. Besides,the two droids have been our trusted companions for a long time now," Luke pointed out.
Leia sighed deeply. Luke could be very persuasive when he wanted to. And his black uniform unerved her as he seemed to look more powerful. "Are you sure you're well enough for this mission?"
Luke frowned. "Leia,I'm not a kid anymore and I can handle myself well." He looked at the chronometre,adding "And there's no turning back now. Come on,General Madine's waiting for us in the hangar bay."
********
The general and two other officers were already waiting by the ship when Luke and Leia arrived at the appointed place. Luke noticed that one of the officers, a medium sized man with curly brown hair,was talking animatedly to the other officer,a dark-skinned woman with long dark hair, who was trying unsuccessfully to ignore his jabbering. Luke looked at the ship thoroughly. It was a modest looking Corellian frigate,enough to hold five passengers and two droids, but it still looked liked it was incapable of any heavy firepower, despite the general's briefing of the ship.
General Madine, sensing Luke's doubt, spoke up. "It may not look like much, but it is enough for us to sneak through any blockade around the Arix system."
" Assuming the empire doesn't reach us first," Leia added.
" Don't worry,princess," the officer with the curly brown hair said, smiling. "There is enough firepower hidden in the ship.We'll be ready for any attack on us."
" I've heard that before,mister..." Leia said, cocking an eyebrow at him.
" Major Coll Drew, at your service ma'am." he bowed, his brown eyes twinkling ." It's a pleasure working with you, Princess,and you too Commander Skywalker, "the officer said, shaking Luke's hand.
Luke smiled at the enthusiastic gesture. "Just call me Luke, " he told the major.
The other officer strode out. "And I'm Lieutenant Viola Dejinero," the dark skinned woman said. "Please to meet you both, Princess, Commander," she nodded curtly towards them.
At that point, Mon Mothma walked up to them.
" Leia, the alliance wish you all well on your journey. Do not disappoint us."
" We won't,Mon Mothma," Leia promised.
" Commander," Mon Mothma turned to Luke. "I hope that the Force will guide well you in this mission. Use your Jedi skills wisely."
" Yes, Mon Mothma." It still astounded Luke that the powerful rebel leader could understand the importance of his talent and accept it ,unlike the others who still feared his powers.
" General, I trust that you have chosen the right people to escort you in this mission?" Mon Mothma asked.
" Major Drew and Lieutenant Dejinero have proven themselves well before, especially in important missions like this one.We will not fail," the general assured her.
Mon Mothma nodded calmly."Then, may the force speed you well in your journey." They all bowed before her and strode up the landing ramp. Soon,the ship sped away,under the watchful eyes of the powerful rebel leader.
*******
A light bleep at the console interrupted the man's thoughts as he swiveled his chair to face the offending matter. A slight frown creased his forehead as he tried to understand the transmission. Abruptly it dawned on him, and his lips twisted into a sneer, not unlike the emperor.
So, the rebels had come to the rescue of the Bothans sooner than he had thought possible. Which meant that they had to be dealt with precisely. He clicked on a few controls to intercept the transmission and was rewarded when a man's voice was heard over the comm.
"...epeat, this is General Madine. If you are my contact, please transmit the proper code."
The man raised a skeptical eyebrow. So,it was the traitorous Madine who was leading the attack. General Veers would be pleased.
He cleared his throat and a perfect imitation of the illustrious Jin spoke up to the comm.
" General, this is Jin. We regret to have not contacted you in the agreed time.We had a problem with our communication console lately and had just repaired it," he said, adding a slight tone of embarrassment to polish up the act.
There was an obvious sigh of relief from the other speaker."We're glad that you had a communication problem, nothing more.When can we meet with you to discuss the matter?"
" We'll be waiting for you at sector thirty six point one two outside the planet Aria in exactly three hours time."
" That would be good.We'll try to make it on time," the general said.
" We await your arrival. Jin out"
" Madine out."
The man leaned back in satisfaction at the idea of finally assaulting he rebels. And of course, meeting with Madine again. But first,he needed to inform his master. Keying in the proper code, he began transmitting the report to the emperor.
General Madine stood at the helm of the ship, his eyes looking towards the vast space that greeted him.They had already made contact with the Bothans and were now flying to meet them at an apointed place around the planet's orbit. He sighed deeply,gazing at the stars. Even though it had been three years now,he could remember the last kiss he had shared with Kaerina. He could still remember how beautiful she had looked when he had told her that he had found her son. Her son. He cast his eyes at Commander Skywalker who was sitting near the controls.Was this the same boy he had rescued back then? Dressed in black and all, Luke was far from the easy going boy he used to be.And his haunted eyes resembled that of his mother when she had known how her fate would be. Madine knew of the duel between Vader and Luke, and how Luke had lost a hand in the battle. Could it be possible that....
Luke, sensing Madine's gaze, looked up enquringly at him. Madine nodded politely to him,and Luke smiled back before resuming his work. Yes,Vader must have revealed the truth. Madine's mind clouded at the thought that Vader could actually harm his own flesh and blood.
' Kaerina ' Madine asked silently ' did you forsee that this would happen?'
As if in answer, Leia strode up to him,still looking as beautiful as he had first seen her.
" Princess," Madine bowed slighty.
"General," Leia returned the bow. Together,they turned to look at the stars beyond, stars which represents planets, life and beings.
Leia sighed audibly.
" What is it,Your Highness?"
" When I was young, I used to look at the stars, hoping that my mother would return from wherever she had run to, so that I would be able to listen to her gentle, caring voice again. I could hardly remember her,and yet......I have always felt that she was always by my side,guiding me when I walked the wrong path and....." Leia looked apologetically at him. "I think you might be wondering why I'm talking like this. Is just that, lately, memories of my mother have been returning more strongly than before. And with this memories, I'm always reminded of Luke."
Madine spoke grimly. "Yes ,Commander Skywalker has been living in a dark cloud lately.It would do well if you talk to him."
Leia smiled at him,and for a moment , he saw Kaerina's kindly face smiling back at him. The vision shooked him,and he could barely controlled an audible gasp.
Leia, noticing the shock registering on the general's face enquired quickly.
"General, is something wrong?" she asked worriedly.
The beautiful vision vanished ,and Madine blinked his eyes to see a rather worried looking princess staring back at him. With a controlled breath,Madine replied.
" No...nothing,I...."
"General,we have incoming ships at sector three-seven," Drew yelled.
Madine rushed to the controls, with the princess close behind.
" How many are there?" he enquired.
" About three frigates, sir," Viola answered him.
" Are they the Bothan spies we are seeking?" Leia asked
" I'm not sure your highness, I...."
" What's going on?" Luke enquired.
Leia peered at the radar."It seems that there are three incoming ships heading this way.They might be the Bothan spies but we are not to sure about it"
" Send our transmission to them," Madine ordered.
" Yes,sir."
Luke closed his eyes and reach out with the force to intercept the minds of the people on board the ships. It was a strange sensation and Luke had yet to grasp it fully.
" Sir! They are sending the correct transmission, and are grateful that the ambassadors for the rebel alliance has finally arrived. They suggest that you follow their course to their hiding place"
Madine looked at the bluish planet of Aria, uncertainties forming in his head.
" Do you detect any kind of agression or shielding from any of those ships?" he asked Drew.
" No,sir. Besides,the markings on the ships resembles that of the Bothan race."
Madine nodded curtly. "Begin setting our course then"
At that point, Luke's eyes snapped open. "No!" he shouted "It's a trap! Pull away now!"
Drew looked at Madine uncertainly. "Sir..."
Madine, knowing the magnitude of Luke's powers ,ordered. "You heard the Commander.Break formation!" Before Drew could even reply, an array of TIE fighters came cascading towards the small rebel ship.
" Take evasive action!" Madine ordered. "Increase our shields to maximum power !'
" Let me handle the weapon controls. I can use the Force to manipulate them,"Luke volunteered, as Leia sat down on one of the seats and began turning the shields up.
Madine nodded, but Luke was already running towards the gun controls.
The general glanced uncertainly at the three armed frigates .' How in the worlds did the imperial knew when and where they would be arriving?' he thought to himself. It also occured to him the Bothans as well as the plans of the superweapon might be in the hands of the imperials at this moment. This,of course,meant that they might have failed completely in their mission.
But General Madine was a man who never gave up to fast or too easily. And what mattered most at the moment was that they would survive the attack and be able to report back to the alliance. He wasted no time and began barking orders to the others.
********
Aboard one of the Bothan frigates, General Veers smiled grimly to the imperial next to him.
" It seems that their famous rebel luck is not with them today."
The imperial merely nodded. " Of course,such attack on a small task force can hardly be deem victorious. "
The general threw a patient look at the man."According to our contact, that ship happens to hold the traitorous Madine." He forego the use of any title on any ex-imperials who defected to the rebels.
" At any rate," he continued ," we must follow our orders.We are only to disable the ship, not destroy its occupants , no matter how much it would please me. And without those blasted Bothans revealing anything despite our little 'interrogation', we can only rely on those rebel
scums to lead us to the hidden plans of the Death Star."
" Lieutenant," he turned to look at the man, "order the other frigates to prepare their main weapons and fire at the ship on my command. Remember, we want that ship disabled only so that it would never be capable of leaving the planet again. And remember to jam and intercept any transmission being broadcast from that ship. If our contact works according to plan,the rebels will be able allowed to escape, for the moment, unhurt."
The imperial nodded curtly and left the brigde.
General Veers peered at the ship with his an anger barely controlled.
" For the moment," he said,chillingly.
********
Luke Skywalker gritted his teeth as one of the stray shots from a TIE fighter above the ship came close to where he was strapped to his seat. With an effort,he tried to ignore the fear and anger arising within him at the sight of an overwhelming task force against a small ship like this, despite the general's assurance of the ships' weapon capabilities. He relaxed his mind as he used the force to manipulate his movements on the weapon controls.
He was rewarded when he managed to shot down three of the TIE fighters who had been to close for comfort and leveled the gun controls to the remaining TIE fighters. Major Coll Drew,who was at the other section of the weapon controls,gave out a whoop of joy as he also managed to shoot down some of the TIE fighters.
General Madine noted the progress of both the commander and the major with satisfaction, but he was still worried with the appearance of the three ships sitting innocently in the battle as if they were merely enjoying the view. The ships had yet to open fire on them. The general knew that it would not last. His fears were confirmed when Lieutenant Viola signaled for his attention with trembling hands.
" General!" Viola cried. " The computer is reading a massive power buildup in all three of the frigates! This could only mean..."
General Madine looked up from the main controls,trying to control the fear that might alredy be clearly seen on his face.
" Increase shields to maximum power!" he barked out his order to the princess.
" Shields increased, sir!" Leia answered,while adjusting frantically at the controls.
The general nodded, but he knew that despite the ships increasingly strong shield courtesy of the mechanics back in the rebel base, it was still no match for the power buildup that was at the moment focused entirely on their ship. His thougths grew grim. And if they did not survive this attack, the alliance would never have known what had happened to them,thanks to the imperials jamming them.
At that moment, Leia looked up frantically at the general as a blast exploded against the ship, thanks to the blasted TIE fighters flying around them.
" General,we just lost the starboard engines.We....."
A terrifying loud explosion cut off her speech and rocked the ship as the three frigates fired unmercifully at their ship. The occupants of the ship braced themselves against the onslaught,as they all tried to get a hold onto something. The ship shook with such an intensity as if a thousand banthas were ramming against the ship. And then,just as suddenly as it has started,
the three frigates stopped their firing and retreated from the currently disabled ship. As soon as the remaining TIE fighters boarded the frigate, the three ships went into lightspeed, leaving the doomed rebel ship to its fate.
*******
by Regina Ong
skyjade@movieluver.com
(NOT the same person as the other Skyjade who owns a webpage)
This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by
Lucasfilm, Ltd. No money is being made and no infringement is intended.
All characters portrayed and official dialogue are the property of Lucasfilm,Ltd.
Chapter 2
Mara Jade gazed at the console before her,cursing colourfully as the data took a huge amount of time to transmit into her data pad. She frowned heavily as her data pad begin to decipher the message it was receiving. She knew that it was too soon for the imperial agent to contact her but she accepted the message anyway.The frown deepened when she read the short but precise message.
REQUEST PERMISSION TO ATTACK NOW.
REBELS HAVE BEEN CONTACTED.
WAIT IN TWO DAYS FOR THEIR ANSWER.
The fiery woman chewed her lips absently as she regarded the message thoughtfully. She switched of the console and was about to contact the emperor when she felt a sudden pressure in her mind. Breathing in deeply, she opened her mind to the force to focus on her master's presence.
* What is the message? *
Mara was not surprised that her master knew what she was about to present to him. He always seemed to know her better than she did.
* He says that the Bothans have contacted the rebels and will wait for two days for their answer.He also request permission to attack them now.* she sent back.
There was a moment of silence as the emperor contemplated the report.
* Obviously Jin has acted foolishly in allowing two precious days slipped by him.* the emperor laughed at the thought.
Mara waiting until her master's laughter had subdied before asking him a question
* What should I tell the contact? *
* Tell him that he has my permission to attack the Bothans. Have him kill some of the Bothans, but he must allow Jin and his family to live. Have them be interrogated also.*
Mara nodded although she winced slightly at the mentioned of an interrogation. She had been interrogated once as part of her training program to ensure that she would be unable to leak out any useful information. Fortunately, the emperor chose to dismissed her sudden change in sense,and Mara cursed herself inwardly at the slip of thought.
* Proceed with your duty, my Hand *
* Yes,my master *
And with that the pressure eased of from her mind. For a moment, she wondered about her sudden apprehension at the idea of the Bothans being interrogated. For the past few months now,she had always felt a slight tug in her emotions whenever she was commanded to perform a task that would hurt the enemies of the empire. It aggravated her that she could not finger the problem nor understand why she should feel pity for these beings who obviously deserved what they got, if what the emperor had told her about their past atrocities were true. She never questioned her masters explanation. She had complete faith in them for she knew that he would never lie to her, after all the deeds she had done for him. She frowned again,as she felt her sense shaken a bit by that last thought.
Her master would never lie to her, that she knew for certain.What she didn't understand was why she was even questioning her master's belief, or for that matter, sitting alone in her room thinking deeply about her feelings. Scowling at the console before her, she switched on the controls, albeit forcefully, and proceed to transmit her master's command.
The imperial agent smiled as he received the full command. He had waited for days to strike at the Bothans, and his wish had finally come true.Very soon, he would be able to complete the task his master had set him for.
He allowed himself another small smile as he began transmitting new orders to the imperials under his command.With a sigh of contentment, the emperor's Hand sat back comfortably in his chair as he glanced wistfully at the paused holo of the exotic red-haired woman who gazed unknowingly back at him with her beautiful emerald green eyes and wished for the umpteenth time that he could meet with her again.
The two data pads detached themselves from one another as they floated miraculously in the air, shaking a bit slightly as if they had to struggle to defy the laws of gravity. Artoo moaned thoughtfully as he noticed this unexplained yet seen before phenomena.Twittering softly to himself, he glanced towards his master who sat silently by his side.
Luke Skywalker appeared to be in a deep trance to his faithful little droid, but he was merely closing his eyes to enable him to rely more on the force than on his sense of sight. Even though he was still under medical therapy, he had used most of his time to practice on his force skills. Given the encounter with Vader at Bespin had tarnished his once cheerful mood considerably, he knew that it was hopeless and foolish to dwell in a melancholy state. As he was currently dismissed from any duty to the rebellion, he had spent more time in meditation to calm his swirling emotions.
Therefore, he was surprised that the force had come more easily to him now during these meditations then it ever had before, even in the presence of Yoda. Perhaps it was his ability to trust more in the guidance of the force than his uncontrolled feelings and his then stubborness to believe in his capabilities of the Force.
Back then, he was easily miffed and had lost his temper too often whenever Yoda set forth a difficult task for him. However, it was THE revelation that had calm his anger considerably. He knew that anger could cause one to fall to the dark side, as was proof in Vader. Vader, who was connected to him by blood.
Abruptly, the two data pads which he had been controlling nearly dropped from his force grip.
* Stop it!Concentrate on the Force.Forget about Vader! * Luke ordered himself.
With an effort, he pushed the thought as far back away in his mind as he could,and concentrated on the two floating objects before him. Hearing the little droid by his side twittering and chiding him about his lack of control, Luke smiled and decided to add another object to his exercise.
Using the force, he was able to lift the slightly disgruntled Artoo as well. The droid twittered unhappily at being part of his master's exercise again, probably remembering all the times that his master had lost control and dropped him not too gently onto the dark swamps of Dagobah. Luke tried not too smile,but knew that he would achieve control now. Artoo became silent as his master exchanged his current position with the two floating data pads, probably fearing that a little beep from him would break his master's concentration and allowing him to make contact with the floor sooner than expected.
Princess Leia Organa walked into the room at the moment and gasped at the feat. Fortunately for Artoo, Luke had since learned to extend his senses while using the force,and had sense the princess's presence as well as her surprised emotions. Luke opened his eyes as the little droid beeped gratefully when his little wheels made contact with solid floor.
The former farmboy laughed at the amazed expression on her face and was rewarded with a cold stare for his effort. But it only lasted a second, and the princess smiled as she stepped into the room.
" Well, I can see that you're making progress," she commented lightly as she switched on a console in the room.
Luke opened his mouth to explain when he caught the sudden dread in the other's sense.
" What's wrong?" he asked.
Leia sighed. "There's no way I can keep my thougths to myself, can I?"
Luke shooked his head. "I wouldn't have pried into your thoughts without permission, Leia, but your sense of dread was loud enough for me to pick it up."
Leia sighed again. It unnerved her that Luke was showing more than potential the last time she had seen him. Back then, he had virtually known nothing about the extend of his force sense. Now, he was able to lift Artoo up and also pick up on her mood with practically no effort at all.
Flicking on the console, she began transmitting some data into the computer.
" These are reports of the Bothan spies making contact with us three days ago. According to this, they had a vital information about the empire and requested that a group was sent to receive this information. Naturally, General Madine, who was in charge at the time the Bothans made contact with us, requested two days to discuss with the others about it, as per protocol." She tapped a few keys and a new set of data appeared on the screen."As I said before, this was three days ago,and they have not make any contact ever since.They were last contacted on Aria, although their present location now is still unsure." She turned to the young commander at the last word.
"You're thinking it's a hoax?" Luke asked pointedly.
The princess frowned at his revelation of her unspoken thought.
"Well, it does seem to be likely. Bothans have always been known to play politics like nobody's business.With this sudden cut off, their obviously waiting for a group of us to come rescue them and fall for their trap."
Luke gazed thoughfully at the data before him."What does Mon Mothma say about this?"
Leia scowled at him. "You had to ask me that,didn't you?"she continued without waiting for an answer. "She believes it's authentic, and is willing to risk sending a small group to check it out."
Luke pressed the play button of the recorded transmission between Madine and the Bothan. He streched out his senses, the way Yoda had taught him, in a way that allowed him to understand body languages more completedly. Leia gazed on silently when she understood what he was doing, even though she didn't know how she knew. After a while,the young Jedi Knight turned to face the former princess, who raised her eyebrows pointedly.
"I don't think it's a trap. He seems to nervous about something. It could very well be that the empire had finally caught up with them."
She nodded thoughfully at the remark. Picking up her data cards, she smiled at Luke.
" I had better inform Mon Mothma to hold a meeting immediately."
Luke caught her arm as she headed towards the doorway." Leia, are you just going to trust my judgement just like that?" he asked incredulously.
Leia smiled kindly at him, " Don't ask me how, but I believe you are right about this. Also, time is running out for us."
Luke frowned slightly "I don't believe the others would accept that as your explanation at the sudden change of thought."
"So,you've heard," It was not a question. Luke sighed heavily as he sat back on one of the chairs in the room." It's it just me,or does everybody suddenly feel like they couldn't trust me as much as they did before?"
Leia sat down on one of the chairs facing him."I won't deny that the others have been concern about you, Luke."
Luke snorted. "I think afraid is the word you meant, Leia"
Leia slapped him hard on his leg,"Luke Skywalker,they are not afraid of you. You were the one who saved all of their lives when you destroyed the Death Star."
" Thanks for reminding me that I was also responsible for the deaths of a billion people," he said wryly.
Leia looked Luke firmly in the eye."I won't deny that there were many imperials aboard the station, but by doing what you did, you saved ten times more than a billion lives of those unfortunate imperials. And, you avoided Yavin from becoming another Alderaan!"
Luke smiled gratefully at Leia."I know that, it's just that,with this new sense of the Force, I could sense beings with more clarity now. It scares me to know what kind of shock I must have created in the Force with that one torpedo."
Leia shooked her head. " You need to rest, Luke.Now is not the time for the rebellion to question your beliefs.We need you, Luke!"
The young Jedi Knight glanced away from her , muttering softly "You wouldn't need me if you knew the truth."
"What truth, Luke?" Leia asked worriedly.
She was unprepared for the haunted look in his eyes that seemed to turn his blue eyes into a smoky grey as he gazed back at her.
" Luke, what did Vader do to you?"she whispered, almost afraid that he would break down if she asked him too forcefully.
But Luke surprised her again ,and the haunted look vanished as if it had never been there.There was now an even more unnerving calmness about him that chilled her.
" You wouldn't want to know, Leia. And I wish," here he sigh tiredly, " that I too could never have known about it, and that Han could be with us right now to tell me what a fool I've been"
Leia gently brushed back a lock of his hair, the motion distracting her from crying at the mentioned of Han and how Luke constantly blamed himself for Han's imprisonment. Luke caught her hand,and looked at her steadily.
"We will rescue Han, Leia,"he said, repeating his earlier promise to her aboard the medical frigate.
Leia nodded and stood up, her emotional well attempting to break apart. It hurt her that the empire had once again decided to strike those closest to her. Han was still part of a cargo in someone's ship while Luke, who had always managed to cheer her during her darkest time, now relied on her to do the same for him. She knew her feelings were probably raw enough
for Luke to catch up on to it, and she had no desire to allow that. She was a princess not only by stature but in spirit. She was in control of her emotions, and she did not want to add to Luke's already jumbled emotions.
Freeing her hand gently from his grasp, she stood up and headed towards the door.
"Rest, Luke. I'll tell Mon Mothma about your opinion." She smiled at him. "In the meantime, I'll have Too-Onebee check on you regularly to ensure that you would recover quickly."
Luke groaned at this, his calmness replaced with a defeated expression. "I'll rather have Threepio."
The princess smiled mischeviously. "In that case, I'll have Threepio AND Too-OneBee to accompany you more often. I know how you just love their mother-henning," she stepped quickly out of the room to avoid a retort from Luke, but nevertheless heard him cry her name out loud in indignation.
She shooked her head. Some things never change.
The dark dank smell of the cell only served to add tension and despair to the five bothans imprisoned within. Occassionally,a stormtrooper would stop by their cell and hand them some rotten piece of food that even made ration bars taste wonderful, as well as some stale drink to quench their thirst. Mitha'kla looked up from her corner of her cell where she was still trying to placid a sobbing Jeinn'nya who had lost her betrothed in the ensuing firefight two days ago. She frowned, noticing that Jin,who was sitting across from her, was staring at Jeinn'nya with a sad expression. He looked up when he noticed her gaze, but instead of acknowledging her,
he glanced away to the side, as if feeling somewhat responsible for the death of two of their comrades.
Well, he should be, she thought angrily. Mitha'kla's fur rippled with anger as she thought of how stupid he had been to allow two wasteful days for the rebellion to think over their offer. He had not negogiate skillfully, as should be for one of their race. Instead, they had allowed
him to talk it over with the general and had even agreed to his wishes as they believed that,according to custom, he still had power over the administration of the data. She cursed herself for not interventing during the talks,and for believing that he was right about the decision. It was by pure luck that Gein and Joft had managed to escape the onslaught with Seth.
She smiled triumphantly at the thought that she had managed to slip the data chips containing the plans to Gein by hiding it in the medallion he always wore around his neck, without his knowledge.
However,she was not able to slip in the other important data, the C-1728 data which could spell doom to the entire Bothan race. Only she and Jin knew of its existence, and it terrified her that the imperials might recover it. Jin had confided in her, when he had returned from wherever he had came from,that this was the only information concerning the Caamas incident which he had managed to steal from the emperor. He had also been horrified that the emperor had not destroy the data as was part of the contract, but had secretly kept it with the other prized information he had concerning the galaxy.
Mitha'kla was aware that most of the Bothan leaders had long suspected that the some of the Bothans had played a role in the Caamas incident,and she was scared for her honour as she too had been one of the guilty party involved.They had no choice in the matter,for they believed that their honour was at stake, and had even doubt the full capabilities of the empire in harming a planet then. How wrong they had been, and how the foolish of them to trust an emperor who would never kept his word. A few of the them had committed suicide after knowing what they had contributed to, while the others lived on with only guilt as their companion and the knowledge that the emperor would strike at them with that guilt.
And that was when Jin and his wife had suddenly disappeared, leaving their young son to the care of his aunty. He had later contacted them secretly and told them that he and his wife had decided to rejoin the empire to ensure that there was no data concerning the incident. He said that it was their love for their planet that they had done the sacrifice.The others had been mortified with his decision, for he had not discussed the matter with them beforehand.
He had been assured that it was the right choice, and Sinal'lya had blindly followed him into destruction. And he had been right,but at a cost.The emperor had indeed deceived them, holding their lives in his hand with the C-1728 data, so that he could demand their duty once again with it.
Somehow, Jin had managed to obtain it,and had stubbornly refused to destroy the data. She did not know his reasons for doing so,only that it had caused him to loose it again.
She gazed at Jin again, noticing the guilty look in his eyes. He had told her that he had managed to store it safely at a hidden place in the base and that he would retrieve it once the rebels managed to rescue them. He was positive that the rebels would come to their rescue, for they knew the importance of the other datas. She truly hope that he would be right this time.
Mon Mothma,ex-senator of the old republic and leader of the rebel Alliance,cast a quiet look to all who were present in the control room. Admiral Ackbar was standing near a console, conversing quietly with Princess Leia Organa while General Crix Madine sat on one of the plush chairs in the room , his thoughts to himself. Wedge Antillies, second in command in Rogue Squadron, shifted about his seat, feeling left out and uncomfortable among such high officials as he gazed nervously at other delegates who were present. Each of them became silent when they felt the piercing gaze of the regal leader.
" Each of you must be wondering by now why I have called an urgent meeting at such an unusual hour ."
Wedge smirked at that ,but was promptly silenced by Leia.
Mon Mothma continued "It has been reported to me that the empire has been secretly building a superweapon since their defeat in the Battle of Yavin.What this superweapon might be....is still unclear,but our spies have reported that this latest threat might spell doom for the rebellion."
There was a steady murmur around the room as each contemplate the disturbing information. They stopped speaking when Mon Mothma held up her hand in a gesture for silence. Before she could begin,the main door open to reveal Commander Skywalker . Mon Mothma arched an eyebrow as Luke strode towards her and bowed silently.
" Mon Mothma, forgive me for being late."
" You do not need to ask for forgiveness,commander. It is enough that you were able to attend this meeting. Please be seated," Mon Mothma said,gesturing to the seat next to Wedge. Luke bowed again and sat himself next to an elated looking Wegde , who hadn't seen his friendin ages.
Leia was a bit surprised that Mon Mothma had called Luke to attend the meeting as he had not recovered fully.
"As I was saying,the empire has been secretly building a massive superweapon. It has also been reported to me that some spies in the Bothan sector have successfully gain the complete readout of this new superweapon. However,we have lost contact with the bothanspies and can only presume that they are hiding themselves somewhere in the outer rim territories. Our last contact with them however, has pinpointed that their last destination was in the Arix system, on the Planet Aria. And, to send any kind of transmission to them would not only endanger their lives but that of the alliance as well. "
"In that case,a group must be sent at once to make contact with the Bothans,"Admiral Ackbar suggested, gesturing with his flippered hand.
Mon Mothma smiled and looked around the room."Yes,I have already discussed the situation with General Madine. He has already rounded up a group of two people to accompany him. Princess Leia ,it is also recommended that you be part of this mission. As an official for the alliance ,you would be able to help to appease the Bothans.....and I was wondering if Commander Skywalker could be part of this team. Your Jedi skills might be needed for this mission. "
Luke nodded his agreement silently. Mon Mothma looked questioningly at Leia. The old Luke (as Leia was used to refering to lately) would have jumped for joy at being chosen to be part of an important mission,especially if Leia was in it too.
"But is a small group enough to face whatever surprise the imperials might throw at them?" Wedge asked doubtfully.
Mon Mothma nodded silently to General Madine. The general cleared his throat.
"The idea is to sneak in as quietly as possible. And as for any unwanted surprise, I believe that the rebellion has faced far too many of them lately,and yet we were always prepared and ready. However, it is better if we gain the upperhand if we happened to run into some unwanted 'friends'. The Corellian frigate which we would be using may not look like much,but it is prepared for any assault on our ship."
Luke spoke up "If we are unable to communicate with the Bothans,how would we be able to meet with them. A planet is a pretty big place to search for them."
" We would be in contact with them when we are in the same system,thus we would be able to arrange a meeting place with them," Madine assured him.
After a few more debates about the mission, Mon Mothma glanced around the room silently.
" If any of you are still uncertain about the mission, please be free to express it."
As none replied her,she nodded "Good. And as for you, Lieutenant Antilles,you are once again commisioned to take over the command of the rogue squadron in the absence of Commander Skywalker," Mon Mothma proposed.
She nodded curtly."This meeting is adjourned."
Wedge heaved a sigh of relief, stood up and gave Luke a bear hug.
" H..Hey, take it easy Wegde!" Luke laughed.
" Luke! Where were you? You got the whole squadron worried sick when you didn't show up at the rendezvous. And what's this I hear of you fighting with Vader?" Wedge asked.
Luke only smiled grimly before slapping his friend's back.
" I'll tell you everything later,Wegde. Come,tell me what the squadron's been up to while I was gone." Slapping each other repeatedly on their backs while laughing, the two men exited the room.
Leia looked on amusingly, feeling glad that Luke was still able to laugh despite the heavy loud forming around his head. Mon Mothma strode towards Leia as the others exited the room.
" Leia, I would like to speak to you personally for a while, if you do not mind." Leia nodded,curious as to what Mon Mothma had to say to her.
" Although I have no right to pry, I believe that Commander Skywalker had been walking a dark path and has yet to recover from it." Mon Mothma said in a tone that she meant well.
Leia nodded. "Luke has been like this ever since we rescued him from the cloud city. I believed that it has something to do with what Vader .....did to him."
Mon Mothma nodded in understanding, but did not pry any further."I believe that his Jedi skills is improving,considering that he managed to survive the duel with Darth Vader. "
" Yes......."
" And that your heart still longs to find Captain Solo is unmistakable. " Leia nodded slightly, not surprised that the Alliance leader had known about her feelings.
" You are right. It has taken me a great effort to restrain myself from blasting into the unknown to find Han. I know that my allegiance lies here......"
" Which is why I assigned you to this mission, for the destination of this mission is only a few systems from Tatooine. After the mission is completed,you have my permission to begin your search on Captain Solo." Leia looked up in surprise.
" Don't be so shock, my dear. Lando Calrissian has already explained to me everything. "
" But Mon Mothma..."
" Please Leia, you have been like a daughter to me ever since your father died,and I know you well enough that your heart would never fully be with the Alliance if the other part of you still longs to find Captian Solo."
Leia blinked back sudden tears that seem to sprung out from her emotional well. For Mon Mothma to be able to release Leia from any important duties to search for the man she loves ......
" Thank you, " Leia managed to blurt out.
Mon Mothma smiled knowingly."And do keep an eye on Luke,but perhaps he is now more capable than any of us are in a time like this. May the Force be with you, Leia."
"And to you too," Leia said, smiling in gratitude before exiting the room.
"And may the Force be with everyone of us," Mon Mothma added quietly.
******
Luke Skywalker adjusted his tunic and turned to stare at himself in the mirror. He was now fully dressed in black,in an appropriate uniform which , he believed , that the legendary Jedi Knights of the past had worn. Although black was the symbol of evil,and of Darth Vader ,Luke believed that by projecting a dark image and having good intentions at the same time would confuse his enemies. It was also an act of defiance against Vader. Luke was still unable to bring himself to admit that the Dark Lord was his father. If the rebellion knew what he knew, he doubt that even his most trusted friends would be near him. But then........'They will believe you' a small voice in his head seemed to say.
"I wonder what Yoda might think,me dressed in black and all" Luke said to no one in particular. At the thought of the little Jedi Master, Luke thoughts grew grim. He had promised to return to complete his training ,but the alliance needed him and he had promised himself,and Leia,that he would rescue Han. Besides,he was not ready to face Yoda, to learn the truth
and why they had lied to him. Or perhaps it was Vader who had lied to him?
Luke closed his eyes ,remembering his own denial when Vader had revealed their blood ties on Bespin. Even know,he could 'feel' the truth in the Dark Lord's words.Vader had spoken the truth,and Ben had lied. But he did not feel any anger towards Ben, only sadness that his trusted friend and teacher had not revealed the truth. Luke grinned sheepishly. Perhaps it was best that Ben had not told him the truth back in Tatooine. He had been to naive and young then ,and with the truth that Vader was his father blasted in his face, he would have thought that Ben was a crazy old hermit!
With a sigh, Luke went into a Jedi trance to calm himself down. He had to focus on the present and be mindful of the future at the same time.The past would be dealt with later.
A beep at the comm interrupted him. Exhaling his thoughts,Luke broke out of his Jedi trance. Sensing through the Force, he smiled. "Come in ,Leia"
Leia walked into the room,dressed in a plain and simple suit but still managed to look beautiful. She arched a sceptical eyebrow at him. "I suppose that you knew it was me through the Force?"
Before he could reply ,Leia continued. "It's almost time to leave. Are you sure we should bring the droids?"
"Artoo would be able to store whatever the Bothan spies wants to give us in his memory banks, and Threepio might be useful if we come upon any natives in the Planet Aria. Besides,the two droids have been our trusted companions for a long time now," Luke pointed out.
Leia sighed deeply. Luke could be very persuasive when he wanted to. And his black uniform unerved her as he seemed to look more powerful. "Are you sure you're well enough for this mission?"
Luke frowned. "Leia,I'm not a kid anymore and I can handle myself well." He looked at the chronometre,adding "And there's no turning back now. Come on,General Madine's waiting for us in the hangar bay."
********
The general and two other officers were already waiting by the ship when Luke and Leia arrived at the appointed place. Luke noticed that one of the officers, a medium sized man with curly brown hair,was talking animatedly to the other officer,a dark-skinned woman with long dark hair, who was trying unsuccessfully to ignore his jabbering. Luke looked at the ship thoroughly. It was a modest looking Corellian frigate,enough to hold five passengers and two droids, but it still looked liked it was incapable of any heavy firepower, despite the general's briefing of the ship.
General Madine, sensing Luke's doubt, spoke up. "It may not look like much, but it is enough for us to sneak through any blockade around the Arix system."
" Assuming the empire doesn't reach us first," Leia added.
" Don't worry,princess," the officer with the curly brown hair said, smiling. "There is enough firepower hidden in the ship.We'll be ready for any attack on us."
" I've heard that before,mister..." Leia said, cocking an eyebrow at him.
" Major Coll Drew, at your service ma'am." he bowed, his brown eyes twinkling ." It's a pleasure working with you, Princess,and you too Commander Skywalker, "the officer said, shaking Luke's hand.
Luke smiled at the enthusiastic gesture. "Just call me Luke, " he told the major.
The other officer strode out. "And I'm Lieutenant Viola Dejinero," the dark skinned woman said. "Please to meet you both, Princess, Commander," she nodded curtly towards them.
At that point, Mon Mothma walked up to them.
" Leia, the alliance wish you all well on your journey. Do not disappoint us."
" We won't,Mon Mothma," Leia promised.
" Commander," Mon Mothma turned to Luke. "I hope that the Force will guide well you in this mission. Use your Jedi skills wisely."
" Yes, Mon Mothma." It still astounded Luke that the powerful rebel leader could understand the importance of his talent and accept it ,unlike the others who still feared his powers.
" General, I trust that you have chosen the right people to escort you in this mission?" Mon Mothma asked.
" Major Drew and Lieutenant Dejinero have proven themselves well before, especially in important missions like this one.We will not fail," the general assured her.
Mon Mothma nodded calmly."Then, may the force speed you well in your journey." They all bowed before her and strode up the landing ramp. Soon,the ship sped away,under the watchful eyes of the powerful rebel leader.
*******
A light bleep at the console interrupted the man's thoughts as he swiveled his chair to face the offending matter. A slight frown creased his forehead as he tried to understand the transmission. Abruptly it dawned on him, and his lips twisted into a sneer, not unlike the emperor.
So, the rebels had come to the rescue of the Bothans sooner than he had thought possible. Which meant that they had to be dealt with precisely. He clicked on a few controls to intercept the transmission and was rewarded when a man's voice was heard over the comm.
"...epeat, this is General Madine. If you are my contact, please transmit the proper code."
The man raised a skeptical eyebrow. So,it was the traitorous Madine who was leading the attack. General Veers would be pleased.
He cleared his throat and a perfect imitation of the illustrious Jin spoke up to the comm.
" General, this is Jin. We regret to have not contacted you in the agreed time.We had a problem with our communication console lately and had just repaired it," he said, adding a slight tone of embarrassment to polish up the act.
There was an obvious sigh of relief from the other speaker."We're glad that you had a communication problem, nothing more.When can we meet with you to discuss the matter?"
" We'll be waiting for you at sector thirty six point one two outside the planet Aria in exactly three hours time."
" That would be good.We'll try to make it on time," the general said.
" We await your arrival. Jin out"
" Madine out."
The man leaned back in satisfaction at the idea of finally assaulting he rebels. And of course, meeting with Madine again. But first,he needed to inform his master. Keying in the proper code, he began transmitting the report to the emperor.
General Madine stood at the helm of the ship, his eyes looking towards the vast space that greeted him.They had already made contact with the Bothans and were now flying to meet them at an apointed place around the planet's orbit. He sighed deeply,gazing at the stars. Even though it had been three years now,he could remember the last kiss he had shared with Kaerina. He could still remember how beautiful she had looked when he had told her that he had found her son. Her son. He cast his eyes at Commander Skywalker who was sitting near the controls.Was this the same boy he had rescued back then? Dressed in black and all, Luke was far from the easy going boy he used to be.And his haunted eyes resembled that of his mother when she had known how her fate would be. Madine knew of the duel between Vader and Luke, and how Luke had lost a hand in the battle. Could it be possible that....
Luke, sensing Madine's gaze, looked up enquringly at him. Madine nodded politely to him,and Luke smiled back before resuming his work. Yes,Vader must have revealed the truth. Madine's mind clouded at the thought that Vader could actually harm his own flesh and blood.
' Kaerina ' Madine asked silently ' did you forsee that this would happen?'
As if in answer, Leia strode up to him,still looking as beautiful as he had first seen her.
" Princess," Madine bowed slighty.
"General," Leia returned the bow. Together,they turned to look at the stars beyond, stars which represents planets, life and beings.
Leia sighed audibly.
" What is it,Your Highness?"
" When I was young, I used to look at the stars, hoping that my mother would return from wherever she had run to, so that I would be able to listen to her gentle, caring voice again. I could hardly remember her,and yet......I have always felt that she was always by my side,guiding me when I walked the wrong path and....." Leia looked apologetically at him. "I think you might be wondering why I'm talking like this. Is just that, lately, memories of my mother have been returning more strongly than before. And with this memories, I'm always reminded of Luke."
Madine spoke grimly. "Yes ,Commander Skywalker has been living in a dark cloud lately.It would do well if you talk to him."
Leia smiled at him,and for a moment , he saw Kaerina's kindly face smiling back at him. The vision shooked him,and he could barely controlled an audible gasp.
Leia, noticing the shock registering on the general's face enquired quickly.
"General, is something wrong?" she asked worriedly.
The beautiful vision vanished ,and Madine blinked his eyes to see a rather worried looking princess staring back at him. With a controlled breath,Madine replied.
" No...nothing,I...."
"General,we have incoming ships at sector three-seven," Drew yelled.
Madine rushed to the controls, with the princess close behind.
" How many are there?" he enquired.
" About three frigates, sir," Viola answered him.
" Are they the Bothan spies we are seeking?" Leia asked
" I'm not sure your highness, I...."
" What's going on?" Luke enquired.
Leia peered at the radar."It seems that there are three incoming ships heading this way.They might be the Bothan spies but we are not to sure about it"
" Send our transmission to them," Madine ordered.
" Yes,sir."
Luke closed his eyes and reach out with the force to intercept the minds of the people on board the ships. It was a strange sensation and Luke had yet to grasp it fully.
" Sir! They are sending the correct transmission, and are grateful that the ambassadors for the rebel alliance has finally arrived. They suggest that you follow their course to their hiding place"
Madine looked at the bluish planet of Aria, uncertainties forming in his head.
" Do you detect any kind of agression or shielding from any of those ships?" he asked Drew.
" No,sir. Besides,the markings on the ships resembles that of the Bothan race."
Madine nodded curtly. "Begin setting our course then"
At that point, Luke's eyes snapped open. "No!" he shouted "It's a trap! Pull away now!"
Drew looked at Madine uncertainly. "Sir..."
Madine, knowing the magnitude of Luke's powers ,ordered. "You heard the Commander.Break formation!" Before Drew could even reply, an array of TIE fighters came cascading towards the small rebel ship.
" Take evasive action!" Madine ordered. "Increase our shields to maximum power !'
" Let me handle the weapon controls. I can use the Force to manipulate them,"Luke volunteered, as Leia sat down on one of the seats and began turning the shields up.
Madine nodded, but Luke was already running towards the gun controls.
The general glanced uncertainly at the three armed frigates .' How in the worlds did the imperial knew when and where they would be arriving?' he thought to himself. It also occured to him the Bothans as well as the plans of the superweapon might be in the hands of the imperials at this moment. This,of course,meant that they might have failed completely in their mission.
But General Madine was a man who never gave up to fast or too easily. And what mattered most at the moment was that they would survive the attack and be able to report back to the alliance. He wasted no time and began barking orders to the others.
********
Aboard one of the Bothan frigates, General Veers smiled grimly to the imperial next to him.
" It seems that their famous rebel luck is not with them today."
The imperial merely nodded. " Of course,such attack on a small task force can hardly be deem victorious. "
The general threw a patient look at the man."According to our contact, that ship happens to hold the traitorous Madine." He forego the use of any title on any ex-imperials who defected to the rebels.
" At any rate," he continued ," we must follow our orders.We are only to disable the ship, not destroy its occupants , no matter how much it would please me. And without those blasted Bothans revealing anything despite our little 'interrogation', we can only rely on those rebel
scums to lead us to the hidden plans of the Death Star."
" Lieutenant," he turned to look at the man, "order the other frigates to prepare their main weapons and fire at the ship on my command. Remember, we want that ship disabled only so that it would never be capable of leaving the planet again. And remember to jam and intercept any transmission being broadcast from that ship. If our contact works according to plan,the rebels will be able allowed to escape, for the moment, unhurt."
The imperial nodded curtly and left the brigde.
General Veers peered at the ship with his an anger barely controlled.
" For the moment," he said,chillingly.
********
Luke Skywalker gritted his teeth as one of the stray shots from a TIE fighter above the ship came close to where he was strapped to his seat. With an effort,he tried to ignore the fear and anger arising within him at the sight of an overwhelming task force against a small ship like this, despite the general's assurance of the ships' weapon capabilities. He relaxed his mind as he used the force to manipulate his movements on the weapon controls.
He was rewarded when he managed to shot down three of the TIE fighters who had been to close for comfort and leveled the gun controls to the remaining TIE fighters. Major Coll Drew,who was at the other section of the weapon controls,gave out a whoop of joy as he also managed to shoot down some of the TIE fighters.
General Madine noted the progress of both the commander and the major with satisfaction, but he was still worried with the appearance of the three ships sitting innocently in the battle as if they were merely enjoying the view. The ships had yet to open fire on them. The general knew that it would not last. His fears were confirmed when Lieutenant Viola signaled for his attention with trembling hands.
" General!" Viola cried. " The computer is reading a massive power buildup in all three of the frigates! This could only mean..."
General Madine looked up from the main controls,trying to control the fear that might alredy be clearly seen on his face.
" Increase shields to maximum power!" he barked out his order to the princess.
" Shields increased, sir!" Leia answered,while adjusting frantically at the controls.
The general nodded, but he knew that despite the ships increasingly strong shield courtesy of the mechanics back in the rebel base, it was still no match for the power buildup that was at the moment focused entirely on their ship. His thougths grew grim. And if they did not survive this attack, the alliance would never have known what had happened to them,thanks to the imperials jamming them.
At that moment, Leia looked up frantically at the general as a blast exploded against the ship, thanks to the blasted TIE fighters flying around them.
" General,we just lost the starboard engines.We....."
A terrifying loud explosion cut off her speech and rocked the ship as the three frigates fired unmercifully at their ship. The occupants of the ship braced themselves against the onslaught,as they all tried to get a hold onto something. The ship shook with such an intensity as if a thousand banthas were ramming against the ship. And then,just as suddenly as it has started,
the three frigates stopped their firing and retreated from the currently disabled ship. As soon as the remaining TIE fighters boarded the frigate, the three ships went into lightspeed, leaving the doomed rebel ship to its fate.
*******