Above Shu-Torun, the Devastator lingered. From the vast Star Destroyer's hatch a shuttle departed, and it began making its way down to the molten world below.
The atmosphere of the planet enveloped the ship, surrounding it in a consuming crimson. Within minutes, the shuttle was already flying past the capitol's metropolis of clustered buildings, with their pristine steel-blue turrets, columns, and silver spires reaching outward, suitable for the reputation of Shu-Torun's mining culture.
The shuttle flew toward the Shu-Torun palace, and was immediately allowed access by flight security. Passing several projecting towers, the ship finally reached the platform of the palace hangar. It slowly landed, its flanking wings gracefully folded upon descent.
The ramp slowly dropped, and Vader strode down it. His broad form stood out like a dark pillar on the lucent platform. Following him was an assemblage of stormtroopers.
Another ship arrived afterward, if one could call it a ship. It was nothing like the elegant, durasteel design of the Imperial craft; it was that of a fleshy, aquatic-looking creature that was embedded with patches of machinery and metal plating. It landed and its jaws opened, revealing a well-lit walkway. Doctor Cylo and his fellow cyborgs emerged from it.
Rather than view them, Vader looked ahead, where awaiting them was the newly-appointed monarch of Shu-Torun, Trios. She stood with a pair of golden-armored guards, and was clad in similar armor herself. Her young eyes expelled nervousness despite her calm demeanor.
Vader was the first to address her, his troopers following, their bustled steps snapping loudly as they came to a stop.
"Queen Trios," he said slowly in his mechanical gravel. "It seems your people are in a hurry to ensure their own demise."
The young woman breathed in, and seemed determined to not avert her gaze.
"Lord Vader. We are... sorry to require the Empire's assistance yet again," she said in a reserved voice. "I have tried, but the ore-dukes refuse to listen. I believe —"
"Simply lead us to the ore-duke's delving-citadel. The walker military units will soon deploy from the Devastator. I will assume complete command, as your leadership is clearly not rectifying the situation. Let us go."
"Of... course, Lord Vader." She moved as if to turn, but paused, as her eyes caught the sight of the other man who was now approaching them. Cylo stood to the opposite side of the Dark Lord, hands held behind his back, and he regarded her.
"Greetings, Highness. I am Doctor Cylo," he said unceremoniously. "See to it that we are supplied proper surveillance equipment in the nearest station. I will also require a holomap of the area."
Trios looked from the Sith Lord to the doctor, and seemed inquisitive for a fleeting moment. But she bowed her head in obedience and turned, her blue cloak swaying.
"This way," she said to them.
Vader and Cylo followed her, an array of Imperial troopers and cybernetic human beings following in their wake.
Slightly bothered at having the rogue scientist walking alongside him as though they were equals, Vader focused on the view ahead. He studied the nearby palace, with its metallic structure against the dark red sky. In the distance volcanoes spurred, trailing down lightning-shaped paths of lava, reminding him of another such planet flowing with oceans of fire...
Vader was aware that Cylo was watching him, unsurprisingly. Impatient to be acknowledged, waiting to be provoked. Vader decided to oblige.
"I can see you will be proving your worth in this war, Cylo... by hiding from it behind a map."
At his remark, Cylo made an impassive frown.
"I am a scientist, Lord Vader," he said casually. "I think. I plan. I calculate." He blinked with his one human eye, while his replacement Rodian eye remained open, a dark orb as still and empty as an eye-patch. With his greying hair and thin beard, Cylo otherwise appeared as a middle-aged man, but was actually one of several bodies that the original had prepared, programmed with an "immortal" system that carried his memory and likeness. This one had activated when the last body had died — the body Vader had found when he first uncovered Cylo's identity.
Cylo held up his chin with an air of assurance. "I will be where I can be most useful, Lord Vader. And so will you... out in the battlefield, with all the other dispensable lifeforms."
Vader's angular mask faced forward, his stride as unhurried as ever. He was in no mood to waste time on Cylo's pomp. He was eager to get to the root of this planet's conflict, to strike against the insurrectionists, dominate Shu-Torun and secure its mineral resources. Then he would hold his victory before the Emperor and be free of this absurd "rivalry" with these abominations. Or at the very least, be closer to being rid of it.
"My life is not the one in question," he responded to Cylo. "Unlike you, I do not need to make copies of myself due to a tendency to die."
Cylo made a modest smirk. "A tendency that doesn't matter when you control the solution. Unlike you, I can invent machines that can grant me immortality."
"For a scientist, Cylo, you seem far swept in dreams."
"And you seem to forget that the Emperor himself has assigned us here. Darth Vader: mighty warrior, Imperial enforcer... He can wield burning swords and perform dark sorcery... And yet, here we are with him."
Vader continued his walk, appearing unaffected though secretly irritated. Evidently the scientist was going to be arrogant per usual, with all his shallow attempts to be seen as formidable. Vader could tell his patience would be tried while working with him on this mission.
"I am the Empire's enforcer," he said, his heavy voice concise as it filtered through the transmitter. "I have been so for decades. I have led many battalions and won many worlds over to the Empire, and this planet shall be no different. Its people will either comply or face the Empire's wrath."
Ahead of them, the young queen made a half glance behind her shoulder.
"It will be different because I will be the one who wins this war," snapped the scientist. "My creations, my mind, will be the key to lasting victory in the Empire. The galaxy has no use for pious Force-worshipping. You'll discover that soon enough."
Behind him, another woman nodded in agreement, closely followed by floating drones. Referred to as Voidgazer, she was also a scientist, and was fitted with headgear and blue, telescope-like contraptions that had replaced her eyes. The protruding caps beamed like minuscule moons.
"Only science can create progress," she declared in her flat, high-pitched voice. "The Empire needs genius minds more than brute force. The Emperor knows this. He knows those of us who have vision, those of us who will insure the future of —"
"And those who are stuck in the past," added another voice among Cylo's group, that of a round-faced young man, Morit, who walked alongside his sister, Aiolin. Like all of Cylo's creations, their bodies were implemented with cybernetics, though they appeared as normal humans. Additionally, to Vader's annoyance, they looked very Jedi-like, always wearing brown cloaks, and they had been trained in lightsaber combat.
"We will see... who lives to see such a future," Vader said darkly.
Trios had led them across the threshold of the mountainous structure where her palace sat. Sentries stood in place at the edges of the pathway.
"The guards will show you to into the palace. You can use one of the Abyssal Hall chambers for your work," Trios told Cylo, holding out her arm. Vader felt a grim satisfaction as he noted her decorative prosthetic; a result of the hand she'd lost on his previous visit, when she'd tried to pull a blaster on him.
Cylo nodded to the queen, but stayed for a moment.
"I will leave Voidgazer with you, Vader," he insisted, lifting a finger to beckon her. "I'm sure her drones will be most useful to your assessments"
Vader made no response. Voidgazer gave a curt nod and stepped away, standing to the side of Vader's fleet like she was a soldier herself. With that, Cylo left with the guards.
Vader simply said, "To the citadel. Now."
After having traveled through the winding tunnels of the underside, they came to a large cavernous opening, a blue surface cooled and eroded by time. Not far from them in a hollow gap there was a gigantic structure, a Shu-Torun mining refinery. It was copper-colored and composed of several bulky levels, and most notably equipped with giant cranks headed with saw-like devices, likely used for excavating the precious Shu-Torun ore.
"Attack," Vader commanded the fleet. "Surround the citadel."
The stormtroopers did so, advancing swiftly as they began blasting at the structure.
Vader was contacting the commanding operatives of the Imperial walkers when a huge blast of energy suddenly struck nearby, hitting the cliff not far from them. The citadel was armed with laser cannons. This was followed by a series of blaster lasers, aimed by distant soldiers that were now flanking from the factory's tiers.
"Voidgazer," he commanded as he pressed the ignition button of his lightsaber. "Send your droids out to monitor the structure from overhead."
She did so, motioning like a maestro as the spherical droids moved according to her will.
Trios, meanwhile, had brought out a blaster pistol and was shooting steadily along with the troopers.
Vader deflected the shots that came her way, harboring a trace of respect at seeing her involve herself in the battle, despite how useless her contribution was. It had obviously been the correct choice, making her the ruler. She had seen firsthand what happened to those who tried to resist the Empire: the sight of the treasonous king, her siblings, their loyal servants, all lying dead in the shadows of the throne room...
She was intimidated by Vader, she was the Empire's pawn, yet she had a strong sense of duty that Vader had found admirable for one so young. He had said as much when he'd been led to that trap set by her father, shut in the vast tunnel as lava had spilled through the ceiling.
Your father must be proud... Your father should be proud... You show an admirable willingness to sacrifice for the greater good.
He was cautious on giving compliments of any kind, and they had served no purpose then, not even to influence the princess. His actions had accomplished that. He had been surprised by his own words... And now as he continued his instinctive defense of the incoming attacks, he realized the princess was not the only youth he'd thought of when he spoke them.
Memories flew through his subconscious: a young man clumsily charging at him with a blue blade. X-Wings bursting into fire over Vrogas Vas, one of them targeting his TIE fighter, crashing into it. Vader amazed and taken aback; he had been more absorbed in the young presence than the impact from the collision. That fiery determination he sensed from the boy, the anger in him, anger that fueled him...
Another memory accompanied this one: a young painted face, a figure adorned in scarlet.
Swiftly, Vader banished that image, sent it into the tomb of his mind.
Another blast hit, and a piece of the rock shelter crumbled to the ground, almost falling on Trios and a few troopers. Vader inwardly berated himself for his distraction and focused himself back on the ongoing battle. He reached out to the Force to aid him, his lightsaber a red blur as he blocked more of the approaching blasterfire. Resolved to tell the young queen to remove herself from the battle, he held back the order as another cannon delivered another heavy blow ahead, killing several stormtroopers that were swept in an explosive cloud.
Vader grasped his armorweave cape, holding it out to shield the young queen as his saber warded off the beams of light that continued to fire.
—
—
"Is that the last of them?"
Aboard the bulk freighter, a large crate was being carried in by four stormtroopers, who lifted it from the boarding hatch. They set it down in the cargo area with all the other crates, all lit brightly and fit compact between the steel-grey walls.
The blue inventory droid monitored them, then turned to check a small screen. It entered some input, and then turned to the ship's captain, who stood near by. He wore a tired look on his pale face.
"Yes, sir," the droid said. "Seventy-four containers. Forty scout droids. Forty troopers. All accounted for and documented into the records, sir."
"Very good." The captain's brow, which had been wrinkled, slightly relaxed. "This should be our last trip. Looks like we'll finally be leaving this dust-heap. You—" He looked at one of the white-clad stormtroopers, who paused at being addressed, then took a step forward to him. "Inform the engineers to prepare for our departure. The rest of you, to your stations."
He turned on his heels to exit, the droid following him, and the door parted and closed after them with a swish. The stormtroopers and crew all scattered away, the lighting turned dim in the storage room as they left. It was quiet and dark.
Then one of the doors re-opened. The stormtrooper who had been singled out by the captain now stepped back inside. He looked around. The trooper then slowly made his way over to the collection of crates. Finally the trooper stopped in front of one crate in particular, and again he looked around his surroundings. Content that the area was clear, he lightly drummed his knuckles on top of the crate.
From inside, there came a dull knock in return.
The trooper detached the clasps of the seal lid, and it came off easily. From inside, there rose a bald, liver-spotted head.
"Well, you... uhf... certainly took your time with that." A human hand reached up, and took the other black-gloved hand that was offered to it.
Unsteadily, Thanoth hoisted himself up from his hunched position in the box. His face wrenched and he put a hand on his knee. "Oh blasted blazing bolts..."
"It was only about an hour," came the young voice as it filtered through the mask, and the trooper shrugged. "It's not like—"
"Only an hour, he says." Thanoth struggled to lift his leg over the edge of the container, and slowly managed to get out completely. He grunted. "I am simply not built for this stowaway nonsense... But, I suppose we should be relieved. Admittedly, your plan does seem to have worked. You were able to knock out the trooper that came to my call, and make your way to the transport in his armor. No one seems to suspect a thing..."
He stretched his arm, holding what looked like a handle, and as he pressed a button his cane snapped out, extending from it. He then patted down his wrinkled uniform, frowning.
"Putting an old man through this while you simply don a disguise is not what I call fair..."
The gaunt face of the stormtrooper helmet stared back at him, looking like a forever-frowning ghost. Then the young man pulled the helmet off over his head, revealing the tan-skinned face underneath.
"That was the deal," Luke said to him, catching his breath. "Artoo carries your safe; you still have your blackmail on me. You stay close to him and away from any comms or Imperials you could tip off. Besides..." He looked at the open crate and made a smirk. "He does make for an excellent traveling companion. Don't you, Artoo?"
A low beep came from inside the crate, and Thanoth frowned as he regarded it, rubbing his knee. Luke made a strong push at the container, continuing until it fell over. Its weight created a loud thud, and Artoo's dome dropped to the ground along with it. He let out a sharp whistle.
"Quiet," hissed Thanoth. "We mustn't draw attention to ourselves!"
"Right..." Luke heaved the little droid up, and gave the older man a skeptical glance. "So... what was that droid saying, about the records system? You didn't mention any of that before. You weren't accounted for. Weren't you one of the passengers?"
"No, I came to Vrogas Vas on another freighter. I chose to stay behind when it left. I wasn't finished with my research, and it was scheduled to return the next day. Multiple container transports make trips to battle sites such as this, and Vrogas Vas was quite a battle. It's quite standard for — "
"All right," Luke interrupted, distinctly reminded of Threepio. "So we're aboard now... What's next?"
"Well..." Thanoth made a sigh. "They'll know I'm not one of their party if I show myself, and that'll draw suspicion. No, it seems that, funnily enough, the Imperial in this situation must stay hidden, while the Rebel gets to walk around freely."
Thanoth eyed Artoo, whose lights blinked as he spun his dome, making his way over to Luke.
"Your droid on the other hand... They don't open up the cargo until they reach an Imperial facility, however there'll be sentries and surveillance... I hate to say it, but the crates do seem like the best place to hide. And the astromech, as you say, will have to stay with me. Out of sight."
The little droid let out a hum like a broken horn, and twisted his head left-to-right aggressively. Luke put a hand on him in reassurance.
"It's only for a little while, Artoo. Just until we reach the spaceport. Then we can hopefully start to get to the bottom of... all this." He looked expectantly at Thanoth. "Isn't that right, inspector?"
Thanoth was observing the rest of the cargo, all the identical metallic boxes sitting in the shadows. He seemed deep in thought, and didn't answer. Faint noises were coming from outside the room, the echoing bustles of steps. Luke grasped the plastoid helmet in his hands.
"They're readying for takeoff," said Thanoth, turning to him. "Well then, trooper, you'd best get to the engine room. Don't want to disobey a direct order. It should be down the east corridor, third quadrant. From there, go up the lift, and get to the stormtrooper's stations. Level 4, I think."
"Oh, you think? You mean you don't know?" Luke said sarcastically. He worked the white helmet back on, fitting it uneasily over his head. With it, his vision was almost completely gone. As Thanoth defensively went on about all he knew of class-four container transports, Luke fiddled with the outer controls of his helmet, hoping there was something to help him see better in this thing...
As he gradually went through different settings, he finally settled on one that brightened the view and offered a less narrow vision, and registered that Thanoth was still speaking.
"...I could be wrong, of course, but that should be the case. And since all stormtroopers are accounted for every two hours, you'll just have to make due, do your best to pass as a stormtrooper among stormtroopers. That could prove more problematic— "
"Oh, I'm sure it... won't be that hard." Luke let himself smile under the helmet, remembering the first adventure he'd had with Han and Leia aboard the Death Star. If they could see what he was up to now...
More echoes came from outside the door.
"I'll try to meet you two back here in... one hour. Okay?" Luke said dismissively, and he shuffled away towards the door. Before he pressed the button to open it, the diminutive droid made a pleading bleep at him.
"Artoo, you have to stay... Someone has to keep an eye on him." He motioned to Thanoth, who made a forced smile at him. "Don't let him out of your sight. I'm counting on you, Artoo."
With that, he opened the door and left them in the semi-darkness.
Thanoth stood there, both arms leaning on his cane. He frowned and looked at the droid, who was buzzing in discontent. A long, silent moment passed.
Then the droid suddenly made his way towards the inspector. He positioned himself right next to him, his three legs stopped, and his blue-and-silver dome sharply spun in his direction. The receptor locked in on Thanoth.
"Hm." Thanoth gazed at the machine in boredom. "Your master has an awfully lot of faith in your capabilities... Trusting an R2-unit to keep me here. No lock. Nothing to keep me from leaving and simply informing an officer of my plight... He's trusting to a fault, isn't he?" He shook his head. "Children."
Artoo whistled something back. Thanoth made a half-smile at the little droid.
"Well then. Do try to keep me in line, won't you?"
Artoo rolled forward with a sudden force, and bumped into Thanoth. The aged man started, but leaned on his cane, preventing himself from falling. He glowered at the droid.
"No awards for feistiness, I'm afraid. And remember, you carry my self-destruct safe. I can have your master's lightsaber obliterated on my command, and likely you along with it. Do not forget that."
There was a grazing sound. No sooner had Thanoth finished speaking then Artoo had brought out a small chainsaw from one of his plated compartments. It drilled towards Thanoth steadily.
Thanoth took a careful step backward, his eyes widening, but Artoo stayed close to him, keeping the chainsaw's rotating teeth inches away from his leg. The blade then made a sudden jab forward.
The inspector found himself nearly tumble as the blade cut into his cane, splitting it in half.
Thanoth blinked, and raised the handle, seeing the few inches left of it, the other half on the floor. He looked at the droid and raised his chin as if he were about to scoff. Then he stopped himself, and made a slight nod.
"Yes, well... A decent enough answer, I suppose," he said in a quiet, measured voice. "Fear. It always does get the point across best now, doesn't it?..."
—
—
The vented floor a made tin-like sound as Luke stepped, and he stopped and looked behind him, wondering where he was. He had been wandering around for almost half an hour. Following Thanoth's directions, he had informed the engineers to ready the sublight engines and the ship was now traveling in hyperspace — but now he was utterly lost. So much of the ship looked the same, and there was no sign of a lift like Thanoth had said.
More than once he had come across members of the maintenance crew in the halls, earning a few curious looks, but none spoke to him, and asking for directions was definitely out of the question...
He had now entered a narrow hallway, one with several doors on opposite sides. Various lights on control panels emitted on the walls. Again there was no lift as he'd hoped...
He looked around more, and on the reflective surface of a small hatch's viewport, he could make out the glassy image of a stormtrooper — or rather, of himself. His insides curled a bit at the sight of the plastic soldier staring back.
It was only two months ago that he'd been in this same scenario aboard the Death Star; and he had a feeling his plan now was even more dangerous than that had been.
Han was right, I am crazy, he suddenly thought to himself, looking away from the faint stormtrooper visage to the empty hallway. Sneaking on board an Imperial transport, planning to sneak onto Vader's Star Destroyer... You're as crazy as they come, Skywalker.
It was dead silent, so much that he was tempted to remove the bloated helmet just for a moment; the stormtrooper getup was as bothersome as he'd remembered and he was feeling more and more smothered by it. He tried to see if it had any built-in cooling system, but messing more with the helmet mechanisms only disappointed: he turned on a weather scan from his helmet, then turned on some kind of holocam. He shut them both off.
He looked to the utility belt on his waist. In the packets, he found an extra comlink, some kind of white cylinder — a detonator maybe? Then he found a pair of binders; he glumly tucked them back onto his belt and decided to give up.
He surveyed the lighted hall and all the identical doors. The panels indicated they were all locked. Luke passed them to proceed to the next room, trying to recall exactly what Thanoth had said.
"Up the lift... Level 4..." He wracked his memory to recall more, but nothing came.
Luke frowned, frustrated, and stopped in his tracks. Now his memory did bequeath something: Leia's orders, when she told him to return to the Rebel spaceport before he'd left.
He wondered about his friends in the Alliance. Were they already off somewhere new, endangering themselves on their own impossible missions, ones that were far more significant than his? Were they succeeding? Did they need him?
If he needed them and called for help... would they really not come? And if they didn't, could he blame them?
At this moment, standing in the cold light in the Imperial armor, Luke felt nothing like the Rebel hero that his friends hailed him to be. He was here, working with Vader's helper. He'd disobeyed Leia and ignored her and Han's objections to go to Vrogas Vas, and for what? To get back what was rightfully his — but his want for his father's lightsaber had only been used against him. Now here he was, wrapped up in this wild bantha chase led by a shady inspector...
And again, for his father's sake. Again, for a man who he'd never known... but for the chance that he could. A possibility that the hope of a stupid farmboy wouldn't be in vain, even if he didn't live long enough to see it become reality.
Suddenly Ben's warning rolled back into his mind: You were not ready before. And you are not ready now.
Luke exhaled, the warm breath adding even more uncomfortable heat on his face. For some reason his hand involuntarily neared the rifle at his hip.
But what am I not ready for, Ben?...
"State your business in this sector," came a sharp voice.
He turned around in alarm — which was difficult because the leg plates prevented him from moving too fast — and he saw a rather intimidating looking droid, built with broad shoulders and red-lit eyes that now watched Luke's every move.
Where had it come from?... Confusion shot through his nerves, but was short-lived as he saw that there were corners leading to compact areas near the entrance which, thanks to his less-than-reliable helmet-vision, he hadn't noticed before.
He felt his breath quicken, but he quieted himself. He decided to straighten his posture, to mimic the uniform posture of an Imperial soldier. He had passed as one of them before. He had to stay calm.
"Nothing to worry about," he said, as casually as he could. "I thought I picked up something strange and came in here to check the area. It must've been a... glitch in my audio sensors."
"Error. Troopers are not stationed at this sector. Troopers are not stationed anywhere near this sector."
"Of course not," Luke said quickly. "I was sent here to check a malfunction. Looks like it was nothing. I'll just... get out of your way and —"
The droid strode to him, its mouthpiece like a collection of melted needles. ""Error, incorrect statement. Sentry droids are contacted of all reported malfunctions on vessel. All stormtroopers are currently in the navigation decks to secure operations."
Luke froze, his heart pounding and his teeth clenching. Thanks for the help, Thanoth...
"Yes. Okay," he said slowly. "This has all been a mistake then. So... I'd better get back to my — "
Then he heard the sharp clicking of metal, and before he could move an inch further the sentry droid had pulled out a blaster from its arm. It pointed it at him, the weapon's red-orange ray activating.
"Halt," it said in its crisp voice. "I am informing an officer of this error. Move and I will fire. You are under arrest."