Leia hurried through the corridors of Home One, moving as fast as she could to reach the command room. She slowed slightly as she entered a busy hallway, not wanting to spark concern in any of the patrons; there was already enough commotion on the Alliance's command ship; she didn't need to add to it.
The young messenger struggled to keep up with her long strides and was beginning to sound breathless as he explained the situation to her at her request.
"The transmission was intercepted just over an hour ago," he panted as they rounded a corner. "Our tech teams worked as fast as they could to decrypt it. High Command has been informed and they are awaiting your presence."
Just over an hour to decrypt, Leia mused. That was either exceptionally good work from the Rebel techs or just lazy encryption from the Imperials. And neither situation seemed likely. Not that the techs were bad at their jobs or anything - it just usually took a lot longer to decrypt an Imperial transmission, especially a video. But that would mean that the Imperials hadn't been as careful with their encryption as they usually were. And that meant that there was most likely more to this situation than just what appeared on the surface. The Empire was never lazy and they changed their encryption codes on a regular basis. They would not slip up now - especially when the transmission concerned Luke Skywalker, one of the greatest threats to their tyrannical government. No, the interception of this transmission had not been pure chance; it had been meant for them.
Leia was just about to ask where in the galaxy the signal had come from, but she stopped short as she reached the command room. The doors slid open and she took a step in.
But that was as far as she went.
Because her attention had immediately been caught by the viewscreen and the footage that it was playing. And she was horrified. She didn't even notice the command council turn around to face her and she especially didn't notice the sympathetic expressions on their faces. She just stared at the viewscreen, her mouth hanging slightly open and her heart racing a thousand miles per second. She felt sick. Just everything about the footage made her feel sick.
And not only did it make her feel sick, but it also brought back memories of her own Imperial torture. But that seemed like nothing to what Luke was experiencing.
He was strapped to some twisted looking machine and every now and then a bolt of electricity would shoot through him, arching his back and straining his muscles, making him writhe in pain. And he was screaming. That was what struck Leia the worst - his agonising, painful, strangled screams that never ceased. Even when the electricity stopped, Luke kept on screaming, pleading it for it to end.
Leia slowly made her way over to the command council who were gathered around the viewscreen, her gaze never leaving Luke as the footage looped over and over. This was all her fault. She should have done something! She could have stopped this!
Then the viewscreen went blank and Luke disappeared. But the image of him straining against his restraints and the sound of his screams never left Leia's mind. She blinked and swallowed back the emotions that were once again threatening to break loose. It amazed her how quickly she had lost her self control over the past day. Years of diplomatic training and interaction had taught her how to control her emotions and not let them show. But the events of one day had blown her training to pieces and she was right back to where she had started: an over-emotional youth whose lack of self restraint might just end up being her doom.
"Princess Leia," a quiet voice addressed her, snapping her out of her daze. "This is distressing footage of Commander Skywalker - "
Leia looked to the person who was speaking and instantly felt her insides churn with anger as she recognised him and remembered the last time she had seen him.
"And you had the nerve to call him a traitor," she snapped angrily, cutting the man off. The man stuttered and looked significantly taken aback by her outburst. "You -"
"Leia."
Leia bit off the insult that she had been about to throw at the man and turned to face Mon Mothma, who was giving her a disapproving yet weary look.
"Those accusations have been recalled and apologised for," Mon Mothma continued calmly.
"Good," was all Leia could respond to that statement. She was still fuming inside at the man standing opposite her - the one who had first made the accusation. Her outburst had stunned him into silence and now he was standing quietly to the side, lips locked lest he attract her wrath again. It was all very well and good that he had apologised for his actions, but Leia was not in the mood to forgive him. The accusation that Luke was a traitor had hurt her deeply and shaken her confidence in the command council. A lot of them had so readily turned on Luke that Leia feared for the stability of the Alliance. They were already fighting one war; they didn't need another.
But at the moment it seemed that the interception of the horrifying footage had brought everyone back into their right minds. If she was going to press them for anything, now would be the time.
"Were we able to locate the origin of the transmission?" Leia asked, pulling herself back together.
Mon Mothma gave her an approving look at her change, but shook her head.
"The signal was bounced around too much before it reached us," she explained. "We were able to narrow it down to a number of sectors, but no more than that."
Leia nodded. That would make it hard to plan a rescue.
Taking a deep breath, Leia mentally prepared herself for what she was about to say next. No doubt everyone was thinking it but no one had as of yet had the guts to voice it.
"So, the Imperials know we're here," she said. A couple of people shifted uncomfortably and a grim mood fell over the council. "That transmission was intended for us. They made sure that we would intercept it and decrypt it with relative ease, but were careful enough to not give away their location. We don't know where they are, but they know where we are. You all know what that means."
She looked around at the council and she could tell from their faces that they did indeed know what it meant.
"We have a security leak," Admiral Ackbar acknowledged grimly.
Leia nodded.
"But we knew that right from the start," said the man who had called Luke a traitor. Leia shot him a glare, but he wasn't meeting her gaze. "Right from the beginning of this mess, we knew we had a security leak," he continued. "How else would the Empire have known the route of the scout ship? Whoever is leaking information knew about the scout groups and they knew the location of the rendezvous point."
"That is correct, Commander Lears," said Ackbar, nodding in the man's direction. "And it makes for a lot of potential suspects. But that is not our major concern at the moment; Commander Skywalker is."
Lears gave a short, humourless laugh. "Oh, and he should be," he muttered.
Leia shot him another glare. "What are you implying?" she growled at him through gritted teeth, her patience wearing thin with the man.
Lears' eyes flickered around the council, then focused on Leia. He had everyone's attention and he was planning on making the most of it.
"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, raising his neatly trimmed eyebrows in a question. When he didn't get a response other than Leia's fiery glare, he continued, "Commander Skywalker is the security leak."
Leia barely resisted the urge to slap him. "And, so, what you're saying is that Commander Skywalker, the hero of the Rebellion and probably the most loyal person on this ship, gave the Imperials information and then handed himself over to be brutally tortured?" she snapped back at him, waving her hand at the viewscreen. "I fail to see your logic, Commander."
"No, you're too blinded by your love for him to see the truth," Lears retorted. "Can't you see? It's all just an act! Skywalker knew the routes of our scouts ships and he was one of the few to know the location of the rendezvous point before it was issued to the rest of the fleet with the retreat order. And if you think about it, Your Highness, how else would the Imperials know of our location considering that they left before our retreat order was given and the coordinates for the rendezvous were sent out?"
"Anyone could have sent out the coordinates after we arrived," Leia growled back.
"But we would have known," countered Lears. "All transmissions from the fleet are monitored. Anyone trying to leak information would be caught."
"Then why wasn't Commander Skywalker caught when he was supposedly leaking the routes of the scout ships?" Leia bit back with venom. She would not let Lears win this.
"Well, I wouldn't underestimate him, Princess," Lears responded darkly. "He is a Jedi and they cannot be trusted. The only other known Force user is Darth Vader, and if you were Skywalker wouldn't you do anything to be reunited with one of your kind?"
Leia laughed. Well, that was enlightening. "So, that's your reasoning behind all this?" she asked, eyebrows raised in dark amusement. "Commander Skywalker being a Jedi is what makes him guilty? If that is your stance, Commander, then your knowledge on the topic is clearly limited. The fact that Luke is a Jedi is what should immediately clear him of such insulting accusations. The Jedi are protectors of the peace not its enemies and they should be the least of your concerns next to the threat of the Empire. Luke would never align himself with Vader. The two are as different as night and day, Commander, so don't you dare accuse Commander Skywalker of being a traitor. His surrender was a brave act and is what secured my safety as well as yours. So, if you don't have anything useful to say on the matter of his rescue, then I suggest you leave."
There was silence as Leia glared at Lears and he back at her. Everyone else in the room was tensed, not game enough to make a move against either of the two warring council members. Leia was visibly fuming, fists clenched and jaw tight - a very intimidating figure.
Lears narrowed his eyes but drew back.
"You have too much faith in your friend," he hissed as he collected his datapad from the table in front of him. "One day you'll see the truth."
And with that, Lears stormed from the room.
The rest of the command council watched silently as the doors swished closed and then they turned their attention to Leia. She tensed, expecting to be dismissed from the meeting due to her explosive behaviour.
But Admiral Ackbar simply turned to the council and said, "Now, to the matter of Commander Skywalker's rescue."
Leia let out the breath that she hadn't realised she had been holding and turned her mind to the meeting, momentarily letting go of her anger towards Lears and her fear and concern for Luke. Her friend was running out of time and they needed a plan of attack. Mind you, they also needed a location, but for now, the best they could do was come up with a few good rescue strategies. The rest they would work out later.
If they ever figured out where the Imperials were, that is.
.
.
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Luke stared blankly up at the grey ceiling as he laid flat on his back on the floor of his cell. He didn't have enough energy or enough strength to pull himself up onto the bench. It had taken all of his willpower just to reach up and pull his poncho from the cold, grey slab, draping it haphazardly over his shivering body in a hopeless attempt to keep his body temperature normal.
Every now and then he would shudder as screams pierced his mind and the memory of the bright, blazing electricity returned to him, making his body tense in anticipation of the white hot pain. But it never came.
Vader, it seemed, had given up on torturing him. After his outright and final refusal to join the Dark Side, Vader had almost killed him, sending shocks of electricity through him at a murderous pace. Luke was still shaking now from the intensity of the pain and it had been hours since that final round of torture. But he had never given in, even as he had felt death making its approach. He would rather die than join the Empire and it seemed that Vader had finally realised that. The torture had stopped abruptly and Luke had then been pumped full of drugs once again. He had then been tossed back into his cell and he hadn't had contact with anyone since.
Or at least he thought he hadn't. Luke frowned. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember what exactly had happened after he had been locked up again. He supposed there wasn't much to remember, but something seemed off. It was like parts of his memory were missing. There were black spaces where there should be colour. He had been awake the entire time - the drugs had made sure of that - but it was as if he had been sleeping. And now that he was awake, his dreams were fading fast from his grip. What had happened?
His instincts told him that it was all in his mind and that he was just overthinking it. But he couldn't shake the feeling that something might have happened between then and now. What if he had told them something…
No. He would never let anything slip about the Alliance. And, after all, that was not what Vader was after. He was after Luke and nothing more. Vader's path to victory was not through petty secrets and trivial pieces of information - it was through Luke, his son, who had the potential to become the most powerful Sith ever, if he could be turned.
Luke sighed and moved the troubling thoughts to the back of his mind where they wouldn't bother him. There was nothing he could do about it now anyway. He would just have to remain confident in himself and in the fact that he would never willingly betray the Alliance.
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Leia stepped into the lift and keyed for one of the lower levels. The meeting had gone surprisingly well. They had come up with a number of decent rescue strategies that would work in a number of situations, giving the leeway they required for their current lack of knowledge about the Imperial fleet's position. Once she had been satisfied with their progress and the detail of their plans, she had called the meeting off and made her way to the turbolifts. Because something else had come up in the meeting that she had been too distracted to see before.
The lift came to a stop and Leia exited into yet another white-walled corridor.
The imperials knew their location, yet they had not made any move to attack. All they were doing was taunting them, using the torture footage to make them scared. But why hold off? A surprise attack immediately after another surprise attack would have been a crushing move had the Empire chosen to make it. But they hadn't. And that meant that they had something else planned.
Leia stepped into a small room filled with technical equipment and people sitting at desks tapping on datapads. She made her way through the rows of tables to the door at the end of the room and knocked twice on its shiny, white surface.
They had been unable to determine the origin of the transmission due to the bouncing technique that the Imperials had used. However, if they were to receive another one, they would be able to narrow the location down significantly, even perhaps to the point of knowing the exact system. And Leia had a feeling that another transmission was coming their way. It was a good tactic - taunting the enemy on purpose but making it look like an accident. The Imperials obviously knew that they would ultimately reveal their location and that the Rebels would then come screaming in, weapons drawn to save their Commander. And that clearly meant it was a trap.
The door slid open and Leia was surprised to see the face that was welcoming her in.
"Skyro!" she exclaimed at the sight of the young captain. "I wasn't expecting to find you down here. What are you up to?"
"Oh, not much, Your Highness," commented Skyro casually as he ushered her into the small, white room. "Just popped in to see if I could give my buddy, Enzo, here a hand," he said, gesturing to the young man seated in front of a computer display.
"Just a hand?" Enzo repeated incredulously as he spun around on his chair to face Skyro and Leia. "Don't let him fool you with his modesty, Your Highness. Skyro's the reason we were able to narrow the trace on the Imperial transmission down as far as we could."
"Oh?" Leia asked, looking to Skyro with raised eyebrows.
He shrugged, mumbling, "It was nothing."
"Nothing?" Leia repeated. "Pilot, soldier, skilled technician… Is there anything you can't do, Captain?" she asked with a smile.
"Well…" replied Skyro, scratching his head and looking playfully thoughtful. "Not that I can think of," he replied with a smirk.
Enzo rolled his eyes. "The way he goes from modesty to arrogance in a millisecond never fails to amaze me," he murmured. Then he turned to Leia and stood up, offering her his hand. "I'm Enzo, by the way. Enzo Rendar."
Leia took his hand and shook it with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Enzo," she replied. "I'm Leia."
Enzo nodded in acknowledgement and then sat back down, swivelling to face the data display once again. "I'm assuming you're here to see the data we obtained from the transmission, Your Highness?"
"You are correct," she replied, leaning down to look at the display as Enzo brought up a map of the galaxy.
"So, these are the sectors that the Empire could potentially have been in when making the transmission," Enzo informed, pointing to the various star systems encased in a large yellow circle on the map. "Due to the bouncing, there are also a couple of possible candidates outside of this main region." He tapped on the screen and two green circles appeared a fair distance away from main yellow one. "Although it's unlikely."
"I see," Leia murmured, scanning the map. "And if we receive another transmission, how much further will you be able to narrow it down?"
"We'd pretty much have them," chimed in Skyro. Leia turned to look at him. "Assuming, of course, that they made both of the transmissions from the same place."
"So, we would have the system?"
"Yes," Skyro replied. "We'd have the system, the Imperials and Commander Skywalker."
Skyro's grin slipped as he said Luke's name.
"Speaking of Commander Skywalker," he said quietly. "I'm very sorry for what has happened. I know I'm not supposed to know about what the transmission contained, but I had to have it open when I was working on tracing the signal. I won't speak a word of it to anyone, Your Highness, I promise. I wouldn't dare to, anyway. It's my fault, after all. All of this is my fault…"
"It's okay, Skyro," Leia whispered as she put a comforting hand on his arm. "It's not your fault."
"No, but what if he dies?" Skyro looked panic stricken. "If he dies, then it's my fault! I don't think I could live with myself if that happened!"
"Skyro," Leia murmured, holding him still and looking him in the eyes. "Listen to me. It's not your fault. You didn't have control over your actions and there was nothing you could do. I don't blame you for this, Skyro, and neither does anyone else. It's not your fault, okay? It's mine."
Skyro looked at her questioningly and was about to argue her last statement when she cut him off.
"But that doesn't matter right now. Luke's strong. He'll hold out," she whispered, more to herself than to Skyro. "We'll get him back."
"I hope so, Your Highness," Skyro murmured back. "I really do."
"So do I. And would you quit calling me that?" she added playfully with a smirk.
"No chance, Your Highness," Skyro replied, his melancholy expression replaced instantly with a grin.
Leia sighed. "Well, I just thought I'd try."
Her attention was then caught by a small flashing light on the data display which was accompanied by a high-pitched beeping sound.
"What's that?" she asked Enzo, pointing to the display.
"Transmission," he replied distractedly as he keyed frantically at the data display, bringing up various boxes and tapping in complex algorithms as he spoke.
"Is it-"
"Yes."
Another transmission from the Imperials.
Leia watched anxiously as Enzo worked away at the data display. What would they send them this time? More of Luke, no doubt, Leia thought as the symbols on the screen changed rapidly in front of her. Her insides fluttered and she had to hold onto the back of Enzo's chair to keep herself steady. The first transmission had been bad enough. What horrifying footage was waiting for them now at the other side of the decryption? Leia felt like she didn't want to know.
"How long will it take to decrypt it?" she asked tentatively, not wanting to interrupt Enzo's concentration.
"About five minutes or so," Enzo replied as he keyed a final algorithm into the computer and leaned back in his chair. "I'm running the decryption now."
Leia frowned. "Only five minutes?" That was an awfully short time, especially when the previous one had taken almost an hour.
"Yeah. It's the same encryption code as the last transmission," Enzo explained. "The computer's already broken it once. After that, decryption is simple."
"I see," Leia murmured.
Enzo turned around to face her.
"I know it's not my place to ask," he started hesitantly, "but these were no chance interceptions, were they?"
"I'm afraid not," Leia sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"Wait, what do you mean?" Skyro asked, looking slightly puzzled. "You're suggesting that the Imperials are purposely leaking footage of Commander Skywalker and in turn also revealing their location? Why would they do that?"
Leia hesitated, unsure of whether or not she should tell them High Command's current opinion on the matter.
"You can trust us," Skyro added, looking to Enzo who nodded readily in return. "I mean, I just spent hours undergoing rigorous psychological evaluation and I passed. And Enzo here wouldn't be on this job unless he was the most trustworthy person out. You have our word, Your Highness. We won't tell anyone what you tell us."
Leia sighed. He did have a point. And in any case, what was the point of hiding the truth when it would all be revealed soon enough when they set out to rescue Luke?
"Yes, we believe that the Imperials are indeed purposely leaking the footage," Leia began. "The first encryption was incredibly lazy, which suggested to us that there was something more going on than just a chance interception. We have discussed the issue at length and now believe that the Imperials intend to lure us into a trap."
"And we're gonna walk right into the trap, aren't we?" Skyro sighed.
"Yes, but not blindly," Leia replied. "We know it's a trap and we know they'll be waiting for us. We can work with that. And anyway, we have no choice. The longer Luke stays aboard the Executor, the more likely it is that he won't survive."
Skyro sighed again. "They do make us fight for it, don't they?" he mused.
Leia nodded quietly and then flicked on her commlink, keying for High Command.
"This is Leia," she spoke into the transmitting device as soon as she was acknowledged. "We've received another transmission. It's being decrypted now and will be forwarded to the command room as soon as it is ready."
"Thank you, Leia," Mon Mothma replied. Her voice sounded calm but Leia knew that the Rebel leader was concerned underneath. She was just very good at hiding it. And that was what made her such a good leader.
Leia switched the commlink off and looked at the screen.
"How much longer?" she asked.
"Not much," Enzo responded. "It's almost done."
"Shouldn't you be returning to the command room, Your Highness?" Skyro asked, turning to look at her.
"Honestly, I'd prefer to stay here," she replied as she thought back to the confrontation with Commander Lears. She did not want to face that again anytime soon because she knew that if she ever saw that arrogant look on Lears' face again, she would waste no time in smacking it off. She was sick of people fearing things that they did not understand and instantly blaming them whenever something went wrong, especially when it concerned her friends.
Wisely, Skyro decided not to press her on that. Instead, he turned to the display as it flickered to black.
Then an image appeared and Leia's breath hitched as the footage began to play. Luke was no longer strapped to the wicked torture machine. Instead, he sat at a cold, metal table, looking thoroughly worn and exhausted. His wrists were bound but he was otherwise unrestrained. Seated across from him was a man dressed in an Imperial uniform and to the side stood the intimidating figure of Darth Vader.
The interrogator spoke first. "State your name and rank," he commanded Luke in a dull, monotonous voice.
Luke shifted in his seat but did not respond and Leia took the chance to examine him closer. Through the slight static of the recording she could tell that the torture had definitely taken its toll on the young Jedi. Luke's hair was jagged and scruffy, looking messier than Leia had ever seen it, and his grey Alliance fatigues were sweat stained and torn in places. He had been through hell.
"State your name and rank," the interrogator repeated, more harshly this time.
"Luke Skywalker," Luke croaked, his voice broken and hoarse from the torture. "Commander of the Alliance to Restore the Republic."
"Will you cooperate willingly in this interrogation?"
"I will," Luke murmured, shifting in his chair again. It looked as if he was struggling to keep himself up. No doubt, he had been prevented from sleeping as a part of the torture, and whatever drugs they had used still seemed to be in his system, judging from the blank, not-entirely-there expression on his face.
"What is the current location of the Rebel fleet?" A test question, obviously. The Empire already knew their location, they were just testing Luke to see if he would tell the truth or not.
"Hoth," Luke answered hoarsely after a moment's contemplation. Leia felt her stomach jitter with nerves.
"And what is the location of the current Rebel base?"
Luke looked significantly confused as he struggled to make sense of the question through his drug-induced stupor. "There… isn't one," he replied slowly, his voice breaking midway and becoming extremely cracked and gravelly. "Just… Hoth."
"So, the Rebels plan to set up another base on Hoth?" the interrogator asked.
Luke shook his head. "Hoth… was just the rendezvous point."
"Then where are they headed next?"
"Somewhere far away where you'll never find them," Luke replied with more determination this time, a hint of his usual rebellious self shining through.
"You said you would cooperate."
"I don't know where they're going."
"I don't believe you."
"I'm telling the truth."
Leia felt considerably relaxed. As much as she hated to admit it, she had thought for a moment there that Luke would tell them everything. With all that he'd been through, she wouldn't blame him if he did spill all their secrets. Mind you, he wouldn't do it willingly, but a severe lack of sleep always tended to twist the mind in ways that not even drugs could match. Luke probably couldn't even tell if he was awake or not right now.
But her comfort at Luke's defiance disappeared instantly as the interrogator turned to Darth Vader.
"My Lord?"
Vader didn't move but Luke tensed visibly.
"No," he whispered as he gazed at the Dark Lord of the Sith, fear evident in his voice. "No… No! No! No!"
Luke's shouts of protest grew steadily louder as he stared at Vader. Leia frowned. Vader wasn't even doing anything. But then Luke's hands shot to his head and it all made sense. Vader wasn't doing anything physically - he was doing it mentally. And Leia felt sick. Luke was screaming now, clawing at his head with his bound hands and shaking visibly in his chair.
"I'll tell!" he yelled, his voice high and broken through his screams. "I'll tell you everything!"
He continued writhing for a few more seconds, pleading for the mental attack to stop at the top of his lungs. And then he was suddenly still. His eyes were blank and his back was rigid.
"You'll tell us everything?" the interrogator asked.
Luke nodded slowly. "Everything."
"Then let's start with the topic of the Rebellion's new base. Where is it?"
"There isn't one," Luke replied simply.
The interrogator looked angry and was about to turn back to Vader, but then Luke continued.
"The Alliance currently has no permanent base of operations and they have not yet decided on the location of their next one. But I know the list of possible candidates."
The interrogator smiled at the progress. "And what are the possible candidates?"
And Luke listed them - all nineteen potential locations for future Rebel bases. Leia's stomach dropped. Whatever Vader had done, it had worked.
"Thank you," came the smug voice of the interrogator. "And now, tell me what you know of the Rebellion's plans."
Luke opened his mouth to answer, but he was cut off by the mechanical tones of Vader.
"That is enough for now, Lieutenant."
The interrogator looked as if he was about to protest, but Vader continued.
"The prisoner must learn that the Empire is not so easily forgiving and that he cannot escape punishment by giving us what we want. His compliance may be rewarded in the future, but for now he must face the punishment for his previous lack of cooperation."
The door to the room slid open and two stormtroopers entered.
"We will continue this conversation later. Take him away," Vader commanded.
And the screen flashed back to black as Luke screamed out in protest.
Leia cursed under her breath and heard Skyro do the same, only a little louder. This was not good. This was not good at all.
She had to get back to the command room - and quickly, before Commander Lears had the chance to sway the council his way. And with the footage that he now had, he would not waste any time in trying to convict Luke as a traitor.
"Get me the location," she ordered quickly as she bolted from the room.
Skyro nodded and hurriedly got to work.
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.
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"Ah, Princess Leia," came the gloating voice of Commander Lears as Leia stormed into the room. "Isn't this a surprise?"
"Don't you start!" she snapped, her finger pointed at Lears as she cut him off and made her way over to the main table. Lears looked affronted but shut his mouth nonetheless.
"Mon Mothma," she addressed as she turned to face the Rebel leader. "I respectfully request with urgence that we go after Commander Skywalker as soon as we have the location."
"I think that would be a wise," Mon Mothma replied, her voice calm and authoritative in the tense silence.
"I object," called Lears.
"Of course you do," Leia bit back at him, but the Commander wasn't put off by her anger this time.
"Why waste precious time and resources on a traitor like Skywalker?" Lears continued, ignoring Leia's vicious glare. "Let's face it. If we embark on a rescue mission, it will no doubt lead to battle and the loss of countless innocent lives. And there's no guarantee that we'll be successful anyway. Are you willing to take that risk, Your Highness? Are you willing to sacrifice hundreds of lives all for the man who has just betrayed the Alliance by giving valuable information to the Imperials?"
"Luke's not a traitor, Lears," Leia hissed. "Didn't you see him? He has been drugged and tortured. Mentally abused, even! He hardly gave them anything!"
"'Hardly gave them anything?'" Lears scoffed. "No, he hardly gave them anything at all… Just all the possible locations of our future bases!"
"Well, it was damn less than what you'd have given them had you been in Commander Skywalker's situation," she retorted, her anger now fully out of control. Oh, how she wanted to punch Lears right in his stuck-up, Corellian face.
"And, anyway, who knows what else he's told them," Lears continued, ignoring the slight that had just been fired at him. "We have no idea when that footage was recorded. It could have been half a day ago, for all we know! Skywalker could have told them everything by now. And you want to go rescue him!"
"He would do the same for us," Leia snapped back. "I won't leave him to die aboard the Executor at the hands of Vader!"
"It's what he deserves," hissed Lears.
That was it. He had gone too far.
Leia bolted at the Commander, fist pulled back and ready to punch. But she never even got close to Lears. Suddenly she was struggling in mid air, caught in the restraining arms of the other council members.
"Let me go!" she yelled, her eyes swimming with angry tears. How dare he say that about Luke! How dare he! "I said let me go!"
"Leia. Commander Lears." Mon Mothma's voice was cold as she spoke their names, clearly conveying her disapproval.
Leia struggled one last time and then gave up, relaxing into the arms of the council members. She shot a filthy glare at Lears, who was also being restrained, and then turned to face Mon Mothma. But she had no intention of apologising for her actions.
"In the interest of resolving this conflict quickly," Mon Mothma announced to the group, her voice slightly warmer than before but still holding a clear warning in its tones, "I call for a vote. All those in favour of rescuing Commander Skywalker, please raise your hand."
Leia raised her hand without question, as did a number of the other delegates. Some of the council members were more reluctant, however, but when they looked from Leia to Lears, they too, raised their hands. In the end, only Lears and two other council members were left without their hands in the air.
"Then it is decided," Mon Mothma stated, lowering her own hand.
Leia couldn't help the victorious smirk that spread across her face as her faith in the command council was restored.
Mon Mothma turned to Lears, her gaze hard. "Lears, considered yourself dismissed until further notice," she said simply.
Lears broke away from the restraining arms and straightened his uniform. "Very well," he replied, his anger now having faded into something that resembled resignation. "I tried my best and did what I thought to be right. So, don't blame me when the Alliance falls because of Skywalker."
He shot Leia a look and then left the room.
Mon Mothma now turned to Leia, and Leia felt considerably nervous. They had ignored her outburst in the previous meeting, but this one had been a lot worse.
"Do you need to be dismissed as well, Leia?" Mon Mothma asked quietly. "Or will you be able to keep your emotions under check more successfully from now on?"
"I will," Leia replied, chin raised. "Although I will not apologise for my actions here today."
Mon Mothma regarded her for a moment, and Leia wondered if those had been the right words to say. But then the Rebel leader nodded slowly and said, "Very well. But if your personal attachment to Commander Skywalker begins to cloud your judgement, then I will ask you to sit this out until it is resolved."
"I understand," Leia responded, feeling considerably relieved but also a little nervous. She would have to keep her emotions under very tight control from now on and with all that was going on, she wasn't sure if she could do that. But with Lears and his insulting opinions now out of the way, maybe she could finally start to get her old self-control back. And if it meant getting Luke back, then she would put all of her effort into it.
Mon Mothma gave her a small smile and she returned it. Then her commlink buzzed and she grabbed for it quickly.
"Leia," she acknowledged into the receiver.
"It's Skyro, Your Highness," came the voice of the young captain. "We have the coordinates. They're being sent to High Command now."
"Thank you, Skyro," she replied, flicking the commlink off as she moved over to the holoprojector. She tapped the controls and soon enough a map of the galaxy appeared.
The rest of the command council moved over to her and gathered around the projector. Two dots appeared in between the mix of star systems and sectors, one green and one red.
"We are here," said Leia as she pointed to the green dot in the middle of the Hoth system. "And the trace has placed the Imperial fleet here in the Endor system." She pointed to the red dot and then tapped the controls again, enlarging the view of the Endor system.
"The system is largely uninhabited," Leia explained as she read over the data that Skyro had sent her along with the coordinates. "And thanks to the expertise of our techs, we have been able to narrow the Imperial fleet's location down even further. From what we can tell, they appear to be in orbit around the gas giant, Endor."
Leia looked to the council. "I think it is time for me to hand over to Admiral Ackbar," she said, stepping aside.
Ackbar thanked her and stepped forward. Leia watched as he began explaining the best rescue scenario and started giving orders to the various Commanders and Captains in the room.
She smiled. They were going to get Luke back.
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Luke rolled his head to face the door as it slid open with a whoosh and he was surprised to see the person who was entering. He had expected it to be the stormtroopers again, ready to drag him off to another torture session. But, no. It was Vader.
Luke gazed up at his father wearily, still heavily drugged and sluggish-feeling.
He raised his eyebrows. "What do you want?" he murmured.
"Come with me," Vader rumbled, his mechanical tones not giving away even a hint of his intentions.
Luke gave a shaky laugh. "I don't think that's possible," he mumbled back wryly. He hadn't moved for hours and he had no intention of doing so any time soon. He was still shaking from the torture, albeit less noticeably now, and he still felt incredibly weak.
"Stand and come with me," Vader repeated.
Luke groaned and groggily lifted his hand to his face, rubbing his tired eyes and brushing some of his messy hair out of his face. He blinked a couple of times and stared up at the ceiling. He had no intention of going anywhere.
"I said stand and come with me," Vader hissed, his voice sinking dangerously low.
Luke ignored him. But he soon realised that that was not the best tactic.
A gradual chill began to spread over the room and Luke shivered, his heart rate picking up as he realised what it was. Vader was trying the mental Dark Side attack again. Luke closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. Throughout the hours that he had spent isolated in his cell, he had not felt even a tingle from the Force - not from the Light and not from the Dark. And that was how he wanted it. Vader had revealed the darkness within him and Luke was determined not to let it out, even if that meant never connecting with the Force again. But now Vader was forcing the Dark Side on him once more, sending its dark, welcoming, promising tendrils towards his body and his mind. He felt its touch on his skin, felt it begin to draw the pain away.
But that was enough. He would not let it ensnare him once again.
"I'll come," he whispered quickly. "Stop and I'll come."
Vader did not respond, but Luke felt the Dark Side retreat, taking the coldness with it.
Luke took a deep breath and rolled onto his stomach. But his reflexes were slow and his face collided with the cold, grey ground, sending a sharp pain through his skull. Luke grunted in pain but continued moving. He had momentum now. He could get somewhere. Shifting his weight, he brought his knees closer to his body and pushed himself up with his arms. He staggered as he shifted himself upright, his head spinning dangerously as he stood for the first time in hours. His vision went white and he swayed, falling onto the wall as he tried to regain his sight. He stayed there for a few moments, leaning against the grey wall and breathing heavily. Then his vision cleared and he looked at Vader.
"Where are we going?" he panted. It had taken all of his effort just to reach a standing position and he didn't know how long he could keep it up. They had better not be going far.
"Follow me," Vader rumbled. And he turned and left the cells, his black cloak billowing out behind him.
Luke blinked. "Wha… Wait!" he called as he pushed himself away from the wall. He staggered drunkenly to the door and clung to it as he looked out into the cellblock passageway. Vader was nearing the end of it already.
Luke gritted his teeth and pushed himself forward, determined not to let Vader out of his sight, lest he earn his father's wrath.
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Ignoring the commotion around her, Leia walked up to Home One's main viewport and gazed out into the depths of space. The millions of stars in the black velvet sea twinkled back at her hopefully. She took a deep breath. Luke was out there somewhere and so was Han. Her two best friends, lost amongst the stars. But they had found one of them. They had found Luke and they would rescue him. And then together they would rescue Han.
"Princess Leia," came the voice of Admiral Ackbar from behind her. Leia turned to face him. "The fleet is ready."
She nodded and turned back to face the viewport. She heard the engines kick in and then the stars transformed into streaks of light.
Hold on, Luke, she thought. We're coming.
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Luke stumbled along behind Vader as they made their way through the grey corridors of the Executor. He had managed to catch up to his father at the turbolifts and if he hadn't been so focused on keeping himself breathing, that ride in the lift might have been extremely uncomfortable, what with the fact that his father had almost tortured him to death and all. But the trip up to the higher levels had passed quickly. Too quickly, actually. Luke's mind was still playing tricks on him and every now and then he noticed blank spots appearing where he knew memories should be. He couldn't even remember how he had gotten to his feet back in the cell. Oh, how he needed to sleep.
A large set of grey doors appeared ahead of them and Luke hoped that this was their final destination. His legs were trembling viciously now and he was moving purely from momentum. If he stopped, he'd probably fall over and face plant into the shiny, black tile.
The doors slid open and Luke teetered down the runway, struggling not to fall into the pits below where various Imperial officers were working away at data displays. Well, supposedly working. Most of them were too intrigued by the newcomer to actually pay attention to what they were doing, although they quickly returned to their work as Vader passed them by.
Vader came to a halt in front of the massive viewport that looked out into space and Luke collapsed to the ground at his father's feet, heaving heavily. As he gazed up into the black void in front of him, he finally realised where he was: the bridge.
Luke continued to catch his breath as someone approached them. From his position on the floor, all he could see was the man's shiny, polished boots, but he had no doubt that it was Admiral Piett.
"The fleet is in position, My Lord," the Admiral informed Vader.
"Good," Vader rumbled. "Hold here."
"Yes, My Lord." Piett nodded and strode away from them to return to his duties.
Luke pushed himself up into a sitting position. He supposed he didn't look very dignified sitting there at Vader's feet, but he really couldn't do any better. He was just so exhausted. And his ragged appearance wouldn't do him any credit anyway, so why waste his limited energy in an attempt to look like something he wasn't? He shifted slightly as Vader looked at him.
"Soon your friends will arrive," Vader rumbled, turning his gaze to the stars. "And you will witness the end of the Rebellion."
"No," Luke whispered hoarsely between breaths. "They won't come… They won't risk everything just for me."
"Oh, but they will, Luke," Vader replied. "They are on their way now; my spies aboard Home One have confirmed it. Your pitiful Alliance has walked straight into our trap."
Luke shot a glare at Vader, although it probably looked more like a dazed stare than anything. "You won't win this, Vader," he growled.
But his father ignored him. "The entire Imperial fleet is armed and ready to fire upon the Rebel ships when they arrive. They will be destroyed, Luke. Every last one of them."
"No." Luke shook his head, but he was beginning to become worried. The entire Imperial fleet…
"Unless…" Vader trailed off as he looked out into the black void of space.
"Unless what?" Luke asked quietly, although he already knew the answer.
"Unless you choose to join me, Luke," Vader replied, turning to face him. "If you pledge yourself to my teachings, if you submit yourself to the ways of the Dark Side, then I will call off the attack and your friends will be spared."
Luke looked up at Vader. "Never," he spat. "I have faith in the Alliance. They will not be destroyed."
"As you wish," replied Vader coolly as he crossed his arms and raised his chin.
Luke frowned. He had thought he would have gotten more of an argument than that. But then something caught his eye and he turned to look out the viewport.
And what he saw made him instantly regret his decision. There, only now coming into view, was a large, grey orb, floating off to the side of the rest of the fleet. He had seen the design before, but this one was much larger.
Luke gulped. Star Destroyers were one thing, but the Death Star... The Rebellion might have stood a chance against the fleet… but against the fleet and the Empire's deadliest superweapon? Luke's stomach dropped as he stared in horror at the battle station.
Then he turned to face Vader and opened his mouth to speak.