Han, Chewbacca, Lando and Nien Nunb, along with the droids Artoo and Threepio, were assembled outside shuttle Tydirium in the landing platform of the Senate, discussing the course of events.
Because of the chaos caused by the sudden decapitation of the Empire, the recently-enslaved citizens of Coruscant had taken to anarchy, adapting the rioting and criminalizing habits of the lurkers of the criminal underworld hidden in the city's lower levels.
The rebel military was undertaking efforts to control the rioting population, but the fact remained that the New Republic needed public support to grow from what it was, and public support would be harder to come by if the armed forces enacted the same practices as their Imperial predecessors.
Suddenly, Lando looked at Han and frowned in slight alarm. "Han, do you know where Leia is. I don't think I've seen her since yesterday."
Han jerked in surprised and silently cursed himself. He'd been so overwhelmed and tired out by recent events that he hadn't realized that Leia had been missing for several hours, at least.
"I don't think she would have left," he mumbled, "could she have..."
It wouldn't have been out of character for Leia to take off without warning in search of her missing brother. But what transport would she have used? Surely not a one-man fighter.
"She's gotta be here..." Han mumbled, "I've been so stupid..."
"Han!"
Han gasped as Leia entered the hangar from the corridor, the sound of shouts of protest ringing in the distance.
"Down with Empire Two!"
"Out of the frying pan, into the fire!"
"Usurpers!"
"I know where he is!" Leia panted as Han scooped her into his arms, "Luke! I know where he is!"
"You do?" Han asked with concern, studying his sweetheart's exhausted, sweat-covered face. She appeared as though she had just undertaken a rigorous exercise routine. "Did he contact you?"
Upon hearing the name of his lost master, Artoo-Deetoo squealed with excitement as Threepio patted his domed head.
"Goodness gracious," the protocol droid exclaimed, "You have heard from Master Luke, Princess Leia?"
As Han put his arms around her middle, Leia shook her head and replied, "No, I found him through the Force. The sheer will of the Force."
Han shook his head in disbelief. He'd expect that kind of talk from Luke, but not from Leia.
"The Force?" he questioned with his classic skeptism as Chewbacca let out a quiet growl, "He used the Force to talk to you?"
"Who cares?" Lando interjected, "Leia, where is he?"
Leia hesitated before speaking up. A very short time ago, she'd had no reason to believe that Luke's Force would ever speak to her in the way it always did for him, or that she would understand the mystical energy field.
"I sensed his precense in the Jakku system," Leia informed them, "he's all right, but he's still with Vader."
"Which is it?" Han asked her, "is he all right, or is he with Vader?"
Leia ignored this signature wit and pushed herself off Han.
"When I talked to him, he seemed troubled... angry, even. He may not be in immediate danger, but Vader's precense is negatively affecting him."
"Yeah, no kidding," Han remarked, "so are we going to go rescue him, or what?"
Leia paused as she considered Luke's situation. Would he want to be rescued now? She'd sensed his strong resentment of the Jedi when she'd informed him of her conversation with old Obi Wan Kenobi, specifically directed at his former mentor.
Who was to say that this would not lean her brother in favor of aligning with Vader?
"We need the support of Mon Mothma and the leadership," Leia replied, "Vader could have an entire navy supporting him, and we don't know where Luke would fit into it."
"Storming the Imperial capital was one thing," Lando pointed out, "but how do you see Mothma agreeing to spreading our resources back into the Outer Rim to rescue Luke?"
"I know exactly where to go!" replied Leia anxiously, "If I can maintain the link with Luke, I can guide the entire fleet to him."
"I'm sorry to be that one, but it seems like the alliance is kind of occupied," Han gestured out the opening of the hanger into the streets below, where Rebel soldiers were attempting to peacefully ward off the angry crowd.
"We want real change! No more false freedom! False freedom! False freedom..." the cries could be heard several levels above surface level.
"If we rescue Luke," Leia argued, "he could... no he would... be key in subduing Vader and helping the Alliance bring him to justice. He's the only one that can take on Vader in a fight." If he would be willing to, that is, Leia thought to herself.
"You're right," Han realized, "we couldn't not rescue our best chance of winning. They'll have to agree to support us with the fleet."
Chewbacca made a comment that, judging by the tone of his grunt, did not express particular enthusiasm.
"Yeah, you're right, Chewie," Han replied, "it would be much better if we actually had the Falcon."
There was undoubtedly a gargantuan crater within the sandy surface of Jakku, or rather several, as wreckage from the Star Destroyers repeatedly crashed into the planet. Most certainly, the tons of debris would be hitting several settlements of civilization on the primitive world, killing several thousand along with the Imperials on board.
In fact, standing just outside a small dwelling among the village of Tuanal, a man named Lor San Tekka watched as the sky was filled with toxic grass and chunk after chunk of flaming durasteel crashed into the ground around them.
As the villagers screamed and ran in a panic, Lor San Tekka closed his eyes in sadness, not at his imminent death, but that the last Jedi had been corrupted by evil.
He had been made aware of the former Jedi Vader as well as the Skywalker twins quite a while ago, by a woman known as Ahsoka Tano. Despite not being born with the gift of Force-sensitivity, Tekka had foreseen meeting a Skywalker and passing on to him him the wisdom of the old Order in order to aid him in resurrecting the Jedi.
It would never come to be, Lor San Tekka reflected as his environment was consumed by toxic air and smoke, covering the entire village... until nothing but ruin was left among the sand...
Luke truly felt at home in front of the main controls of the Falcon, singlehandedly taking out ship after ship. This time, however, he did not have to work as part of a team, the Force was entirely his weapon and it was serving him well, especially when he channelled his deepest anger and hate.
No Jedi has achieved this level of victory, Luke was certain of this as the last of the opposing vessels was split into flying balls of fire. He could not have done this without his father's guidance.
He sensed Lord Vader now, aboard the besieged Ultimatum, amidst a pile of sliced body parts and pools of thick red blood littered on the elegant metal floors. If he was to be as powerful as his father, Luke had to let go of his ingrained Jedi restraint in favor of embracing his raw power inherent to such a strong user of the Force.
With immense satisfaction, Luke began to pilot the Falcon back towards the Ultimatum's main hangar, which consisted of only damaged TIE fighters and littered corpses of Imperials. As the ship approached the mouth of the hangar, Luke could make out Vader's figure, his torn cape, his damaged armor, his glowing lightsaber...
Vader turned and waited as the Falcon docked on the hangar floor. He had not expected his son to carry out such a heinous act, and for the first time, Vader felt...
Pride. Simple, genuine, unironic pride towards the boy who had gone from disappointing him to exceeding his expectations, albeit with some manipulation from him. He found feel the burning psssion within Luke, and his longing for greater power.
The same as Vader had had when he had swayed to the dark side. No matter the motives or internal conflicts of individuals, the side of greater power always won in the end.
Vader's blood flow hastened as his son, donning black and exuding a greater aura of darkness, emerged from the open ramp of the Millenium Falcon. Smoke drifted through the air as Luke knelt at the feet of his father.
"The Jedi used me, father, and abandoned me when I was no longer useful."
"As they always do," Vader replied with immense pleasure. A real smile formed on his lips as he listened to his son.
"I have seen the true path of enlightenment, the path of the dark side. With your teachings, I hope to become a powerful warrior and rule the galaxy at your side as you once asked."
Vader searched the Force for signs of dishonesty or trickery. He found none, and he was certain that he would have rooted out any feigned loyalty from his son. He certainly had experience in that field.
"I am pleased that you now know the truth, my son. Henceforth, the poisoned teachings of Kenobi and Yoda will cease to matter, and the legacy of the Sith shall be your bloodline to carry as it has become mine. Luke Skywalker, do you pledge yoursekf and your destiny to the order of the Sith Lords?"
"I do, Father," Luke replied confidently and coldly, his gaze desolate and his mind cleared of all else.
Vader moved his lightsaber so the still-activated blade hovered just over the boy's shoulder. "Then I officially name you a Dark Lord of the Sith. United under us, the Empire shall take back the galaxy and restore order. The chaos of the war will soon come to an end...and we shall have... peace..."
Vader could vividly remember his own induction into the Sith order, a nervous, scared young man, unsure of what the future held. Luke was much stronger and more disciplined than that. He would soon learn to forget his Rebel friends and commit fully to the Empire, as Vader had.
"So, in short," Mon Mothma summarizes in contemplation, "you believe our whole fleet should launch a mission to rescue Commander Skywalker because he is the only one physically capable of defeating Lord Vader?"
Leia's need to rescue her brother and longtime friend had nothing to do with pragmatism, and she was absolutely certain Mothma knew this very well. Yet she nodded and played along.
"There aren't any other available fully trained Jedi. I still have a long way to go. I think it's been proven that no advanced military weaponry can take down Vader when he has such... powers."
For all her years of Senatorial debates and diplomatic training, Mothma was unable to counter this simple yet undeniable logic.
"I know as much as you do how important Skywalker is to the Republic," Mothma told the younger woman, putting a hand on her shoulder, "However, I'm afraid we have great problems here on Coruscant to deal with.
"Hardly any senators have responded to our communication, and the people of Coruscant seem to be resistant to us. It seems that those who have been oppressed for too long have a difficult time trusting government again, and I find it hard to blame them. We haven't been able to discuss formal elections with the disorder throughout the galaxy."
"The Empire is still powerful under Vader," Leia reasoned, "so more systems will be afraid to desert him. We rescue Luke, Luke neutralizes Vader, the Empire loses it's muscle. More systems will
be sure to join us and we'll be able to reestablish full democracy."
Mothma could not argue this plan. Leia was truly Bail Organa's daughter. She had the heart of a negotiator and a strategist.
"Admiral Ackbar!" Mothma called to the Mon Calamari officer to begin relaying commands. Leia could not help but smile ever so slightly despite everything, but this brief elation died as soon as it was born.
Once more, she sensed her brother, out there beyond the Empire's borders. Only now, his heart was filled with the dark side. It would be even harder to save him now.
Leia's eyes filled with tears as she realized that the good, noble, optimistic Luke Skywalker, who had believed in the good in such a being as Darth Vader, was gone. Completely gone and replaced by something else.
