Chapter Nine
Vader strode into the conference room on the Death Star, gritting his teeth in preparation for dealing with Tarkin and his lackeys. He didn't like Tarkin at all; the man was far too ambitious and far too dangerous. Vader longed for the day he fell out of the Emperor's favour so that he could choke him to death. Slowly.
"The Imperial Senate will no longer be of any concern to us," the Grand Moff informed his men in his thin, nasally voice. Vader clenched his teeth all the harder and hoped he wasn't planning a long speech. "I've just received word that the Emperor has dissolved that misguided council permanently. The last remnants of the old Republic have been swept away."
One of the more vocal officers spoke up. Vader fought the urge to choke him. He would never let his underlings backtalk him like this!
"That's impossible! How will the Emperor maintain control without the bureaucracy?"
Quite easily, Vader thought.
"The regional governors now have direct control over territories. Fear will keep the local systems in line. Fear of this battle station!" Tarkin smirked proudly.
The officer opened his mouth again. "And what of the Rebellion?" he questioned. "If the Rebels have obtained a complete technical readout of this station, it is possible, however unlikely, that they might find a weakness and exploit it."
Who told the general population that we lost the plans?! "The plans you refer to will soon be back in our hands," Vader snapped, unable to stay silent any longer.
Another officer spoke up. "Any attack made by the Rebels against this station would be a useless gesture, no matter what technical data they've obtained. This station is now the ultimate power in the universe. I suggest we use it!"
"Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed," Vader warned. The very mention of the abuse of power this station could allow set him on edge. "The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force."
"Don't try to frighten us with your sorcerer's ways, Lord Vader," the man actually had the gall to reply. Vader's fingers itched. "Your sad devotion to that ancient religion has not helped you conjure up the stolen data tapes, or given you clairvoyance enough to find the Rebel's hidden fort --"
Vader smiled under his mask with pleasure as the man tugged at the collar of his uniform, trying to breathe the air that just couldn't make its way to his lungs. "I find your lack of faith disturbing." He said it gleefully, but the vocalizer was not made to pick up gleeful tones.
"Enough of this!" Tarkin barked. "Vader, release him!"
Vader did not miss the lack of title, and knew it had been done on purpose. Who are you to order me around?! But the Emperor was someone to be obeyed, and Sidious had specifically stated that on the Death Star, even Vader must bow to Tarkin's orders. "As you wish," he said, a false show of respect.
Tarkin's lips compressed. "This bickering is pointless. Lord Vader will provide us with the location of the Rebel fortress by the time this station is operational. We will then crush the Rebellion with one swift stroke!"
This time, Vader did not bother to comment.
Vader walked down the hallway in the detention area, an interrogation droid at his side. Two stormtroopers opened the door of the Princess's cell, and Vader stepped inside.
The Princess's face filled with defiance, but when she saw the spherical droid, eyes eyes began to reveal a glimmer of doubt and fear. Vader smiled.
"And now, Your Highness," he said, as cheerfully as the mask would allow, "we will discuss the location of your hidden Rebel Base."
She trembled as he filled a syringe manually, and trembled even more when he gripped her jaw and tilted her head to the side, exposing the side of her throat. He gently brushed a couple of stray brown hairs away from her neck. She fought him every step of the way, but it was easy for him to overpower her. Ignoring how much she looked like his late wife, Vader broke the soft skin of her neck with the needle.
She screamed as the drug, stronger than the ones he had used on Bria Tharen, coursed through her veins.
"What is your given name, Princess?"
"Leia," she whimpered.
Leia? He had always heard it pronounced as Leah . . .
Leia . . . a memory rose, but he shoved it back before it could form fully.
"Leia." He paced back and forth a couple times, then turned to her again. "It hurts, doesn't it, Leia?"
"Yes."
"It can stop, you know. All you have to do is name the planet the Rebel Base is on."
She pressed her lips together and turned her face to the wall.
Han had no idea why he had made his way to the detention block after Vader returned from interrogating the Princess. He didn't even like her. There was absolutely no reason for him to be here.
The door opened to reveal the Princess, curled into a fetal position on the bench, facing the wall. For some odd reason, the sight tugged at his heart.
"Princess?" he called softly.
She pressed her hands to her ears. "Go away," she begged. "Go away, go away, go away."
He left.
Vader was brooding in his hyperbaric chamber when he heard a knock at the door. He frowned. "Enter," he called.
It was Solo. "My lord," he said formally. "I was just – well – I was kind of poking around, earlier." He sounded embarrassed, like a child who had to admit he'd taken on extra cookie from the cookie jar. "And I came across some stuff – so – what exactly does this battle station do?"
Vader spun the chair to look at his pilot. "Not a whole lot," he admitted. "Well, not a lot in the sense that it can only do one thing. But it has enough firepower to destroy a planet."
Han's eyes widened. "I figured it could destroy a few buildings in one shot," he said, "but a whole planet --"
"It is nothing to be proud of," Vader interrupted quickly. "Power like that can be dangerous if in the wrong hands. And Tarkin's hands are definitely the wrong ones."
Han made a face. "Yeah, I didn't really care too much for the toad." He glanced at Vader apprehensively. "Are they going to use it?"
Vader frowned at him. "They wouldn't have built it if they didn't intend to use it. The first target will likely be the Princess's home planet."
"Alderaan?!" Han spluttered. "But – but that's a core world!"
"That is insignificant. The Emperor wants an effective demonstration, and the Princess has been uncooperative. There is nothing even I can do to override the orders of the Emperor."
"She was uncooperative?" Han looked down. "She was so upset, I thought --"
"You went to visit her?" Vader demanded, surprised. "Why?"
Han shrugged. "I don't really know, sir."
Vader gave him a hard look. "Don't get too attached, Solo. I'll be getting orders to terminate her any day."
Chewie stood at the bar in the Mos Eisley Cantina, watching all the different species as they filed up to the counter to get their drinks and then retreated back into the shadows. He felt comfortable here, far more so than he did on the Executor, and he was reluctant to leave. The droids hadn't been found yet, though, so he had a little more time.
Just then there was a commotion at the door. A farm boy had tried to enter with two droids, and had been ordered rather forcefully to leave them outside. Chewie caught a glimpse of them, though, and went over the suspected descriptions of the wanted droids in his mind.
They could be the ones, he thought. He needed to get a hold of them to find out for sure, but it was a very real possibility.
The boy moved to the counter, and an old man approached from Chewie's other side. Chewie didn't pay him much attention, and jumped when the man touched his furry arm.
"I'm looking for transport off this planet," the man said softly. "Do you know where I might find such a thing?"
Chewie shook his head.
"I'm willing to pay handsomely," the man pressed. "I understand that you have your own ship. We need to get to Alderaan. It is on the way to Kashyyyk, if you are headed home."
Chewie growled wordlessly, and the man gave up and turned to survey the rest of the crowd.
Just then, there as a disturbance among the beings beside the farm boy. Apparently they had taken a dislike to the human, for they were threatening him rather loudly. Blasters were drawn, but before a shot could hit anyone, the old man intervened, a blue lightsaber flashing expertly in his hand.
Chewie's eyes went wide. A Jedi! He had always admired them, but this was an even better reason not to take the man to Alderaan. Because he would never make it to Alderaan. If Chewie knowingly took a Jedi aboard the Falcon, he would have to take him to the Death Star to meet Vader. And Vader would kill him.
Chewie really didn't want that to happen.
The old man and the boy left. Chewie followed shortly after. The smoke was bothering his eyes. Or so he told himself.
Outside, he saw the old man and the boy sitting with the two droids the boy had come in with. Chewie gazed at them covertly. Yes, one was humanoid, the other on three wheels, as the tracks the troopers had found indicated. Chewie wondered how they had gotten past the troopers stationed at the entrance to Mos Eisley.
He debated viciously with himself. If these were indeed the droids Vader was looking for, he couldn't just leave them here. He could call in stormtroopers, but the Jedi was very good with a lightsaber, and could likely beat a whole squadron single-handedly. If Chewie took them aboard the Falcon as passengers, he would have to take the Jedi to Vader.
It was a no-win situation.
Chewie owed Han Solo a life debt. He would do whatever Han needed or wanted him to do. Chewie was under Vader's order, but Han was loyal to Vader. Han agreed with Vader. Therefore, Han wanted Chewie to bring these droids in.
Chewie sighed. He did not like this at all.
He walked up and asked if the old man still needed a ride to Alderaan.
