CHAPTER 10
The atmosphere on the bridge of the Executor was one of excitement and relief. The rebel base had finally been found. The Hoth System was in the Outer Rim, a desolate, lifeless collection of snow covered planets.
Admiral Ozzel strutted around the bridge, pleased that he had it to himself for a change. He walked about, checking the stations of each man, making a grand show of his authority, however short lived it may be. It actually rather surprised him that Lord Vader was not on the bridge as they closed in on the Hoth System, for Vader had been hell-bent on finding the rebels for close to a year now. No doubt he would want to personally be there when the rebels were apprehended. Well let him...Ozzel thought peevishly. Snow and ice aren't terribly appealing to me.
"Admiral, we are less than a quarter parsec away from the Hoth System," Piett announced. "Shall I commence the drop from light speed?"
"No, not yet, captain," Ozzel replied, to the surprise of everyone. General Veers, who stood by Piett's station, lifted his eyebrows in surprise.
"But sir," Piett replied. "Much closer than this, and …"
"Are you questioning my orders, captain?" Ozzel shouted, his face turning red with rage.
Piett exchanged a quick glance with Veers, whose face remained passive.
"Of course not, sir," Piett replied.
"Good," Ozzel barked. "Mind your place, Piett," he warned. "You'd do well to remember who is in command of this ship."
Piett made no reply, but thought to himself how he wished Lord Vader could hear this particular conversation. He suspected it would not end well for the pompous admiral.
Darth Vader sat in his mediation chamber, brooding. The trip to Hoth seemed endless, though with each passing parsec he could feel the presence of his offspring growing stronger. Despite the fact that they had spent a lifetime apart from him, and did not even know of their true paternity, he could feel a connection with them through the Force. Luke's Force signature was by far the stronger of the two, and reminded him of his own, or how it had once been. He would be a powerful Sith, there was no doubt of it. As for the girl, she too exhibited Force abilities, though more unfocused. No doubt she had not received any training, as Luke had. I thank you, Obi-Wan…Vader thought cynically, enjoying the irony that Kenobi had begun to awaken the skills in his boy that would eventually enable Vader to turn him to the Dark Side.
Vader had been searching the Imperial Intelligence Network for weeks in search of any clue as to the whereabouts of the former Senator of Naboo. Aside from the biography that outlined her life in politics, as well as the footage of her state funeral, there was nothing. She had disappeared, seemingly. How does one find someone who does not wish to be found? There was a time when the bond between them would have enabled him to find her, for despite the fact that she was not a Jedi, there had nonetheless existed a strong psychic bond between them. That bond was gone now, he realized bitterly. He had severed it irrevocably when he had tried to kill her on Mustafar. Tried to kill her when she was carrying your children…The memories of that dreadful day would haunt him forever. He had lashed out at her believing that she had betrayed him, but now he knew better. Now he knew that Kenobi had merely used her as a means to get to him. The guilt he felt over that day was sickening, and gave him one more reason to hate Palpatine for filling his mind with lies.
The door to Vader's chambers opened and General Veers stepped inside. Vader turned his chair to face the general.
"Yes, General, what is it?" Vader asked.
"My lord," he began, "the fleet has moved out of lightspeed. ComScan has detected an energy shield surrounding the 5th planet of the Hoth System. The shield is strong enough to deflect any bombardment."
Rage filled Vader. Ozzel… "The rebels are alerted to our presence. Adrmial Ozzel came out of lightspeed to close to the system," he rumbled angrily.
"He felt surprise was wiser…" suggested Veers tentatively, knowing that his friend would pay for this mistake with his life.
"He is as clumsy as he is stupid," Vader snapped. "General, prepare your troops for a surface attack."
"Yes, my lord," Veers replied, bowing and then leaving the Dark Lord's presence.
"I tell you, that this energy shield was there before we left hyperspace," Ozzel was insisting. "What exactly are you trying to imply, Piett?"
"I am not implying anything, sir," Piett replied calmly. "I'm merely telling you what the scans indicate. The energy signature from this shield is less than 24 hours old..."
Their discussion was interrupted by Lord Vader's image appearing on the com screen.
"Lord Vader!" Ozzel yelped, startled by his appearance. "The fleet has moved into lightspeed, and we are preparing to…" he stopped, as he felt the iron grip of invisible fingers grasp his windpipe. Piett looked on in horror as his commander gasped for air, his face turning blue.
"You have failed me for the last time, Admiral," Vader pronounced ominously. "Captain Piett."
Piett tore his eyes away from the horrible spectacle to face the Dark Lord. "Yes, Lord Vader?"
""Be ready to land our troops beyond their energy field and deploy the fleet so that nothing gets off that system. You are in command now, Admiral Piett."
"Thank you, Lord Vader!" responded Piett as Ozzel collapsed to the floor, dead.
Vader sat back in his chair, pleased to be rid of Ozzel once and for all. He had it coming for a long time, Vader reflected. Having Piett as his second in command would certainly make things easier. Things were finally starting to fall into place, he reflected, as he headed for the bridge.