Thanks for following along.

The Millennium Falcon- On the way to Bespin.

The cargo bay was quiet save for the hum of the engines. Chewie had gone to bed for a while, leaving Threepio in the cockpit to alert him if anything went wrong. It was a good opportunity for Luke to take the time to meditate. At first, he used the sounds of the engines as a way to focus, but he was unsuccessful. When he let go, and focused on things such as Chewie sleeping, his own blood flowing through the veins of his body, extending it outside the ship to feel the vastness of space, he touched something powerful, and then he felt it, somewhere out there he could feel someone else out there meditating as well and making a connection with him, they were linked. He couldn't feel their thoughts or even where they were, but he could feel the power of the Force flowing through the two of them, and it was a comforting feeling and very familiar. He had never had a meditation experience like this one before. And then he heard it calling to him, "Luke? LUKE!". It brought him out of his meditation and his eyes opened.

"Come back! Come back!" he said out loud. Someone felt him and called out to him, but then he lost focus. He slammed his hand down and got up and went to the galley to fix some caf. He sat there at the holochess table. He had been so close to something. What was it? He didn't know. 'Oh if only I did as Ben said and went to Dagobah?' Luke drank his caf and tried to relax. He was so tense and frustrated.

Threepio creaked in with Artoo following. "Master Luke, you really should get some rest. My memory banks have noted that you have gotten little sleep, and humans require it. Would you like me to get the scanner to check your health?"

"No, Threepio, I'm OK, really, it's...I have a lot on my mind," Luke said putting his head on his folded arms laying on the table.

"Well, do be careful. I wouldn't want one of your circuits to blow," Threepio said as he creaked back to the cockpit.

Maybe Threepio was right. He made a connection out there to someone. Could it have been Ben? He didn't know any other Jedi, and he had never met the one that was supposed to be on this Dagobah. What exactly was going on?

/

Dagobah

Leia and Yoda both sat on the ground. Yoda had given her quite a workout this morning, and it included Leia carrying Yoda on her back. Leia was glad of having something to do that didn't involve anything physical. Her first attempt at meditation had brought her to her childhood bedroom where she sat with her father building a city with blocks while her mother sat in a chair above and looked down and supervised. She could smell her mother's perfume and see her father's smile as she laughed when a few of the blocks toppled. It made her happy as if she could visit a moment in time when everything seemed to be tranquil and peaceful. It was so real. She could reach out and touch them, when she came out of meditation, she became sad.

"Joy you must find in such memories. Always with you they are. No?" Yoda said to her trying to make her understand.

"It was so real," Leia said with anger and sadness.

"Angry not be, sad not be. Hard for you it is. Remembering, no?" Yoda answered moving closer and pointing with his stick.

"Yes, Yoda, it is hard. I've lost everything," Leia answered.

"Mourn them do not," Yoda said pounding down his cane.

Leia laughed.

"Funny it is?" Yoda asked.

"I've been accused by those for not mourning enough. They believe me to be cold and uncaring. Rarely will anyone see me cry. Because I don't wear my emotions on my sleeve. Honestly, I try my best not to feel anything at all."

"Watch you I have. Great Jedi you may have been in another time. Others before yourself always. Yet, worry for you I do. Feel you say you do not, but feel you do. Was it not good for you to be away from Rebel Alliance, yes? Much you have grown in short time," Yoda pointed out.

"Obi-Wan seems to think the same of Luke. This isn't a contest between the two of you is it?" Leia laughed. "I really have no desire to be a Jedi. There's just too much to do, so much I can do."

"Exactly this, your path is elsewhere, yet like Jedi you are. Control your ability and use to your advantage it will," Yoda explained.

"I get that. You say I have this ability, and yes, I've been able to do things since I've been here. I have seen things that I thought most people experienced, but realized it was because of my ability. Is Force sensitivity common in families?" Leia asked.

"Force sensitivity can be common in families," Obi-Wan appeared and spoke. "There was something about your biological father though that was very special. No one had the potential that he did, and you both inherited that ability. We knew you and your brother would both be powerful in the Force. So, you really do know then? Your brother. I'm not sure he should be told, and do bury that feeling. It may be used against you or him. Though I believe his identity has been revealed to those that can cause you harm. It is you who are still anonymous. Your instincts have told you the truth about him. We had hoped at one point to train one or both of you to take on the Sith."

"The Sith?" Leia answered.

"The Sith control the Empire. The Emperor, Sith Lord he is. As is Darth Vader," Yoda said hanging his head.

"I'd gladly blow myself up to rid the galaxy of both of them," Leia said standing as she spoke.

"I hope that will not be necessary. Your father, your biological father was thought to be the chosen one, the one who would destroy the Sith. We thought that the Sith were extinct. The Jedi became too comfortable and did not evolve. We became blind, and we lost our way. We were fighting a war, yet we were meant to be the peacemakers. A war that was begun and controlled by the Sith against the Jedi. By the time we figured that out, it was too late. With the new generation, we had hoped you would achieve what we could not," Obi-Wan explained.

"Obi-Wan, don't scare the girl!" Qui-Gon advised without Leia being able to see him, Obi-Wan swatted away at him.

"Yes, my father told me some of that, the father who raised me. To me, he was my father," Leia answered wondering what Obi-Wan was doing with his ghostly hand.

"Good man he was," Yoda said taking her hand as Leia nodded. "In meditation again. Focus on the now and think not on the past."

Leia closed her eyes and focused. Feeling the living things all around her, the plants of Dagobah, the many lifeforms, Master Yoda, then out to the galaxy, reaching further and further, until she hit something. It was a beacon in space that was calling out to her, it was powerful and familiar. She recognized it right away, and she called out, "Luke? Luke!". It left her shortly after as if it dropped out of space. She could still feel him, but it wasn't as intense. She came out of her meditation.

"I found Luke, at least I think I did. I was drawn to him, and he was reaching out for me. I think I scared him though, he seemed to drop out," Leia laughed.

"Yes," Yoda said smiling.

"I've seen him meditate, trying to reach out to the Force before. He sometimes gets so frustrated," Leia said laughing.

"Calm he must be," Yoda answered.

"I hope he comes to you, it was something he wanted. Really he did," Leia answered.

"Hmmmph," Yoda said. "Difficult he will be to train."

"Don't lose faith, that boy could be our only hope," Obi-Wan spoke.

"I'm sitting right here!" Leia said gritting her teeth.

/

Rebel Fleet-Hanger of the Liberty, inside shuttle.

"Thanks, Solo. The trip shouldn't take long and it would be a big help to us. General Dodonna was going to have to wait another cycle or two for one of our operatives to arrive to take him to the supply craft. You being already in a ship not normally associated with the Alliance, as well as your special skills, it couldn't have come at a better time," General Rieekan stated.

"I've delivered to that craft before, and that system outside Sullust isn't too far off my course. I'm glad to help out. I just need to clean up a bit, if you don't mind," Han answered.

"This ship doesn't look bad, Solo. Dodonna has ridden in worst situations, I'll assure you," Rieekan eased.

Han scratched his head. "It's the cabin," he then opened the door.

Rieekan looked at the cots from the bunks and the blankets and everything else all over the floor blocking the way to the fresher, "I see."

"These cots are really narrow, and when you're living in the ship..." Han tried to explain.

"No, I understand, Dodonna is on his way over here. I'll let you get with straightening it out," Rieekan replied starting out of the ship.

"Any chance the Alliance has any extra caf they can spare?" Han called out.

"I'll see what I can do," Rieekan answered with a laugh.

It was shortly after that General Dodonna arrived from another one of the fleet's ships for escort on Han's shuttle. Dodonna was an old man, a no nonsense leader, second only to Mon Mothma, and he took most things very seriously. He had commanded the largest of the rebel cells before the Alliance was formed and had been involved in defeating the Empire almost since it had begun. He had been a military man from the time of the Clone Wars, and the fact that he would be sent to this outpost, meant that his knowledge and guidance was needed with something of great importance. Han wasn't going to question it. Whatever, he thought, and he was only getting caf for it. Well, he did get an extra power cell, but then again, this wasn't even his ship. He wondered if he should have aimed higher, but for what? Protein packs? Dodonna often forgot that Han wasn't an official member of the Alliance, and would treat him as a soldier he would command, and then when he remembered, he knew he'd resent him that he wasn't enlisted. It would be an interesting trip, Han thought, and he hoped that Dodonna would be busy with his Rebel Alliance stuff and not up for chatting.

"Captain Solo, I trust the ship is ready to go?" Dodonna asked as he climbed aboard.

"All set, just waiting for clearance," Han answered.

"I was hoping there would be a table on board, somewhere I could work," Dodonna said looking at the small shuttle.

"These seats come down off the side in the cargo area, you could set one down and sit in the other. I know it's not much," Han said unhooking the strapped up seats.

"Ah yes, I suppose that will have to do. When Draven told me that you were escorting me, I was hoping it was on your ship. I find that table much easier to work on," Dodonna noted.

"You do know I was stuck on Hoth for days, and this was the only ship available for us to leave?" Han answered a bit annoyed then headed back to the cockpit and set up to leave the hanger. A call came from the dispatcher. "Get up here and strap yourself in, general."

"General, sir," he said as he slowly moved up to the cockpit seat.

Han laughed, long trip indeed.

Once they got going into hyperspace, Dodonna went to the chairs that Han pulled down and Han pulled off one of the cots from the bunk, put it on the floor and took out Wes's data pad. It wasn't long before Dodonna got up and called out to Han. "Captain Solo, would you come out and help me make some sense of this?"

Han got up and looked at Dodonna's charts. "I know this is classified, and I shouldn't show you this. You can be trusted I believe. Look at this pattern and tell me what you think."

It was Imperial ship movements from the past few weeks from an intel source in the field. "They're all moving in the same direction, but coming from different systems. What do you make of this?" Dodonna noted.

Han looked at the systems where the ships left instead of the destination. "Those are systems with factories that forge things for ships, parts, structures."

"Very observant. Somehow I knew you might have some idea of these patterns. You have a great knowledge of space travel and systems that has been very valuable to us. Quadanium is the report from our man in the field. And they aren't headed for the core worlds where they build ships. The Empire is up to something, and it frightens me," Dodonna leaned back.

"It's not really for me to ask, but you have some idea of what it might be, don't you? You know we've gotten those bastards before, and we can do it again. You were there," Han grabbed the man's shoulder.

"Yes, we've known for some time," Dodonna said looking at his reports with a worried face.

"I don't have much of this left, and I know it's not um, regulation, neither am I, but would you share this last bit with me? Somehow I think you could use it." Han said holding up the last of Wes's whiskey.

"I'm not one to touch the stuff on a regular basis, but it may calm the nerves a bit," Dodonna nodded.

Han poured and emptied the last of it, gave a bit to Dodonna and enough for a swig for himself. He clinked his glass. "May the Force be with us," Dodonna exclaimed before knocking it down his throat.

Han swigged as well, and patted the old man's shoulder. He then went back to the book, and thought to himself that this war was never going to end and he wondered if the old man knew it as well.

/

Millennium Falcon- Air space above Bespin.

Luke donned his Dak Janson disguise and was prepared to use his Tambo Sasmander name and ID with Chewie's fur painted a bit, the use of a optic device around his head, and his bandolier changed for a leather crossed vest. They hoped the Falcon looked different enough as to not draw attention. When they reached the atmosphere, Luke notified to the dispatcher that he was Tambo Sasmander looking to visit the well known gambling tables that were found in Cloud City. They were given a berth to land and they didn't suspect any trouble at all. The plan was that they would try and find this Lando person once they found a place to stay, and go from there.

Luke found the city to be beautiful, as well as the horizon of clouds and colors. The gas from the mines having given way to the glorious patterns in the sky. The droids followed, and they found a hotel, dropped a few credits with Tambo Sasmander as the name. The room had a nice window, Chewie complained that the beds were too small, but it was a decent room. The plan was to leave the droids in the room, and then search out Lando. Apparently, this was no easy feat as Lando was a big deal in the city, and his office insisted that a meeting with Baron Calrissian included a waiting list. Chewie had earlier given Luke a code word that only Lando would know, and it might cause him to seek them out. The code word was "Vizago" which meant nothing to Luke, and then included their room number. They left after being put on Lando's waiting list, then decided to see what the city had to offer.

They found a restaurant with a buffet and Chewbacca was in heaven. Luke had never seen such rich food before and tried to stick with more basic items. The restaurant was connected to a small casino that offered games of chance for citizens and visitors of the city, so the clients of the restaurant included people and species of all types, even a couple of other Wookiees. After they ate, they returned to their room. Threepio started to go into all the information he had on the planet Bespin and Cloud City and other details that Luke had to shut him down for a while so he could think.

"Chewie, there's something about this place. I don't know, it doesn't feel right for some reason," Luke said with a worried tone.

Chewie roared softly trying to stretch out on the bed. His legs were hanging off the corners even laying sideways. It would have to do. It wasn't long before they had a knock and standing there was a dashing dark skinned man and a pale bald man with cyborg parts on his head.

"Hello, I'm Lando Calrissian, who the hell are you?" Lando said addressing Luke in his disguise.

Chewie roared.

"Well, if it isn't Chewbacca. I hardly recognized you!" Lando said warmly and softly. He made a gesture at the man with him, and they both came into the room and closed the door. Lando then went around the room searching for something in much the way that Han would do on missions whenever they checked into rooms.

"Who are you?" Lando asked Luke.

Luke took out his ID saying he was Tambo Sasmander.

"Can't you talk?" Lando asked.

Luke laughed, "Of course I can talk."

"And you're with Chewbacca here," Lando said with a whisper. "Look, I gotta be frank with you, there's some trouble here. Big trouble. Got some bounty hunter been around here sniffing around for Han and the Falcon and a few other things."

"Is this about Jabba the Hutt?" Luke asked.

"No, this has nothing to do with Jabba, says he's coming from somewhere high up in the Empire. Look, I got a sweet deal here, and Chewbacca, it's nothing against you, but you are going to have to get out of here, and fast. Where's Han?" Lando asked looking around.

"He's not here. We had some trouble with the ship and Chewie here thought you could help. I take it you can't?" Luke asked a bit worried.

"Oh, please don't say you brought the Falcon here," Lando whispered.

"We brought the Falcon here," Luke whispered back.

"I was afraid of that, so where did you land it? I hope that bounty hunter didn't see it," Lando whispers.

Chewie roared.

"Well, I'll have someone look at it, then you got to go! You understand, and you were never here, got it! If that bounty hunter finds it, I'm gonna have to turn you in. I never saw you, understand. Tambo or whatever you are. I hope you aren't in any trouble, because if you are..." Lando shook his head. "I can't believe this. I thought Boba Fett would get tired and leave. That you'd never come here."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Luke said apologetically.

"Look, I don't know what kind of trouble you are in, and I'm sorry," Lando said made a motion to Lobot and left.

Luke looked at Chewie and Chewie let out a worried roar. Luke whispered, "Do you know who this Boba Fett is?"

Chewie shook his head yes, and roared softly.

Elsewhere in the city...

Boba Fett checked his data from the incoming manifests from his tap into the dispatchers of the city. One stuck out. It wasn't the Millennium Falcon, but something called the Twinsunrise and it was a modified Corellian light freighter. Pilot, Tambo Sasmander. The shape on the manifest was different, but there were also a few familiar things about it. Call it a hunch, but Boba Fett knew he had to go check this out. He decided to check out the hotels first, and found that this Tambo Sasmander checked in shortly after arriving on Cloud City. At least Calrissian wasn't keeping him in one of his guest suites. That made it easy. Boba Fett hid down the hall and did a stake out. After some time there came out a man, with bushy dark hair, a mustache, a bit shorter than Solo, so he figured it was someone else, and a Wookiee came out of the room. The Wookiee didn't look exactly like Chewbacca, but he would bet it was him. If the man wasn't Solo, and he couldn't be, it was someone who knew him, and he was sure of that. He'd send this info on this ship, the Wookiee and this Tambo Sasmander directly to Vader.

/

Dagobah

Yoda was floating in the air, with Leia guiding him through the Force. She gently put him down and then lifted a few logs and tossed them into the swamp.

"Defend yourself that way one day you may?" Yoda said, impressed with his young student.

"It's amazing, I never knew I could do anything remotely like this!" Leia marveled.

"Yes, hee hee," Yoda laughed. "Your anger, remember to control your anger. Path to the darkside it is. You have much power through frustration. Control. Only for good."

"Yoda, you must remember that young Leia does not wish to become a Jedi. She has duties to perform, responsibilities, attachments! She should not adhere to our codes and rules," Obi-Wan said reprimanding Yoda.

"Of great help this will be to her. Even if Jedi she does not become, for powerful she is. Great help to her people she will be," Yoda said turning away from Obi-Wan and pounding his cane down.

"You both keep talking like I'm not even here! I'm a trained diplomat! What is going on here with the two of you? Am I some kind of prize? Were we to be some kind of hidden tools in your personal power struggle? Look at the two of you!" Leia said in frustration turning away from the both of them.

"Did you not do the same? Arguing for justice in the Senate did you not? Pleading with your High Command? Bickering with your smuggler? Watch you I have. Selfless you are, yet questioning us you do. Guilty we are of putting hope on your shoulders. Tools no, but hope we foresaw. You I know can see such," Yoda said pointing at her as he spoke.

"I want to help, really I do. Don't misunderstand," Leia answered.

"She's right, we've put so much on the shoulders of those two in the hope that at least one of them could do what we couldn't," Obi-Wan spoke.

"Does not the Force move of it's own will? Think on this I will," Master Yoda spoke, and walked away.

The pallet that was on the floor of Yoda's hut wasn't the greatest place to rest, but it was warm and dry, and the fire he kept going had kept out the humidity. The warmth surrounded Leia as she lay there, but it was hard to sleep. Not because she was on the floor, or because there was always light from the fire, but because of so many thoughts. She tried not to think of her friends and the rebellion, but she was wondering what she was really doing here, and why it seemed so important for her to be here. She hoped it wouldn't be for long. Yoda wasn't great company, and the debates between he and the ghost of General Kenobi, though educational, were a bit tiresome. She did get a lot more out of her meditation, and thought about how useful it would be to fight in the way that they taught her. Growing up, her father had made sure she had many lessons on shooting and self defense, never realizing how handy they would be and how good she would be at it. She had taken down men and creatures twice her size more than once. She finally smiled at the satisfaction that she could now take on anyone with sheer will, but couldn't she always do that to some extent? She figured when Han returned, she'd end her 'training'. She knew she wasn't supposed to tell Luke that he was her brother, but it seemed deceptive. He was one of her few close friends! Why was it supposed to be a secret? How could they be expected to take on the Emperor and Darth Vader if their biological father had been murdered by Vader? That's what Luke had told her before that he was told by Obi-Wan that his father was killed by Vader himself. Yet, Leia had been held by Darth Vader and been able to resist him. She remembered that now. No matter the training the Alliance gave, many had given in to the secrets or chose death instead of being forced to tell their secrets. Leia was alive and she gave away nothing to Darth Vader the most powerful interrogator in the galaxy. Maybe she was that strong.

Yoda got up off his cot and stood over her, "Trouble with sleeping? Your thoughts, clear your mind. To a happy time, the other morning perhaps? Smiling I found you." Yoda touched her head, and she went back to thinking of the story on Wes's data pad and laughing and she drifted off to sleep.

/

Cargo ship, near the Sullust system.

The small shuttle was coming up on the cargo ship and they would be landing soon. Dodonna turned out to not be such bad company. He mostly kept to himself, but he wasn't as demeaning as Han had found him in the past. They even chatted a few times. Han wasn't much of a talker really, and neither was Dodonna, but Dodonna had a lot on his mind. Han couldn't believe the old man opened up to him the way he did. He imagined he had no one but High Command and everyone else was below his rank. He imagined they were all going through this, this thing that was hovering over them all. He knew Leia had some of that as well, but she had him, and Luke and Chewie to talk to and take it out on. The fact that Dodonna could even speak with him about the things he did and trust him made Han feel that he somehow had gained some respect from him. Han often felt that many of higher rank on base looked down on him, as he wasn't an official member, or about his past. He usually didn't care one way or the other really. He always put Dodonna in that column. To actually gain some respect from someone who he thought he would never be able to win that from, it seemed to mean something.

They landed and Han opened up the ramp. They were preparing for something big here as there seemed to be a lot more than the usual rations and medical supplies. There was a lot ammunition and it appeared they were preparing for battle. It was none of his business, but he stopped to look at the faces of some of the people moving about the huge ship.

Dodonna stopped and shook his hand, "Thank you, Captain Solo for taking the time to bring me here."

"Don't mention it really, hope it works out, whatever you're doing here," Han answered.

"When you see the Princess, give her my love," He smiled, and turned as one of the officers pulled him away.

Han checked the ship for trackers anyway before he left the hanger, even if Mon Mothma promised they wouldn't.

/

The Executor

"Lord Vader, this just came in. I was sure you would wish to see it immediately," Admiral Piett said standing with the information given to him from Cloud City.

"Interesting, set a course for Bespin, Admiral," Darth Vader commanded.