Mustafar – Darth Vader's Castle
"I think we should definitely suit up. Or, at least I should. You boys can probably drink lava for all I know," Kendy said as she zipped up her safety coveralls.
"My wife - she's just the funniest, isn't she, Master Skywalker?" Grhan eyed Kendy's sack potato safety suit and raised his eyebrows several times. He mouthed, "Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Kendy rolled her eyes and grabbed her head cover.
"A great big ball of laughs, that one. You should really consider hanging onto her." Luke was smiling and relaxed. Kendy was suiting up to exit the Star Gazer onto what she believed was likely the least appealing planet in the Galaxy. Between the three of them, they were keeping things as light as could be expected.
Grhan pulled up a schematic of what they knew about Vader's Castle on the HoloScreen above the table. They all looked carefully as Grhan drew his recommended approach and entry point onto the 3-D image. "As we discussed earlier, Master Skywalker, this appears to be the formal entrance to the dwelling. The plans we were able to obtain from Imperial records identifies this as Darth Vader's personal quarters within the Castle." A yellow dot began to flash, highlighting the space. "We know that in this space Vader did his meditation and possibly rested in a Bacta tank of some design in a large capsule with a retractable roof. This is where he performed maintenance on his prosthetics and was able to remove his life support suit. The capsule itself provided access to respiratory support."
"Based on the size, it doesn't seem as though Vader would have stored much in the way of non-essential materials or resources in there. If Nash was sending someone to Mustafar for intel, I highly doubt they'd find much in the capsule." Luke said. "Unless… the capsule has some sort of data storage device." An idea struck Luke at that moment that brought him equal amounts of anticipation and apprehension. A journal. Darth Vader kept a journal. He must have. It would be kept where he meditates. It would be in the form of an audio recording as he would be free of his prosthetics, but unable to type. It would be in the capsule.
"I know this may sound strange, but I need fifteen minutes. I need to… meditate… on something." Luke felt awkward and uneasy. As hard as he tried to conceal this, he knew his apprentice could feel it.
"Of course, Master. Kendy and I could use the time to go through the logistics again. This equipment is very new and I'd be happy for Kendy to spend a little more time getting familiar with it." Any other time, Kendy would take that as a barb and have a retort. She just nodded and smiled.
Luke retreated to his quarters and sat on the floor, focusing on his breathing. His eyes were closed. He accepted his need to deal with the discomfort he felt. He'd been preparing for this event the entire trip over. He had vivid visions of his father, dying in his arms, asking to be unmasked and separated from his life support to see - and be seen by - his son. This was the only vision he wanted of his father. Because of those few precious minutes, Luke had been able to disentangle Anakin Skywalker father from Darth Vader in his heart. He was afraid that something they'd see inside this dwelling would take away that one small memory he had of his father. He knew who Darth Vader was – he battled him, lost his hand to him, and was nearly killed by him more than once…
Then the words came to Luke: I am a Jedi, like my father before me. It is enough that I know my father came back, and he himself would do whatever it takes to prevent further harm to others at the hands of Darth Vader. Instantly, Luke's mind quieted. He had found the peace he was seeking. He settled into this calm place and allowed it to wash through him.
Five minutes later, Luke rose with a sense of purpose. As he opened the door to his quarters, he paused and quietly said the words one last time: "I am a Jedi, like my father before me. It is enough that I know my father came back, and he himself would do whatever it takes to prevent further harm to others at the hands of Darth Vader." Luke was ready.
Grhan was waiting by the hatch. "Ready? I can go out first and test the atmosphere."
Luke shook his head. "We can all go together. The readings indicate we should be fine. Kendy should probably still suit up and have her head covering handy to be safe."
"I'm here!" Kendy said as she trotted down the corridor from the direction of her and Grhan's quarters. "Note to all who might ever wear one of these hot, oversized bags: Hit the refresher before you suit up."
The hatch hissed as it opened, and a wave of warm air flooded through as though it were a sinister creature waiting to engulf them. Kendy fought the urge to say, "Creeeeepy." Instead, she took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds as the ramp descended. They followed Luke down and stood - the three of them speechless - as they took in the scene. The large, black structure was an ominous sight. Luke was not there to sight-see, which was made clear by his already having moved five meters ahead of Grhan. They made their way to the entrance, and with a little help from handheld technology, the towering doors opened.
Moving quickly, they entered the area designated as the library from their research. There were massive shelves and a large table with four chairs in the center of the space, but no materials for reading or storing information to be found.
Grhan moved into the next area ahead of the others. It was clearly the chosen space for sparring. Multiple models of Imperial assassination droids stood like statues along one wall – at least fifteen by Grhan's quick count. The wall was lined with sparring sabers and shelves with face shields. A particular set of shelves held implements for encumbering a person's various extremities. Kendy walked closer to peruse them and discovered one contraption would inhibit three extremities: both legs and an arm. The significance escaped her, but Luke had a vague idea of where to start if he wanted to think on it more. Darth Vader was left with one remaining appendage - albeit a prosthetic one - after his battle with Obi-Wan. His right appendage was severed after his first battle with Count Dooku. They continued to move through the large, mostly bare spaces, finding nothing of any significance with regard to the mission's objectives.
They moved through several more inconsequential spaces, until they came to a set of doors as tall and wide as the ones at the Castle's entrance. "I think we know what's in there," said Grhan. The doors opened into a massive, cavernous area. In fact, it really was a cavern, the depths of which were impossible to know from sight. An impossibly high, domed, transparisteel structure covered the cavern. A natural bridge – a narrow walkway - spanned the distance between the entrance where they stood to the opposite side of the dome. There, another set of doors could be seen. In the center of the walkway, the surface expanded in width to form a circular area approximately 5 meters in diameter where a small group of people could stand with space to converse. Without railings or any protective barrier to prevent a fall, it was a certainty no sane person would desire to meet there - most especially if Darth Vader was the party awaiting them.
They walked to the other side of the bridge and once again opened the doors. This time, they found what they were expecting. A large black capsule, approximately 6 meters wide and 6 meters tall, rested in the center of the dimly lit, enormous room. They approached the capsule cautiously.
"How do you operate it? " Kendy asked.
"I don't know. It's amazing, though – don't you think?" Grhan answered.
"It's something," Kendy muttered. She watched as Luke stepped up to the smooth, black orb and lightly placed his hand on the surface. Grhan walked around the circumference looking for a control panel. "Grhan," Kendy whispered. Grhan looked at her and she gestured toward Luke.
Luke stepped back and closed his eyes. He stood motionless for half a minute. Then he opened his eyes, extended his right arm downward, palm facing up, and slowly began raising his arm in front of his body. A large Crack! Startled both Kendy and Ghran, but Luke was unfazed. The top half of the capsule began to separate from the bottom. A brilliant white light beamed out from within, illuminating the vast space in which it rested and the area where the three of them stood. As the top continued rising, Grhan noticed a thin pole suspended from the ceiling of the room with a half-meter diameter, flat disc at its base. It was positioned approximately 10 meters from the floor. The disc rested directly above the center of the top of the orb. As Luke continued raising the dome, it made contact with the disc, which seemed to grab and securely hold it, suspended approximately four meters above the bottom of the capsule.
Luke glanced at Ghran and Kendy, then approached the capsule with caution. Grhan and Kendy followed his lead. Once again Luke drew on the Force, and a 1.5 meter section of the outer wall lowered into a ramp, allowing easy access to the interior of the capsule. Luke entered and observed the elaborate chair facing a large HoloScreen display. Retractable mechanical arms were attached at the base of the front right and both back corners of the chair. An empty Bacta Tank – unlike any Luke had ever seen – was stationed to the right of the chair. Looking above, into the interior surface of the top of the dome, Luke believed he could see what was a harness on a retractable mechanical lift. It was obvious this was for moving Vader to and from the chair, into and out of the Bacta tank.
Kendy had not entered the capsule. She was closely observing Luke, as a thought repeated over and over in her head: "I am a Jedi, like my father before me. It is enough that I know my father came back…" She didn't have a clue why this was Master Skywalker's prevailing thought as he concluded his "emergency" meditation before leaving Gazer. However, she was certain there were dots to connect. "I am a Jedi, like my father before me. It is enough that I know my father came back…"
Kendy did not mean to overhear Luke as he exited his room. It took her a moment to process what she heard, but the part she could recall verbatim was the part that looped through her mind. What does that mean – "…it's enough to know my father came back?" Kendy had an uncanny sense for knowing what questions needed to be asked and when. She had the right question, but now was definitely not the right time to ask.
Luke and Grhan silently surveyed the interior of the capsule for another few minutes. A sophisticated array of communications and command technology that were far superior to most mid-sized ships surrounded the chair. Grhan noticed Luke was searching for something. He could sense the determination in his Master. Ghran surmised he must have found what he was looking for when Luke removed his lightsaber from his belt and activated the blade.