Avenge and Conquer

by arikylo

The Alliance has fallen into a very well laid trap and now Luke has no choice but to hand himself over to Vader. But what does the father have in store for the son? Can Luke handle the torture and the ruthless tactics of the Empire or will he be forced to surrender and embrace the dark side? (Dark!AU set after ESB. Rated T for violence.)

14. Chapter 14

A/N: Apologies once again for taking so long to update. But chapter 14 is finally here & we have a bit of a time skip.

As per usual, thank you for the lovely feedback & follows! Now, on with the story.

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Han glared down at the large galactic holomap in front of him. Three weeks. It had been three weeks since Leia had left and not one thing had gone the Alliance's way since.

Firstly, there was the complete and utter radio silence from the Alliance's spies aboard the Executor. A week's silence was not unusual for them, and occurred routinely to maximise their safety, but two weeks without a single word was concerning and three... Well, the implications were grim.

Then, there were the concerning rumours from the outer rim territories about the death of Jabba the Hutt and his followers at the gangster's palace on Tatooine. Apparently, it had been a slaughter, and that was putting it nicely. The news of the Hutt's death had initially come off as a welcome shock—it meant one less concern for the Alliance. But as they had delved deeper into the rumours, they had found that perhaps they had rejoiced too soon. For whilst the Hutt's death could almost be considered a good thing, the manner of his death was certainly not. Because the Hutt had died by the strike of a lightsaber—and so had many of his mercenaries. Now since lightsabers weren't the most common of weapons, one would naturally assume Vader to be responsible for the massacre, but this just wasn't his style. The Sith Lord rarely used his lightsaber against enemies, but when he did, it was for murdering Jedi, not uncouth gangsters and their followers. So that could only mean one thing: someone else had done this. But who—and why? Ultimately, they didn't know, although Han had a feeling that the answer lay within the details of the third—and final—issue that the Alliance was currently dealing with: the attacks on their small outposts stationed around the galaxy.

Han's mouth stretched into a thin, tight line as his eyes fell to the three red crosses marked on the holomap in front of him. Three red crosses for three destroyed bases. Each attack had come so swiftly that the Alliance hadn't realised what was going on until it was over, and then all they could do was mop up the bodies. Bodies which had been riddled with laser bolts—and the occasional jagged burn of a lightsaber. There were whispers that a new Sith had emerged and that he was working for the Empire. Most of the Alliance leaders tried to hush these rumours. After all, they were in a worse enough state as it was. They didn't need that kind of fear to spread amongst the troops. But as Han looked up at the Rebels entering the control room and skimmed over their weary faces, he knew they were making a terrible mistake in doing so. Because this new Sith was real—Han was certain of it—and from the surveys of the destroyed bases, it seemed that he showed no mercy. He was a threat, and if they kept denying it, it would come back to strike them in the face. But no one seemed to want to acknowledge that idea right now. They were all so focused on trying to determine the motives behind the attacks so that they could predict where the next one would occur. So far, however, they hadn't been anywhere near successful.

But once again, Han thought he had an answer. Only he couldn't check, because the damned Princess had changed the code to her room before she had left, which meant that all the information about Project Cataclysm and its 'failsafes' were firmly out of his reach. Because, yes, he had a feeling this had to do with the Princess's pet project. He just cursed himself for not paying as much attention to the information she had showed him as he should have. But then again, she shouldn't have cut him off like that. Because now people's lives were in danger—just like he had told her they would be—and he was helpless to stop it. That was the worst part.

Han rubbed at his temples with his fingertips and sank into the closest chair as Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar entered the room. Everyone quietened and turned their gazes on the Rebel leaders, but Han's gaze never left the holomap, his mind running over ideas for how to save the rest of the outposts. Because they needed to fight back—and soon—or else the Empire would figure out that outposts were just a decoy to keep them from finding out about the true nature of Project Cataclysm.

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Leia breathed in deeply, centering herself in the mystical energy field of the Force, letting the waves of its peaceful energy wash over her. Then, she reached out, feeling the objects around her, seeing their forms, their shapes, even though her eyes were closed to the light. She exhaled slowly as she curled her Force grip around the nearest object—a large, moss-covered stone. She focused for a moment, mindful of her where her presence was, and then delved into the Force to lift the rock off the ground.

Getting the first one was the trickiest, she had found. After that, lifting everything else was as easy as reciting her own name, and soon enough, she was surrounded by stones, their dull grey masses hovering anywhere from just off the ground to way above her head. Now she understood why Luke had been so fascinated by the Force. It was an incredible feeling to use its energy. So much power, but also so much peace.

It was needless to say that she had learned much in the past few weeks.

"Enough for today, that is," came the voice of Yoda, her master, who she had greatly come to respect over the course of her training. "Done well, you have. But now I must rest."

Leia gently lowered the stones, a soft crease lining her brow.

"But Master Yoda, it's not even noon. I can still learn so much more today…. Master Yoda?"

Leia's eyes flashed with concern as she caught sight of the little green alien. He was leaning heavily on the side of his hut, his walking stick at his feet. Leia scrambled up off the ground, but Yoda held up a hand.

"Your help I do not need. Continue training without me. Rest, I will."

Leia stared in concerned silence as the Jedi Master slowly picked up his cane and ambled into his hut. Leia turned a glance on Artoo, who stood a couple of metres away. The astromech swiveled his head a couple of times and then gave a few sad, but uncertain beeps. Leia frowned as a sinking feeling began to develop in her stomach. Was Yoda going to be okay? Would she be able to complete her training?

She shook her head and sat back down, trying her best to reassure herself. Yes, she would complete her training. She had come so far already, she wasn't going to fall short now. And as for Yoda, he was old. He needed rest. She had never seen him look so tired and frail before though…

But she had been away from the Alliance for three weeks now. She couldn't stay away much longer. That was why she had to put all of her effort into training, even if Yoda wasn't there to help her. So, she pushed her concerning thoughts aside and sank her mind back into the Force.

The calming energy field welcomed her, beckoning her forward into its depths, and she willingly followed. She still hadn't managed to find the answers she was after, but that didn't mean she had stopped trying. Every spare moment she had was used to search the Force, to speak to it, to listen. Most of the time she found nothing, but occasionally she would come across a strange darkness. And today was one of those days.

Leia recoiled slightly as the cold, ominous feeling danced at the back of her mind. It didn't frighten her—not when she was awake, at least—but it did give her the feeling that something bad was going to happen, and that made her uneasy. Countless times, she had woken in the middle of the night, sweat-drenched and screaming because a dark figure shrouded in the cowl of the Dark Side had tried to kill her. Leia breathed in deeply and let the Force calm her. It was the only way she could move past the darkness, the only way she could let it slide by. And slide by it did—the darkness receded and light shone through and Leia's head spun as a thousand images flashed across her eyes.

Green eyes, darkened and glinting. Hands, covered in blood. Han—Han!—falling at the feet of a dark figure. A flash of a red lightsaber. Then a flash of green and a shower of sparks. Darkness over ice, lit up by brilliant flashes. People screaming in the distance. Hands, lingering over a red button.

Leia gasped as her vision went white and chills ricocheted down her spine. Artoo was at her side, shaking and beeping wildly and she swatted at him as she pushed herself up off the ground. Her head was still spinning and the images still splashing across her mind as she stumbled towards the entrance to Yoda's hut.

"Master Yoda," she called out, as she sank to her knees and crawled through the tiny doorway. "Master Yoda, I… I had a vision. Han… he was… Was it the future? What do I—"

But she stopped as she caught sight of the Jedi. He was curled up under a blanket, eyes half closed, and he looked so frail that Leia's vision swam instantly.

"Master Yoda?" she asked, quietly making her way over to the bed.

"A vision, you had," Yoda nodded stiffly, his voice no more than a broken whisper. "The future, it was."

Leia stared in silence, concern etched on her features. The images had been bad enough, but the feeling that had come with it… If that was the future, then she needed to do something. But what could she do? She wasn't a Jedi yet. She couldn't go up against Darth Vader. She needed to continue her training.

But her friends needed her!

"Master Yoda, what do I do?" she asked quietly.

"Your decision, that is. Soon, I will be unable to help you."

"What do you mean?"

"Forever sleep, I will."

Leia's eyes widened slightly. "No, Master Yoda. I need your help. You can't die!"

"Need me, you may, but on your own, you can still learn. A great Jedi, will you be, Leia. A great Jedi… you already are."

Leia shook her head. No! This couldn't be happening. She had only been here three weeks. She still had so much to learn! How was she meant to go on alone?

"Something for you, I have," Yoda croaked, and Leia was barely able to make out his words. "There… on the table."

Leia brushed her hair out of her face and turned to look at the table. On its surface sat a small, wooden box. Leia looked at Yoda again, before taking the box into her hands. She lifted the lid slowly and her eyes widened as she laid eyes on the green crystal inside.

"Thank you, Master," she whispered, eyes glittering.

"For when you are ready."

"Will I ever be ready?"

"Yes," Yoda whispered, and just by the tone of his voice did Leia know that the old Jedi was swiftly running out of time. "Leia…"

Leia listened in silence.

"You are not alone… Strong you must be. Overcome… the Dark Side you must… Do not underestimate Vader… or his... apprentice…"

The last words were barely audible, but Leia caught them nonetheless. Her eyes widened significantly, but she didn't have time to consider their meaning, for the form of her teacher glowed suddenly with soft, white light, before slowly disappearing into the Force. The blankets fell softly onto the bed and Leia stared, vision blurred. She didn't know what to do, so she bowed her head and let the Force take her mind.

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It was early morning in the region of Catarya where the Rebel outpost was located and the birds were only just beginning to awaken with song, yet the small band of troops making their way up the mountain had been awake for hours. The flight had been long and boring, and most were itching for a little action, especially the dark, hooded figure who led the group. His silver and black saber swung from his belt as he nimbly made his way over rocks and tree stumps.

The only indication so far that this area of the planet was inhabited was the large energy readings they were currently getting off the scanner. However, as they progressed up the mountain, they could begin to make sight of a grey, decent-sized building situated on top of the rise. It was covered in fallen branches and leaf litter and looked quite uninhabited, but it coincided with the energy readings, so there was no doubt that this was the Rebel outpost they were looking for.

Luke halted and signalled his troops to do the same.

"Just like the past three times," he said, turning to face the small squadron of stormtroopers. "Quickly and quietly. Make sure none of them get away."

"Yes, sir," chanted the troops, some giving a small acknowledging salute. They primed their weapons and took a couple of steps forward, but Luke held up his hand.

"I want one of them alive this time," he said, blue eyes flickering up to the building. "I want to send a message."

There were nods of acknowledgement throughout the group and then they were off, moving much quicker than before, but no less quieter. They had the building surrounded within a minute, with the Rebels blissfully unaware of their presence. Or, at least, that was how it looked until one of the stormtroopers kicked the door in.

Luke only had a second to react as the doorway erupted into flames. He ducked and rolled, narrowly missing the debris that the explosion sent flying at them. But two of his troopers weren't so lucky and Luke hissed a curse as he watched their lifeless bodies hit the ground with chilling thuds. He turned a wicked gaze on the building. Laser bolts were flying haphazardly out of the doorway now and a couple of his troopers were bravely firing back. Luke ignited his saber with a snap-hiss and pushed himself up onto his feet. Oh, these Rebels were going to pay for killing his men.

He brought his saber up into a defensive block as he approached the doorway and extended his senses. His troopers pulled back a bit to let him pass, but did not stop firing. And neither did the Rebels, although they probably regretted that a moment later. As soon as Luke stepped into the crossfire, his saber became a blur of red light and sparks. The Rebels' laser bolts ricocheted off of his blade and sizzled straight back at them. Two fell almost instantly. The third stopped firing as soon as he realised it was a bad idea, but fell a second later as a blast from the stormtroopers caught him in the chest.

Luke pressed forward with his troops following close behind. His lightsaber hummed at his side, eager for more blood. Luke rounded a corner and was forced to duck and roll once again as a barrage of blaster fire poured out at him. He pulled himself up into a crouch and deflected the incoming bolts with ease, although none of them rebounded back at their targets this time for the Rebels were quick to disappear from the end of the corridor.

Luke stormed forward, but let his troopers take the lead as they approached the corner. A quick check of the next room resulted in an all clear, and they moved forward yet again. Luke extended his senses. The Rebels were eager to get away, but more so to defend the codes. The few who remained, were holed up in the room down the corridor. Luke could sense their edginess but he could also sense their determination. They were not going down without a fight. But neither was he and neither were his troops. He reached out into the Force and a smile graced his lips as he located the rest of his squad.

Luke and his troops moved quickly up to the doorway, but he held them back as he extended his senses, waiting for the right moment. A couple of seconds later his senses buzzed and he yelled, "Now!"

They pushed through the doorway just as the rest of the squad entered from the back. The Rebels snapped off a couple of shots, which Luke promptly deflected, but dropped their blasters a moment later after realising they were surrounded.

Luke turned his saber off and gave a nod in the direction of his troops who had come in the back door. All of them had their weapons pointed at the Rebels and were currently forcing them to their knees.

"Nice work, men," he said as he moved over to the computer terminal situated at the side of the room and began tapping some keys. It took him less than a minute to find what he was looking for. He inserted a data card and began the transfer. Then, he turned to face the Rebels.

"I commend you for putting up quite a fight," he said. "But, unfortunately, you're all going to meet the same fate as your friends at the other outposts."

The Rebels didn't say anything, but shot him filthy looks.

"Speaking of which, how did you know we were coming?"

"We're not as dumb as you'd like to think," came a voice from behind him.

Luke cursed, whipped his saber out and spun around all in the same motion. His blade sliced cleanly through the large blaster pointed at his back and then doubled back to swiftly remove the Rebel's head from his shoulders. The body fell to the floor with a thud and Luke stared down at it for a moment, chest rising and falling with adrenaline.

"Remember your orders," he said, as he turned back to face his troops. "I want one of them—"

But he stopped as the Rebels' eyes widened. Luke frowned slightly, but then he noticed the look in their eyes. It was recognition. But how would they—oh. He cursed swiftly as he realised that his hood must have slipped in his rush to defend himself. He stared at the Rebels for another couple of moments, taking in their shocked and scared expressions, before he dropped his chin and sighed.

"I was going to let one of you live," he said almost regretfully as he took a few slow steps forward. "But there's no way I can allow that now. It's your own fault, really."

"Commander Sky—"

"Kill them," Luke ordered his troops, his gaze hardening as he cut the young Rebel off.

The Rebel's eyes widened as the stormtroopers opened fire and Luke turned back to the computer terminal where the data had just finished transferring. He would have done the deed himself, but he was too angry at the fact that he had slipped up—both in terms of not realising the Rebel was behind him and because he had accidentally revealed himself. It had cost him a messenger, which meant…

"We're moving the fifth attack up," Luke growled as he pulled out the data card and pocketed it. "Prep your weapons and get back to the ship. The system's not far from here, it'll only take us an hour to get there. Don't bother sending a distress signal and leave the dead."

He turned from the terminal and stormed out of the room before his troops could even utter a response.

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Leia sat quietly on the nose of her x-wing, staring absently at the small hut which she could see through the trees. The lights in its windows had long since gone out, never to be rekindled. The air was hot and thick, but her bones felt cold.

She was alone.

Yoda had told her that she wasn't, but she didn't know what that meant. Had he been talking about Ben? Because that certainly didn't comfort her. Yoda, unlike the secretive old wizard, had been helpful—taught her the things she wanted to know. And now he was gone…

Leia didn't know what to do. She supposed she had better leave—return to the Alliance and to her friends. After all, from what she had seen in the vision, it looked like they were in danger—grave danger, if the initial vision which had driven her here was anything to go by. But part of her didn't want to leave. She had found peace here. Solace. She supposed she could take that with her, but there was just something about this place… Sometimes she thought it was because Luke had been here once—learnt the same things she had. She sighed and turned to look at Artoo, who was slotted snugly in his socket in the x-wing. But if she didn't leave, who else would she lose? She had lost Luke and now Yoda… She didn't know what she'd do if she lost Han…

Leia closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.

And what about Vader's supposed apprentice? Certainly that didn't bode well for the Alliance—or for the galaxy, for that matter. Just the thought of another Sith Lord sent chills down her spine. There was no way she was a match for either of them. She needed more training.

But she wasn't going to get that right now. And her friends needed her. She sighed. She could continue to learn the ways of the Force after she had made sure they were alright.

Leia took one last look at Yoda's hut and then picked herself up and clambered into the x-wing cockpit. She fired up the converters and flicked some switches. The x-wing didn't sound too good after three weeks of inactivity, but it lifted gently off the ground, nonetheless, and soon, they were climbing through Dagobah's atmosphere.

Leia had no idea where the Alliance currently were and she didn't have any way to contact them. But she had the Force and she let it control her actions as she plotted her course for hyperspace. She took a deep breath, making a quick check of her mental shields—what with two Sith Lords now, she had to be extra careful not to reveal herself—and then pulled the lever. The stars stretched and warped and she was gone in an instant, leaving the swampy planet of Dagobah far behind.

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They didn't even try to be subtle this time. The shuttle swung low and fast towards the small Rebel outpost, lasers firing. The floor in front of the haphazard building exploded in clouds of dust and rock as the shuttle sped past overhead. They came round for another pass, this time making targets out of the two Rebels scurrying towards the nearby laser turrets. The bodies were launched into the air as the ground beneath them exploded.

"That's enough," Luke commanded from behind the pilot's chair. "Put us down."

The bursts of laser fire ceased and the engines whined as the pilot swung them low over a small clearing to the side of the outpost. Within seconds of the landing struts making contact with the ground, Luke and his team were out and on the offensive.

Blaster bolts sizzled towards them, but none made their mark. The Rebel's shots were sloppy in the sudden and unexpected dash to defend the base. Luke deflected two bolts and stalked forwards, cloak billowing behind him and hood drawn low over his face.

"I'll handle this," he growled to his men. "Cover me."

Quick acknowledgements followed his command and the stormtroopers fell back. Ahead, the Rebels were taking cover in the rubble. Luke's eyes flashed as he felt the Dark Side swirl within him. Why he had put off embracing it for so long, he didn't know. He was just glad that he had finally given in. The Dark Side was power—unlimited power—and he could feel it coursing through his veins as he lifted his saber and swung it viciously at the nearest Rebel.

Despite the chaos of screams and blaster fire, Luke's senses were crystal clear. He could sense every Rebel in the vicinity. He could feel their emotions. He could feel their deaths. But as much as he wanted to murder every single one of them out of revenge for his fallen troopers, he was not going to fail again. He wanted to send a message to the Alliance - he wanted them to realise how serious this was. Maybe then, they'd finally send out some interesting opponents for him. Like a certain princess, perhaps? Luke grinned to himself as he cut down two more Rebels. Oh how he was looking forward to the day where he would finally reveal himself to her—to the look on her face when she realised what her actions had wrought. Because the entire Alliance was going to pay for what she had done. Not only had she abandoned him to the cells of the Executor and hours of inhumane torture, but she had never trusted him to begin with. And honestly, that hurt a lot more than the torture had. He had considered them friends—family, even. They had been through so much together and then it turned out that she had been dishonest with him the entire time. He had thought they had had a connection of some sort.

But none of that mattered now. He had found his real family. He had found his true destiny and he had found a path to more power than he had ever thought possible. This was who he was now. Vader's apprentice—Vader's son. Sith Lord and faithful servant of the Empire.

Two more Rebels fell at his feet, smoke curling upwards from the deep burns on their chests. Luke moved forward swiftly. There were only three Rebels left now and, like in the previous attack, they were holed up in a small room at the end of the building.

Luke's cloak swished softly over the floor as he made his way through the thin passageways of the building to a small, grey door behind which the Rebels were hiding. Luke readjusted his grip on his saber hilt, took a deep breath and then burst through the door.

Blaster bolts flew at him in an instant but he swiftly deflected them to the ceiling and reached through the Force for the neck of the closest Rebel.

"Stop or I'll snap his neck," he growled as he deflected another laser bolt.

The two Rebels still firing looked confused for a second, but then glanced at their companion, who was swiftly turning a concerning shade of purple, and instantly pulled their fingers off the triggers. They didn't, however, lower their weapons. Luke eyed them carefully for a moment, then released his grip on the third Rebel. The man fell to the floor, coughing and sputtering. His companions watched in silent concern, then one raised his head to look at Luke.

"What do you want?" the man asked.

"I'm here for the codes, of course," Luke replied.

"We'll never give them to you," spat the other Rebel.

Luke smiled. "I don't need you to give them to me. I am perfectly fine with taking them myself."

There was a pause as the meaning behind those words sunk in.

"Then why are we still alive?" the Rebel on the right asked cautiously.

"Because I need a messenger," Luke answered as he made his way over to the computer terminal and began his search. Turning his back to the Rebels was a risk when they were still armed, but he was certain that their attention was on him for the moment and not on the blasters in their hands.

"A messenger?"

"Yes," Luke replied as he located the codes and began transferring them to a data card. "But only one."

There was an uneasy silence and Luke sensed that the Rebels were giving each other concerned looks.

"So, who will it be?" he asked as he removed the data card and turned back to face them.

The Rebels didn't reply.

"If you don't choose, I will," Luke said, blue eyes flitting across the scared faces in front of him.

Again, no one answered.

Luke sighed and closed his eyes, letting the Dark Side fill his being. He felt it running through his veins, lifting the hairs on his arms and twisting his lips into a smirk.

A loud snap resounded around the room, swiftly followed by a second, then a gasp and two heavy thuds. Luke opened his eyes.

The Rebel directly opposite him—the one who had spoken second—stood wide eyed and pale. One hand covered his mouth, while the other still gripped his blaster. He looked up from the bodies on the floor and turned his gaze on Luke. His brown eyes glittered for a moment in shock and fear. Then an odd emotion, which Luke didn't have time to recognise, flashed across his face and he lifted his blaster.

"No!" Luke yelled, wrenching the blaster from the man's grip with the Force before it could make it to his temple. He shoved the man backwards into the wall and stepped forward, snaking his hand around the man's neck. The Rebel's eyes bulged a little at the sudden pressure and his hands gripped at Luke's, trying to tear them off.

"I am giving you your life," Luke hissed, bringing his face dangerously close to the man's. "You would be a fool to throw it away just to spite me."

"I'll… never do anything… for you," the Rebel choked out in a husky whisper.

Luke tightened his grip and the Rebel gasped, his struggles to free his neck intensifying.

"Yes, you will," Luke said, and he let the influencing tones of the Force enter his voice as he spoke his next words. "You will return to the Alliance and tell them that Vader's apprentice sends his regards. Also tell them that the Princess should have been more careful with her pet project."

The man blinked and Luke relaxed his grip as he made to speak.

"I will return to the Alliance," the man repeated, eyes a little glossy. "And tell them that Vader's apprentice sends his regards. Also, the Princess should have been more careful with her pet project."

"Very good," Luke said, taking a step back. "Now I suggest you get on your way."

The man nodded and moved swiftly from the room. Luke watched him leave. He had no doubt that the man would do as he had ordered. Now, he just had to wait and see how the Alliance responded. Hopefully, his words might strike a chord with the Princess and coax her out of hiding. That would bring Han, too—and Chewie. He grinned. The old team, back together. Only they weren't a team any more—they weren't even on the same team—and Luke most definitely did not have a friendly get together in mind.

He glanced down at the bodies at his feet and then turned and left the room.

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A loud beeping noise from the dash wrenched Leia out of her meditative state. She blinked a couple of times, taking a moment to become aware of her surroundings, before she realised what the beeping was and quickly pulled the ship out of hyperspace.

The blue swirls in front of her quickly receded and the Alliance fleet appeared. Leia heaved a sigh of relief. She knew that she could trust the Force to guide her, but it was still so new and unfamiliar to her that she had been afraid that she might have done something wrong. But, luckily, her course had been true and now she was back home.

Leia flipped a couple of switches and then transmitted a coded request to board. Although the uncertainty she had felt about trusting the Force to return her to the Alliance had all but passed, a new level of uneasiness was beginning to stir inside her, and it worsened every second as she received no response from the Alliance. But finally, just when she was beginning to think that they weren't going to allow her to board, her ship's comms crackled, and a curt voice rang out, "Proceed."

Leia pushed up her thrusters, hands a little shaky from nerves, and soared down towards Home One's main hangar bay.

It didn't take her long to reach the bay, and once she was inside, she set the x-wing down in the middle of the shiny floor. She switched off the engines and popped the cockpit. Lifting her restraints, she clambered out of the cockpit and jumped to the floor, landing softly with the grace that her newfound Force abilities had given her. She slipped off her helmet and pilot's gloves and looked around, nerves rolling in her stomach.

No one to greet her.

She had at least expected someone to be there to meet her. Han, perhaps. Although maybe she was being too wishful with that. After all, she had left abruptly for three weeks with only a short, vague note as explanation. Yes, she was definitely being too wishful. If anything, she'd be lucky if Han even spoke to her.

Leia turned around as Artoo whistled something from behind her. The little astromech had lowered himself to the ground using his repulsors and was now ambling towards her.

"No, no one to meet us, Artoo," she said quietly. "I guess I'll just have to go find them myself."

Artoo tootled a response.

"No, it's okay. You don't have to come with me. Actually, I'd like you to take this to my room," she said, pulling the small wooden box that Yoda had given her out of her pocket. She held it out to Artoo, who took it with an acknowledging beep and placed it safely within one of his compartments. Then, the little droid turned and began heading for the hangar bay door.

Leia watched him go and then sighed to herself. She placed her helmet and gloves back in the cockpit and then made in the same direction that Artoo had.

It felt strange to be back. She had gotten so used to the hot, damp swamps of Dagobah over the past three weeks that she had almost forgotten what it was like to walk through squeaky-clean, white passageways. And speaking of clean… Leia looked down at her pilot fatigues. She could probably do with a shower—a very long and intense shower—but that would have to wait for now.

It was almost no time at all before she arrived at the door of the command room. She hadn't asked for directions - she hadn't even thought about it. The Force must have guided her here. And, judging by the two guards at the door, this was where she was going to find the Alliance leaders, and maybe even Han. She took a deep breath and stepped forward.

But the two guards stopped her, shaking their heads.

"Sorry, Princess, but you're not allowed in," the one on the left said.

"But, I—"

"The meeting will be finished in a number of minutes. You can wait 'til then."

Leia was about to argue, but instead settled for an acknowledging dip of the head and stepped back to lean against the opposite wall. She breathed in deeply and then exhaled slowly. It had been so easy to control her emotions on Dagobah and now she realised why—there had been no one else's thoughts and emotions affecting hers. But now that she was surrounded by a ship full of people, it was a little overwhelming, especially since she had never been so attuned to the Force before. She could sense people moving in the corridors above her and she could sense the feelings of the people in the room in front of her, but at the moment it was all a big mess and it was making her head spin.

Leia clenched her fists in her uniform and thought back to Yoda's teachings. In order to separate the different feelings from the Force, she first had to be at peace. She breathed in again and exhaled, letting her mind sink into the folds of the Force. If the guards were looking at her strangely, she didn't care. There were more important things than having your mental health questioned and right now there was only one thing on her mind: Vader's apprentice. She had to warn the Alliance about him before it was too late.

Leia opened her eyes as the door to the command room swished open and immediately stepped forward into the exiting traffic. Some walked past her without a glance, but most turned surprised gazes on her as she pushed her way into the room. Whispers announced her presence to those who remained in the room—Mon Mothma, Ackbar, Han, Skyro and a handful of other important delegates. All of them turned to face her at the same time and she stopped dead in her tracks, the words she had intended on saying swept clean from her mouth.

Suddenly, the nerves she had felt in the hangar bay returned and she shifted slightly on the spot. For once in her life she felt thoroughly overwhelmed by the stares she was attracting. And it was getting worse because now some of those expressions were beginning to lose their shocked value—Han's namely. Leia's eyes flicked to the ex-smuggler just in time to see his face turn into a scowl. He almost seemed to growl and then turned away from the table he was standing at, as if he was unable to look at her. Leia's heart trembled, but she turned her gaze on Mon Mothma, frantically trying to think of something to say. But what could she say? She had effectively abandoned them for three weeks without any notice and then returned out of the blue with a severe warning for them all. She couldn't exactly explain everything in one sentence.

But luckily, Mon Mothma found her voice before Leia did.

"You're lucky you made it back when you did," she said, her face resuming its usual calm and collected look. "An hour later and we'd be gone."

Leia nodded, dropping her gaze. She was grateful that she had not been scolded for her actions—or worse, dismissed. What she had done was certainly worthy of a dismissal, especially since she held such a high status in the Alliance. But then again, that was probably what saved her. She had been here so long that Mon Mothma and the others knew she would never betray them, especially not after the Empire had destroyed her people and her planet.

"I have news," Leia said, looking up again.

"As do we," Mon Mothma said. "We have decided it is time to find a new base."

Leia frowned, her warning about Vader's apprentice momentarily forgotten.

"A base?" she echoed. "I thought we had decided not to do that given the current situation with the Empire."

"The situation with the Empire has escalated," Mon Mothma replied. "It is a necessary risk that we must take. We are losing too many outposts and we must start fighting back. And for that, we need a place to coordinate our attacks."

"Outposts? What do you mean?" Leia asked.

"A lot has happened since you left," said Ackbar. "We've lost three small outposts and we—"

"Five, actually," came a voice from behind them.

Everyone turned to look at the newcomer standing in the doorway. It was a young Rebel dressed in worn fatigues. He had red rims under his eyes and a slight bruising across his throat. Leia could practically feel the exhaustion emanating off of him.

"Five?" repeated Mon Mothma, concerned etched deep in her voice.

Leia turned a confused gaze on the Alliance leaders. She had thought nothing would happen in her time away from the Alliance, but she had clearly been wrong. She was still terribly confused, but she thought it best not to interrupt, so she listened intently as the Rebel stepped forward.

"Yes," he replied. "My base on Risnor was attacked, as was the base on Catarya. I have just been informed that three other attacks have occurred previously, so that makes five lost in total."

Han, who had turned back around to face the young Rebel, cursed softly.

"Were there any survivors?" Ackbar asked.

The Rebel shook his head. "No, sir. Only me."

"How did you escape?" Leia asked.

The Rebel turned his gaze on her and he seemed to hesitate for a moment, before responding.

"I was asked to deliver a message," he said quietly.

"And what is that message?"

The Rebel's eyes flickered to Mon Mothma and then clockwise around the room before they finally settled back on Leia. It was clear that the man was nervous and if his base had just been destroyed, it was likely he was still in shock. He hesitated another moment, then took a deep breath.

"Vader's apprentice sends his regards," he said.

The room sunk into a deadly silence and Leia almost took a step back. Of all the things that the man could have said, she had definitely not been expecting those. Vader's apprentice… She had wanted to warn the Alliance before it was too late, but if he was somehow involved in these attacks… She had failed greatly.

Leia's mind was racing, struggling to put together the few details she had been given, but her concentration was broken as the Rebel continued.

"And… he said that the Princess should have been more careful with her pet project."

Leia's bones chilled and she stared at the Rebel. A second ago her mind had been racing, now it had completely stopped. She could feel the stares of the other Alliance members on her back and she could hear Han curse loudly, but still her gaze didn't drop from the Rebel.

"I'm not sure I quite understand that part," murmured the man, "but he asked me to tell you, so I did."

"Thank you," Mon Mothma responded. She sounded a little shaken, but of all the people in the room, she was probably the most composed right now. Leia, especially, was still out of it, gazing off into space with a look of dread on her face. "Is there anything else you can tell us about Vader's… apprentice?"

"I… Not much," the Rebel replied. "He carried a red lightsaber and he wore a dark cloak that covered his face... although…"

"Yes?" Mon Mothma prompted.

"He got close to me and his eyes…" the Rebel murmured. "I think they were blue…But I'm not sure. I was awfully terrified."

"That's understandable," Mon Mothma replied, her voice taking on smooth, comforting tones.

The Rebel's eyes took on a glazed, far-off look as he continued. "He… he killed two of my friends right in front of me. He… snapped their necks but he… he didn't even touch them."

By now, the man's eyes were wide and glistening as he looked at the Alliance council members. Most of the people in the room were shocked into silence, no doubt running the mental image of necks snapping between invisible fingers through their minds, except for one young female delegate. She stepped forward and put a comforting hand on the man's shoulder.

"How 'bout we go find you a bed and some food," she said in soft, comforting tones.

The man stared at her for a moment, eyebrows curved and eyes wide, but then he nodded.

The woman shot a glance back over her shoulder to make sure that it was okay if she escorted the man from the room. Mon Mothma nodded softly, and then the two of them left. The door swished shut behind them, leaving an uneasy silence in the air.

Leia felt like she couldn't breathe. She stepped back slowly and fell into the nearest chair. She had felt so confident before—confident in her abilities, confident in the Force and most of all, confident that everything was about to go their way. But oh, the scales were definitely not tipping in their direction right now. Vader's apprentice was one thing, but the Project? How had the Empire even found out about that?

By the time Leia had found her voice again, the Alliance council members were already in deep conversation. One of them, even, had disappeared to issue the message that the fleet would be making a hyperspace jump in less than ten minutes.

"What were the names of the other planets where the outposts were destroyed?" she whispered.

Everyone turned to regard her quietly.

Then, Ackbar answered, "Po'qua, Glyiing and Iwah."

Leia cursed softly.

"They all have to do with the Project, don't they?" Mon Mothma asked.

Leia looked up, feeling her cheeks redden with shame.

"Yes," she answered.

"What are they after?"

"Codes."

"Real ones?"

"No."

Most people in the room were following the exchange with mild looks of confusion. Only Han and Ackbar had any idea what was going on.

"We need to pull the troops out," Mon Mothma said finally, after giving Leia a long look.

"No, we can't!" Leia responded. "If we do that, then the Empire will realise it's just a ruse. We need to keep them off the scent of the real Project."

"Innocent men are dying," Han said coldly, looking to Ackbar and Mon Mothma. It was clear from his tone—and from his refusal to look at her—that he was mad at her. And most likely mad about the Project too.

"Then we start defending them," said Ackbar. "We can analyse the locations of the previous attacks and predict where they might strike next. How does that sound, Princess?"

"Sounds good to me," Leia replied after a moment's consideration. "We'll need to act soon, though. We've already failed to protect five outposts. If we don't defend any more, the Empire might become suspicious."

"Which is why we are headed to Myuko now," Ackbar said. "If the conditions are good, we will set up a temporary base and from there we will be able to properly survey the destroyed bases and also make the preparations necessary for any defensive attacks we might launch."

"So this base will be close to the destroyed outposts?" Leia asked.

"Close, but not close enough that the Empire will suspect we're there."

"And what if our position is leaked?" Leia asked pointedly. She wasn't exactly happy about the decision to set up a base, however temporary it might be, but she figured she was in no position to challenge it right now.

Ackbar sighed. "We will just have to trust that everyone on this council is loyal to the Alliance. No one else will know the location. And besides, it may not even be suitable for our purposes. There was once a base on Myuko, but it was attacked about a year ago. The survivors and the rescue team fled in such a hurry that we have no idea whether it's still inhabitable or not."

"I see," Leia said, folding her arms. "And if it's not what we're looking for?"

"Then we go somewhere else."

Leia nodded slowly. "And what about Vader's apprentice?"

"It's concerning news," answered Mon Mothma. "Although it explains a lot."

Leia shot the Rebel leader a curious look.

"The brief reports we've had of the attacks so far indicate that some of the troops were killed by lightsaber," Mon Mothma elaborated. "It also explains the slaughter at Jabba's palace on Tatooine."

"Slaughter at Jabba's palace?" Leia repeated.

"Yes. Both Jabba and his band of mercenaries were all killed by lightsaber. At least, that's how the rumours have it."

Leia's brow creased a little. It was unusual for the Empire to make an attack on the Hutt's, but she guessed it meant one less concern for the Alliance.

Leia looked up as she heard the ship's engines whine and then kick in with an almighty roar.

"Well, we're on our way," said Ackbar. "We should begin our preparations for the survey of the base on Myuko. Leia, I am assigning you to the team that will go down to the surface, along with General Solo. Captain Skyro will lead the mission, since he has been to the base before and therefore has the best knowledge of how to get there and what to expect."

"I understand," Leia said. "Thank you, Admiral."

"Well, you all know your orders. Meeting adjourned," said Ackbar.

There were nods of acknowledgement around the room and then everybody began shuffling towards the door.

"Han!" Leia called, but he walked right past her.

She sighed and was about to sit down again when Skyro came up beside her.

"You know, I didn't think you were going to come back," he said, green eyes glittering in the light of the command room. His voice was much quieter than usual and there was no sign of the playful enthusiasm that she had become so accustomed to expect of the young captain.

Leia looked at him.

"You lied to me," he continued when she didn't say anything. His words weren't cold like she had been expecting, but they did fill her with guilt nonetheless.

Leia sighed, dropping her head. "I know. I'm sorry, Skyro, but I couldn't tell anyone where I was going. I didn't even tell Han."

Skyro nodded. "It's okay. I assumed it was something important."

"It was."

"Then I'm also going to assume that you can't tell me anything about the Project that Mon Mothma was talking about?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Leia murmured. Then she looked up at Skyro and gave him a small smile. "So you're leading the team, are you?"

"Yeah," Skyro replied, a small smile gracing his lips, although it was nothing like the ones he used to sport. Leia frowned slightly, wondering whether something was wrong. But before she could ask, Skyro continued. "Apparently they thought I'd be a good candidate for the job since I've been there before. Thing is, I was only there for the rescue mission. We were in and out within an hour."

"Has anyone else on the team been there before?"

Skyro shook his head. "No, most of them are on other missions right now, although I currently have one spare spot on the team and Mon Mothma has requested that I ask Clay to join us, but I'm not sure how that's going to go."

"How come?" Leia asked.

"Do you remember how he said he's been through Imperial torture before?"

Leia had to think for a couple of seconds, but then she recalled the moment that Skyro was speaking of. Skyro and her had just returned from flight practice when they had met Clay in the hangar bay.

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, I remember."

"Myuko was where that happened," Skyro said quietly. "I was with the rescue team that got him out. He was the only survivor."

"Oh," Leia whispered.

"Yeah." Skyro looked down for a moment. "I'll ask him because I was ordered to, but I don't expect him to come. I'm not too enthused about returning and I wasn't even there for an hour."

Skyro sighed and then looked at her again. "I should probably go get ready. As should you," he said.

Leia nodded. Skyro made to move past her but she placed a hand on his arm to stop him. He gave her a curious glance.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her tone earnest. She remembered how Skyro had come to her room the day she had left. There had been something troubling him then and she wondered if it was the same thing troubling him now. But if it was, she doubted he'd tell her since he'd refused to do so last time.

Skyro held her gaze for a moment and then looked away, a slight grimace crossing his lips.

"Yeah, kinda… The last few weeks have been tough, that's all."

"Okay," Leia said quietly, letting her hand trail down his arm until it fell to her side.

Skyro shot her a half-hearted smile and pointed to his face. "At least my black eye is gone."

Leia laughed and together they made their way out the door.

"Yeah, I guess that's a good thing."

.

.

.

Leia jolted awake, clutching at the rim of her seat. She blinked a couple of times and then looked around her, wondering what had woken her.

"We've touched down," came Skyro's voice from the cockpit and only now did Leia realise where she was. She was in the back of a shuttle and they were on their way to the surface of Myuko. Or, well, they were on the surface now. "We disembark in two minutes. Make sure everything's prepped."

Leia jumped to her feet and turned around, reaching for the supply pack that was strapped to the wall above her seat. She slung it over her shoulder and then grabbed her blaster from the rack nearby and slipped it into its holster.

Everyone else was busy doing the same thing, and Leia watched them with a yawn. She hadn't had much of a chance to sleep on Home One before they were blasting off towards Myuko so she had decided to sleep on the flight. She wasn't sure if it had helped much, although it had been a good way to stop herself from trying to catch Han's gaze. He still hadn't spoken to her and had only made eye contact with her a couple of times on accident. Each time that had happened, he had turned away with scowl.

Leia looked at him now. He was busy checking over his blaster, although he looked up and nodded as Skyro issued him orders. Leia turned her gaze back to Skyro with a sigh.

"Leia, you'll be with me," Skyro said. "We'll all enter from different sides. Be on your guard. The Empire could have set traps in case we ever decided to return."

There were acknowledging nods around the room, then Skyro flipped the switch on the wall and the shuttle ramp descended. The troops began filing out in their assigned pairs, each heading off in different directions as they set foot on the pavement outside.

Leia watched Han go without a backward glance and then turned her gaze on Skyro who was currently facing Clay. Leia had been surprised that Clay had agreed to the mission, although she had to admire his bravery. Apparently he had been reluctant, but he had wanted to do all he could to help so he had agreed to come, even if it did bring up some painful memories.

Leia watched as Skyro clapped Clay on the arm and gave him a reassuring smile. Clay returned the gesture and then turned to leave the ship with his partner. Leia smiled lightly. Even when he was troubled himself, Skyro still managed to inspire courage in others.

But as soon as Clay disappeared from view, Skyro's smile faltered.

Leia turned to him, a frown forming on her face as she realised Skyro's eyes were glistening. His calm and collected persona from before had disappeared in an instant and she could feel a variety of conflicting emotions bubbling off of him through the Force.

"Skyro, what's wrong?"

Skyro didn't look at her, and his voice trembled slightly as he spoke. "I shouldn't be here. I'm a security risk. I shouldn't be—"

"Skyro, stop. What are you talking about?" Leia asked, concern flashing wildly through her eyes.

"I shouldn't have been assigned to this mission. I shouldn't have been given the clearance to know the location. I shouldn't—"

Skyro was full on hyperventilating now and Leia was completely overwhelmed by the sudden change of events. She hadn't been expecting this and she didn't know what to do. But the inner Jedi in her seemed to take over and she laid a comforting hand on Skyro's arm, letting calming energies flow Skyro's way.

"Skyro, calm down. Breathe," she whispered, pushing him softly into the closest seat.

Skyro buried his head in his hands and Leia dropped into a crouch beside him. It only took a couple of moments for Skyro to regain control of his breathing, although his emotions were still as conflicted as ever.

"Skyro, what's wrong? Why do you think you're a security risk?" she asked, letting as much calmness into her voice as she could given the situation. She was deeply concerned by Skyro's sudden outburst and she had no idea what had caused it.

Skyro took a deep breath, but did not lift his head from his hands. He exhaled slowly and then whispered, "I haven't been honest with you, Leia. I… I've been meaning to tell you, but every time I go to do so, something stops me…"

Leia waited in silence, thinking it best to let Skyro tell her in his own time.

"I… Leia, I think…"

Skyro rubbed his face with his hands and then lifted his head, looking her straight in the eyes.

"I think I'm the spy," he whispered.