AN: Thank you to all the wonderful reviewers! This chapter has some action in it, but the next one should be even better. Enjoy!
Darth Vader and his apprentice returned to the Executor almost immediately.
Vader wanted to give the orders to the admiral in person.
So that was where Leia stood now. The bridge was larger than she remembered. She stared at the dull, unreflective plates of metal on the ground, listening with one ear to her father's vocodor boom orders. Her other ear was focused on the sound of the officers breathe. At least half of them were hyperventilating.
Her head snapped up. Her father had called the admiral pie-something-or-other. Had he killed Ozzel already?
Apparently, he had. Interesting.
She looked back down, fiddling with a loose thread in the inside of a sleeve of her zeyd-cloth robes. She had changed into more fitting, Sith-like robes, tunic, and pants upon arrival. A lightsaber dangled at her belt.
"Leia," her master rumbled.
Her legs moved before she even thought about the action. She walked to his side, bowing slightly. The eyes of the officers followed her every movement. She ignored them.
"Leia, this is Admiral Piett. Piett, my apprentice," Vader said, no emotion in his voice whatsoever.
Piett looked at her in surprise, but the emotion was quickly concealed behind a professionally blank mask. He reached out and lightly pulled her hand to him, placing a very brief kiss on it before letting it drop. "It is an honor, my lady," he said, eyes darting between the two of them.
Leia was going to make a witty retort, but quickly decided otherwise, as her father prodded her with the Force. She simply answered, "Indeed, Admiral."
Vader quickly began to explain his plan. "There are two Jedi coming to Bespin. We must take this city into Imperial control. Piett, you and my apprentice will go down to Baron Calrissian. Gain control of the city. I will be here, discussing this incident with the emperor. I will be down when I am done. Now get out of my sight."
Piett quickly made way for the hangar, but Leia snapped, "We'll be taking mine. It's in the same hangar as my master's ship."
The admiral scurried. Leia gave a small smile of amusement before turning to her master. "Do you need anything in writing, Master? Or should we just assume control and inform the Baron it is temporary?"
"The latter. The Jedi will sense if there is deception in the Force, and if there is nothing technical it will be harder to sense. Wait for me there when you are done. Piett can come back. There is another shuttle down there."
She nodded and bowed.
***
She landed the ship in the same spot her master's ship had been an hour or so before. She cut the engines before she hit the landing pad, allowing herself an amused smile as the ship hit the ground with a thud.
Piett swallowed hard.
"I don't know why my master is having you come with me, as I am perfectly capable of doing this myself. Just stay out of my way, and you won't be gasping for breath in your last moments of life," Leia said acerbically, unstrapping herself.
The admiral stared at her, then offered a sheet of paper. "Where milord asked for the troopers to be placed. All the technical readouts from-"
She thrust the paper back at him, snapping, "Point taken. Shall we go?"
The two of them marched to Calrissian's office. She sensed nobody but the baron in the room, so she just barged in through the doors.
The baron looked up at her, shrinking back before he composed himself. "My ... lady," he said slowly but steadily. He rose with a bow. "How can I be of service?"
"The empire is assuming control of this city," she said flatly, meeting his eyes.
"But why?" the man asked, flabbergasted and angry.
"Relax, Baron Calrissian. The city should be yours again by this time tomorrow. We're just having a momentary... fugitive ... problem. Your people should not be harmed."
Calrissian hissed through his teeth, but he acquiesced. "Very well, milady."
"Excellent. Admiral Piett has the fine print details. Admiral, would you-." She broke off, gesturing towards the baron. Piett leapt forward, placing the papers in the man's hand. She waited impatiently for them to finish their business.
The minute it was done, she turned around. She called as she left, "Piett, my master wants you back on the Executor. There is another shuttle somewhere. Take it."
She maintained a dignified pace through the stark halls. What would her master do to Luke? she wondered. She was so deep in thought that she didn't even realise that a man was addressing her. Startled, she looked around, noting the unfamiliar surroundings.
She looked at the man. "What?" she snapped.
Trembling, the man repeated, "D-do you want to see the prisoner?"
About to say no, she heard a familiar yell from the inside. She looked at the man quickly, nodding.
She braced herself and went into the cell.
The movements ceased from all the inhabitants. Then Chewbacca let out a fearsome roar and lunged.
Frustrated, Leia held up a hand and twitched a finger, sending the crazed wookie into the wall. While he got up, Leia focused in on the pressure points in his body. She force-tapped the two that would make him drop unconscious. A moment later, he did just that. She sighed. Could there be any interesting fights anymore?
Han Solo lurched to his feet, falling at Chewie's side. After a moment of confirming that the wookie was alive, he looked at her, clothed in all black, dark eyes flashing dangerously. "Leia?" he said uncertainly.
"Han. Luke is coming for you."
The ex-smuggler blinked. "Right."
"My master has something against Luke's master, so we're going to use you to get to Luke to get to Kenobi. Under no circumstances are you to be idiotic and mess this up. You will be traveling with my master and me. Escape will result in the killing of your friend." She nodded at the limp form of Chewbacca.
"So I'm the pawn for getting the pawn?" Han asked slowly, anger dripping through his words.
"Bluntly put, yes." She wondered why he had not yet addressed her threat to Chewbacca.
"So, this is the real you, then, Princess?" He waved a hand at her.
She nodded.
He rose, calmly walking toward her. She froze like a shaak in the headlights of a speeder.
"You look really good in black, Princess."
Surely he wasn't flirting with her still! She blinked. A second later she jumped as his hand grazed her cheek, cupping it gently. Her heart thudded... he leaned closer... The Dark throbbed. Cursing, she pushed him back. She turned quickly to face-
"Luke," she said coolly. "How nice of you to drop by."
She lunged, knocking Han out and drawing her lightsaber at the same time. A cerulean blade clashed against her own. She smiled cruelly at the Jedi before her.
"Leia," her brother gasped out. "What are you doing?"
She shrugged — and force-threw him out of the cell.
For the first time since she'd come down here, she caught sight of where she was. She wasn't in a hallway, as she expected. She was on a giant balcony, a massive drop below her. The only thing that stood between the gap was a thick metal barrier.
She spun eagerly, blocking Luke's attack. And the fight was on.
She swung at his head; he ducked. The blade headed for his feet and he jumped.
He wasn't very good, she had to say, as she swung the lightsaber at his waist. But he was good enough to entertain her for a while. He would tire soon with this style of fighting.
Luke countered with a sidestep, twisting the blade in his hand. It grated against her own lightsaber, forcing her to sidestep as well. She discarded her robe, and tightened her grip on the lightsaber, aiming for his neck. He awkwardly batted it aside, the movement forcing him forward. She flipped the blade over the outside of her hand and roughly rammed against him with a shoulder.
He rolled elegantly, keeping his blade ignited to meet her thrust. He leapt up, swinging.
She parried, throwing in a punch. He jerked aside, catching her hand. He twisted her arm, unsuccessfully trying to throw her away. She brought her lightsaber about over her back. She was shoved away from him; he managed to bring his blade back to counter hers.
And the pattern grew: step forward, swing, push when the block came, re-center.
She felt herself grow deeper into the Force. She leapt forward, slamming her lightsaber onto his. He remained steady, calmly looking into her eyes. She glared, the hiss of the blades barely audible through her hatred.
Leia let go completely, and the Dark side took over. She kicked out at Luke, hitting him in the chest hard enough to knock the breath out of him. She aimed her lightsaber at his feet, planning on an upward slice. When Luke countered, she flipped her blade to the other side of her body, repeating the action.
Before he blocked, she pulled the tip of the blade away, swinging upwards. He somehow countered, but lost his balance in the process. Before he could regain control, she force-kicked him in the knees. He buckled, lightsaber flying.
He fell into a hole in the ground. Steam instantly rushed into the air from the hole.
Silence. She lowered her lightsaber, then switched it off, prodding into the dark within the hole with the Force. Her brother's force-sense was still strong and steady, but somehow muted. She looked around, taking in the sights of the Carbon Freezing Chamber.
Stunned, she thought, But I had to press the activation button...
She turned, looking at a silvery lightsaber that rested next to the blinking on/off switch.
It must have been the will of the Force.
She summoned a stormtrooper to take both Luke and Han, who still lay unconscious in the cell, to the Executor.
As the orders were carried out, she found her robe and quickly put it on.
Her master was summoning her. The older Jedi had attacked.
It was time to make herself known as an enemy to the Jedi.