CHAPTER 21

"Problem?" Luke replied, a feeling of alarm growing within him. "What do you mean, problem?" he asked.

"I mean the emperor is on his way here, right now," Piett replied.

"What?" exclaimed Leia. "You set us up! I was right all along; this has been a plot from the beginning!"

"No, princess, I swear to you," Piett replied. "I had no idea that he would come here! He knows nothing about what has transpired here, the only knowledge he has is that Vader was injured and required medical treatment. I am as shocked as you are to learn that he is coming here."

"Why should we believe you?" Luke asked suspiciously, beginning to think that Leia had been right all along.

"You are not thinking logically, either of you!" Piett retorts. "Why would I alert Palpatine of what your father is doing here? Do you realize what the emperor will do when he learns of this? Your father did not consult the emperor about any of this! Why would I put your father in this position?"

Luke relented, realizing that Piett was right; he would never knowingly put Vader in a position of danger. His loyalty was above question.

"Then how did the emperor know?" Leia asked.

"I think I know," Luke said as an idea dawned on him. He looked back at his father's sleeping form. "He sensed it," Luke continued. "He sensed that Vader's hold on the Dark Side was weakening." He looked over at Leia and Piett. "He knows that Anakin Skywalker is returning."

Leia felt a shiver go down her spine at Luke's words. "What will he do to him?" she asked quietly.

"Kill him," Piett replied without hesitation. "Anakin Skywalker was the greatest Jedi knight in the galaxy; if he returns, if he abandons the Dark Side, he will pose a tremendous threat to Palpatine. He will kill him, Princess Leia, as well as the two of you."

"Or try to turn us into Siths," Luke added solemnly.

Leia looked up at her brother, her dark eyes wide with terror. "What did you say?"

"You heard me, Leia," Luke replied. "We are the children of Anakin Skywalker, the emperor must know this. And if he does, he must also know that we are strong with the Force, like our father is. We would be powerful allies to him."

"Or deadly enemies," Piett put in. "We have to get you off of Kamino as soon as possible."

"What about our father?" Luke asked. "We can't just leave him here to be killed by Palpatine! He is in no condition now to fight him!"
Piett frowned, anxiety filling him over this dire set of circumstances he found them in all of a sudden. He looked over at the physicians, who were trying not to listen to the conversation.

"Is he strong enough to be moved?" he asked.

"No, not even close to it!" one of them replied. "Do you realize the severity of this surgery he has just undergone?"

"Yes, we do," Luke replied. "But the situation doesn't leave us any choice. If the emperor finds him here, he will kill him."

The physicians looked at one another in alarm.

"The only way you could safely move him would be in a medical capsule, but I'm afraid we don't have such a device in this facility," another of the physicians suggested.

"We have one on board the ship," Piett said.

"Then let's get it," Luke said.

The three of them rushed into the corridor. "Go back to the ship at once," Piett ordered the clones. "We need a medical capsule here. Move!"

"Right away sir!"

The clones ran down the corridor and disappeared around the corner.

The waiting was unbearable, for it seemed as though the clones were taking far too long to return to the surface. Luke did not say anything, but secretly he felt that something was wrong. Very wrong.

"How far away was the emperor when your captain notified you?" Leia asked Piett.

"He didn't say," Piett replied. "But I anticipate he won't be long. I'm going to make contact with the ship and see what's taking so long," he added. "I'll be right back."

"I'm surprised that Vader would do something without the emperor's permission," Luke commented as he and Leia walked through the corridor together. "Makes me think that he had already begun his transformation."

"Don't be so sure, Luke," Leia commented "I'm sure Vader had his own selfish reasons for doing this."

"You're still convinced he is incapable of redemption, aren't you?" Luke asked her as they rounded a corner. "That he can never be anything but a monster?"

Leia stopped and folded her arms over her chest. "And you're convinced he is a wonderful, kind hearted person simply because he demonstrated one act of humanity. Paying for Han's bounty hardly makes up for a lifetime of monstrosities."

Luke faced his twin, exasperated by her stubbornness. "What does he need to do to make you…" Luke stopped, as a strange feeling came over him. He looked down the corridor. Someone was coming.

"Luke, what is it?" Leia asked, growing alarmed by the look on her brother's face.

"Run, Leia," Luke said urgently. "Run!"

The twins ran down the corridor and around the corner, straight into Piett.

"What is going on?" he cried. Then he looked up and saw the two red robed guards approaching. Oh no...

"In the name of the galactic Emperor Palpatine, you are ordered to surrender these prisoners," one of the masked guards intoned.

"We are not prisoners!" Leia protested, her heart pounding in her chest.

"They are guests upon the Executor," Piett explained, fearing that his authority would be overridden. "They are not prisoners to be handed back and forth."

One of the guards pointed his Force pike at Piett. "Are you questioning the Emperor's orders?" he asked ominously.

Piett looked from Luke and Leia back to the guard. "And if I am?"

The guard didn't hesitate for a moment and sent a bolt of energy at Piett, sending the admiral against the wall in a blur of electricity.

"No!" Leia cried as Piett slumped to the floor.

"Where is Darth Vader?" the guard asked, turning to Luke and Leia.

"He's dead," Luke replied, thinking fast. "He died several hours ago."

The guards looked at one another as though in silent communication.

"Your master knew he was injured," Luke went on. "He died of those injuries. We were too late to get him here."

"What is behind that door?" one of the scarlet guards asked, indicating the blast doors that lead to the medical facility.

"This is a cloning facility," Luke told them. "That is where they keep the embryos," he added.

"Prove it," the guard challenged him. "Open that door."

"We don't have the code to open it," protested Leia.

The guard aimed his Force pike at her, as she looked at Luke for help. Luke thought frantically, and then a memory came to him.

"You don't need to see what is behind that door," Luke told them, putting the Force behind his suggestion.

The guards looked at one another, and then back at Luke.

"Darth Vader is dead, you will not find him here," Luke added, continuing to manipulate the guards' minds with the Force.

"Come with us," said the guard who had assaulted Piett while the other one confiscated Luke's lightsaber from his belt. They were shoved along with the end of the guards' pikes, both of them realizing that any resistance would result in them suffering the same fate as Piett. Leia looked over at her brother, trying to master her terror.

It's okay, Leia...Luke told her silently. Father will help us.

Leia looked at him in disbelief, but in her heart hoped that he was right. He was their only hope now.

Help us Father! Please, help us!

Inside the medical facility, the patient suddenly became very agitated. None of the doctors could figure out why.