The man approached him, eyes ablaze with green fire. A glint of light caught Luke's eye. The man held a lightsaber, hidden beneath his cloak's sleeve and barely visible in the room's dim light. Luke's breath hitched in his chest. He didn't have any way to escape. Walls surrounded him, cold and hard. He pressed his hand to them, futilely trying to force them away. He frantically looked for some way to escape the man in front of him. The room's entrance was metres away. The walls were narrow, trapping him in the corner. There was nothing he could do.
This room was going to be his tomb.
There was no way to avoid the man who stalked towards him, no way to avoid his impending strikes. He looked up, the enormous ceilings stretching far above his head. The arched windows behind him were just as tall, letting in the moonlight. It was only light he had to see what approached. It was the only light that cut through the darkness. He looked out the windows, trying to see if he could break through safely. But a glittering city stretched below, far out of reach.
He gasped as the man ignited his 'saber. It blazed red. The crimson light tainted everything in the room. It was as though blood stained everything around him. He closed his eyes and prepared for the final blow. Searing pain shot through his abdomen as the lightsaber's blade impaled him. He screamed, but the sound wasn't his own. It was the voice of a small child.
He clutched his stomach and lie on the floor, his body cast in the blood-red glow. The face of the one who killed him was hidden behind a black hood, the face shrouded in shadow. Only a single eye looked at him, a glimpse of raw, scarred skin surrounding the glowing yellow iris.
He sputtered one word, his voice still filled with youth. "Why?"
Luke awoke with a start, sweat pouring down his face. Relief filled him as he realized he was still alive. He tried to blink away the images that had bombarded him. His mind stuck on the view of the room, realizing with a shock that it was the one from his previous dream. He buried his face in his hands. He had never seen that temple before in his life other than his dreams. Yet it haunted him. Each time he saw it, it brought new horrors. He threw back the covers in frustration and sat on the side of the bed. His heart was still pounding with adrenaline; the pain in his stomach was just as real as in the dream. Taking one hand, he tried to rub his ribs to relieve the stabbing sensation.
He stood and looked at the small chrono built into the wall. It had very nearly been 5 standard hours, but he felt as though he hadn't slept for a moment. He rubbed his eyes and grabbed his tunic, fastening it before he stepped out the door. The entire time his mind was trying to sort through the dream. He had felt like himself, but his voice was that of a child. It didn't make any sense. The hallway outside the bunks was empty. He walked towards the common area, hoping to find Ben there. It was vacant just the same.
He stopped in the middle of the room and debated taking a seat on the couch. Instead, he opted to head to the cockpit. There he'd have something to at least see, even if it was just the speeding stars outside. He meandered down the corridor, trying to draw his mind to the little details instead of the dream he just had. He traced every ridge in the corridor with his eyes. One of the lights had burnt out, as well, something he would have to tell Han.
He ambled down the final corridor to the cockpit, still gazing about at the walls. To his surprise, Han was alone, fiddling with some small mechanical object. Luke took a seat behind him without saying anything. There was mostly empty space ahead, but rays of sun illuminated a small, mauve planet to the left.
Han looked up, studying him. "You look like you've been fighting a pack of rancors."
Luke shook his head, smiling slightly and moved a sweat laden lock from his forehead. "Just another dream."
"You have a lot of those, kid."
"Yeah. How much longer?"
"We're almost to Mygeeto, don't worry. We entered the system about an hour ago."
"The ship still holding up?"
"You bet. She's got a lot more in her than most people realize. Don't judge a ship by her paint job, kid. It could get you in a lot of trouble."
Luke gave Han a look of disbelief before smirking.
"Only from you, Han," he replied, "Anyone else wouldn't be any trouble."
He looked back to his hands and picked at a callus, one of many spawned from the years on the moisture farm. Something wasn't right. The usual nausea that came with his nightmares wasn't passing. He felt…cold. Distant. It was as though he wasn't really in the room.
Suddenly the room began to spin. Green streaked in front of his eyes. The image of Darth Vader took shape in the hallway just beside him. He stood up in shock, gripping his 'saber before stumbling to the ground as his legs gave out. His lightsaber clattered to the floor. He didn't dare take his eyes off the image in front of him.
"You are mine, Skywalker," Darth Vader boomed, raising a hand towards Luke.
Behind Vader stood Leia, her eyes filled with fright. Luke froze. Fear bled into his heart, icy as it pulsed throughout his body. There was no way Vader could be on board. But he was. Leia was right behind him, and he could see how frightened he was. He tried to push himself off the ground, reaching for the 'saber. Blackness crept into the corners of his vision.
"Luke!" Leia called, running forward and bursting through the illusion of the Dark Lord. Han had already sat him up from the floor. His head felt heavy, like he couldn't hold it up himself. He could feel it wobbling as Leia looked at him worriedly. She knelt in front of him. Han was trying to get him to speak, but whenever he opened his mouth, no words came.
Slowly the feeling began to subside. His head hurt. Everything hurt. He felt dizzy, as though he'd spent all day working under the binary suns.
"I'm okay," he finally managed, sitting up on his own. Han and Leia both looked at him suspiciously.
"You don't look okay," Leia said. She was standing back up now, "We should get you to the medbay."
Luke pushed himself up from the floor, drawing on the Force to steady himself. He didn't want to waste anyone's time. It was just another vision. That was it. For some reason the Force wanted to tell him something else. Evidently, it was important enough that it couldn't wait until he was asleep again. He sighed.
"It was just a vision," he said, throwing himself into the chair, "I'm fine."
"Another one? You going for a record?" Han said. He leaned against the pilots chair, "You said you just had one."
Luke shook his head. "I don't know. But I'm fine."
Leia exhaled and crossed her arms, looking him up and down. She seemed unconvinced. She was no longer wearing the white dress; instead she had changed into a light blue traveling gown with a thin cobalt cloak. Her hair was braided simply.
"How long until we arrive?" she asked, not wanting to push Luke.
"Could be about 40 standard minutes…or longer," Han replied.
"Or longer?" Leia raised an eyebrow.
"If they don't give us too much trouble with the landing."
"Do the Mygeetans have something against visitors? Some sort of reputation?"
"Not exactly," Han replied, spinning the chair back to the console and adjusting a blinking red switch, "I haven't been here in a few standard years...so there shouldn't be any problem. But you never know."
"Do you have a reputation?" Leia asked, leaning against the doorway.
Han shrugged and didn't answer. Instead, he focussed on the readout in front of him. Leia walked over and leaned forward.
"You'd better not get us into any more trouble," she said. Han grabbed both the armrests and spun around. Leia jumped back, her cloak catching on the chair for a moment.
"Just who got you out of the mess before, your highness?" He asked sardonically, "If you don't trust me, you're more than welcome to take an escape pod and find someone you do trust."
Leia sighed.
"This is more important than you know," she replied. She was quiet now. Her icy expression had thawed.
"My life's on the line too," Han said, "That's pretty important to me. I'd rather not end up in Imperial prison for the rest of my days."
"Han," Luke interrupted, pointing out towards the once empty space.
The shimmering mauve surface of Mygeeto was filling nearly the entire viewport now, but that's not what he was focussed on. A ship was there, its massive frame floating in between them and the planet. It was oddly shaped, a hexagonal bow and wings that arced over top. A tail fin had some sort of star like insignia in deep green, though Luke had never seen the symbol before. It was accompanied by a couple of starfighters. It didn't look Imperial, but Luke was still nervous. It didn't have to be the Empire – they had many allies.
"Black Sun," Han said, his complexion now a little paler.
"Some idea this was," Leia replied. Her eyes were affixed to the enormous ship as it continued to float towards them.
"Hang on; it looks like they're leaving." Han looked to the console and then back up. The starfighters were heading towards the ship's enormous hangar. He adjusted the altitude then looked back up towards the ship. Hopefully, they would miss it. The last thing they needed was to be involved with a crime syndicate. Especially the Black Sun. Han grit his teeth as he realized they were too close to the ship to escape unseen, unless he reversed the Falcon. With the engines in the state they were in, that had the potential to be a very bad idea.
"They'd better be," Leia said. Her eyes were icy again, staring daggers at the ship as it continued to float forwards.
"What's the Black Sun?" Luke asked, standing behind the pilot's chair and trying to get a good look at the scene beyond the viewport.
"A crime syndicate," Leia answered while Han attentively adjusted the controls, "Not a friendly one."
She couldn't help but wonder what they were doing all the way in Albarrio. They were supposed to be headquartered in the Core planets. She had never heard of them being out so far.
"What does Mygeeto have for them?" She asked, still staring unflinchingly at the ship.
"If I had to guess? Lots of valuable crystal, already mined and packed for shipment," Han replied, pressing a button that pinged softly. "It wasn't packed for them, but they don't care."
The ship sped above them, the starfighters disappearing from the viewport with it. Leia and Han both sighed in relief, almost simultaneously.
The comm beeped twice, then three more times.
"What are you doing?" Leia asked, realizing the entire time he had been sending transmissions to someone. The last thing they needed was to be discovered, and whomever he was talking to had the potential to be unfriendly.
"Getting us to safety," Han replied simply, "If we have permission to land, we can get to the surface. If not…."
…the engines are toast,he thought with a frown.
"Everyone quiet," he said, clicking it on before Luke or Leia had a chance to say anything. "Captain Lendix of the Y1300 Distant Light, here."
Leia looked at Luke, slightly incredulous that Han was about to lie his way out of this.
"Lendix, you are entering restricted airspace."
"Affirmative, we have permission to land on Mygeeto."
"For what reason? Transmit your codes."
Han dug around in a small sachet and pulled out a thin piece of plasteel, metal dotting the surface. He checked the number scratched into the surface before inserting it into a slot on the console. A small beep, paired with a yellow light, came from the slot. Though the others in the room couldn't see it, he was starting to sweat. If they ran the codes through the right database, they wouldn't survive another two minutes.
"Transmitting now. This is a civilian transport, taking passengers to Jygat," he replied, leaning back in the chair and crossing one leg over the other.
"These codes aren't recognized."
Han sat forward and clicked the comm on. Leia and Luke glanced at each other nervously. "What do you mean? I just used them on Dantooine hours ago."
"Retransmit them, but slow your ship's descent. You are not to enter the atmosphere until your codes are cleared," the customs officer said, sounding hesitant.
Han resent the codes. The chip popped out once they had been submitted and he grabbed it, studying the worn metallic surface before tossing it back into the bag. He turned slightly and motioned to Leia to come forward. She closed the distance quietly and sat beside him in the co-pilot's chair.
"I may need to tell them who you are," Han said, ignoring her look of disbelief.
"What?" Leia hissed. There was no way. The Empire was looking everywhere for them, and had a tracking beacon on their ship. Telling them who she was would just put them in an even worse situation.
"Look, if they think a Senator is aboard the ship – and in some sort of distress, they won't stop us from landing."
"But Black Sun is here, on this planet."
"That may be a good thing for us."
"Not if they know who I am," Leia shot back, "They would take us all prisoner. You're good at telling stories, make something up."
"I already tried that. The story is solid. The codes are an alias. But that isn't going to work because they know I'm not approved."
"This was a mistake."
"If Black Sun is here, we keep a low profile. The Empire won't be able to get on planet without a fight. It works out in our favour."
"They aren't any match for the Empire, Han. You of all people should know that."
"Who said they needed to be? All we need is to buy some time, and-"
The comm interrupted him. He clicked it on and the customs officer patched through.
"Captain Lendix, it appears there was a mistake in our system. You are not approved, but you may land for the time being. A party will be escorting you."
"Thank you," he replied, shutting off the comm and directing the Falcon towards the hazy atmosphere.
"What are you going to do now?" Leia asked, concerned that they were now landing without any proof as to who they were. Or even the proper codes to be on the surface.
"Hold onto that plan," he said, shrugging, "We might need it."
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Leia said, watching as the planet drew ever closer. The clouds churned above the mauve surface. The atmosphere in the cockpit matched the churning surface. "You'd better know what you're doing."
"Of course I do," Han said.
Luke sat forward, trying to puzzle through the situation. There wasn't much to think about, though. Han had already said the engines would fry soon – the last tank was almost out of coolant. The crime syndicate he had never heard of before, but from what he could tell they weren't something to mess with.
"What if they don't let us leave?" He asked, knowing the question was on everyone's minds.
"I don't know. We don't have a choice, kid," Han said. The engine coolant levels were just shy of critical. His hand snuck to his holstered blaster, as if he needed to check it was there.
Luke shook his head and leaned back. He was still woozy from the two dreams. Something deep in his gut was telling him he should have stayed on Tatooine and never should have listened to Ben. For all he knew, Ben hadn't been telling him the truth since the beginning. Now, his aunt and uncle were dead, and he was being thrust onto a planet with a crime syndicate, all because of the droids. If anything happened, the Empire would no doubt find them and capture them. Or worse. He shuddered at the thought of being in an Imperial prison… alone.
"Luke," Leia called, sounding as if she'd called him multiple times, "Are you sure you're alright?"
He nodded and untwisted his woven belt. He didn't think any of them were alright. Leia's eyes were tinged with worry and he could feel the anxiety rolling off of her. She hid it very well, in fact, she looked almost tranquil.
"I'm fine," he said with a small smile, hoping it would help calm her.
Han turned around in the chair and wiped the thin sheen of sweat from his forehead. He looked past Leia, into the hall. The corridor was empty. Chewbacca must have still been resting. Han was going to need his help, though. He wished he had the chance to rest as well. Fatigue was weighing him down, though he tried to hide it. Slyly rubbing his sleep filled eyes, he checked the hall again.
"Could you get Chewbacca?" He asked Luke, "We're going to need him here."
Luke nodded and stood up, wobbling slightly. It made him feel bad for the kid, forced from his home and thrust into the madness of the Galaxy. All with some strange power that only two people in the entire universe understood. He looked to Leia as Luke slipped out into the corridor. His boots barely made a sound as he disappeared around the bend.
"I should go talk to my mother and Obi-Wan," Leia said, her deep brown eyes still gazing out at the approaching Mygeeto. The pale surface reflected in her eyes with the dancing lights of the console, dazzling. Being on board with her for this long, as much as he was acting like she wasn't his type, he couldn't deny she was growing on him. She brought an extraordinary warmness into the room with her, even now. Han shook his head slightly. It had been just over 5 hours. Just 5 standard hours. Evidently all the years of flying isolated with Chewie had started to get to him. That, or the spice.
"No?" Leia asked.
"No, no," Han replied, suddenly interested in his Corellian bloodstriped pants. "You should."
She left without another word. Han leaned back in the chair again, staring at the chance cube he left dangling from the ceiling. He watched as it swayed with the sudden gravity of the atmosphere. It was supposed to bring luck, but it certainly wasn't doing its job. Of course, they were still alive. They had escaped the Empire's grasp already, something nobody ever did. The Falcon may have been crippled – he cringed slightly at the thought of his precious ship being so damaged – but they were in one piece. He counted the sides of red and blue as he pondered everything. Maybe it was bringing them just a little luck after all. They would certainly find out soon.
-
The Falcon jerked as it broke through the final layers of the atmosphere. Tufts of thick ash rushed past the viewscreen, sticking momentarily before the speed of the ship brushed them away. The planet ahead was rocky, violet mountains shimmering in the sunlight. Spires of silver jut out from the surface, rings surrounding them. At their bases were platforms that stretched into walkways, connecting every tower to each other. Lights dotted the catwalks and illuminated the sand-fly sized people. Far below the catwalks were enormous sinkholes, swallowing the ash and light from above.
Two small shuttles aligned with the YT-1300. Chewie grumbled and Han shot him a glance.
"No, we're not shooting them down. They're the escorts."
Chewbacca growled, this time pointing to something on the console.
"I know they are heavily armed and we've got no shields. The goal is to not need the shields. If you calm down, that shouldn't be a problem."
The Wookiee shook his head and barked once. Han tried to avoid saying anything else. He knew it would be something less than cordial and heightening tensions was not going to be a good idea. Chewbacca was certainly the best co-pilot he could have asked for, but in situations like this it wasn't uncommon for things to get heated.
"Did they say where we were going?" Luke asked. He had been back in his chair since retrieving Chewie. Han groaned internally. This wasn't the time for questions. One false move and they could end up dusted.
"No," Han said, gently guiding the Falcon into a straight flight path. The escorts were still beside them. The console blinked with a warning, detecting their shields and heavy cannons. He tried to flick it off, but as soon as he readjusted the flight path even slightly, the red blinking restarted. "I'm just following their lead."
"Are you sure they're friendly?"
"We're still in one piece, kid." For now, he thought, silently hoping that the criminal presence wasn't nearly as high as expected. "If you want to keep asking questions, sign up to announce Quizzo."
Luke turned his attention to the viewscreen. The clicking of boots wafted into the room. He whirled around in the chair, jerking to a stop as it reached its limits. The sound of steps was followed by Leia. She entered wordlessly and stood in the same place she had been earlier, focusing ahead. Her hand tapped a silent rhythm on her thigh. Luke could feel the nervous energy, dissipating into the room with each tap along the dress' blue fabric.
He hadn't even seen Ben or Breha, but he had heard the hushed tones of conversation a few minutes earlier on his way to get Chewbacca. Considering Leia wasn't anywhere in sight then, he figured she must have been with them. He regretted not pressing his ear to the thin durasteel walls now. Her emotions were much stronger now. He could pick them out easily, almost feeling them brush against his own skin. It was as if everything she felt were alive in the cockpit with them. Closing his eyes for a moment, he tried to see if he could find the source of it all. He could feel her energy, a bright glow, brighter than anyone else. His silent inquiry failed, though. He could feel nothing but the mess of emotion and the warmth of the energy around him.
Leia cast a curious glance down at him. Luke smiled slightly and turned back to the viewscreen. The clumps of ash had collected in grey splotches across the glass, obscuring at least half of it. He craned his neck to see out past it, towards the city below. Something caught his eye. A fissure below the catwalks, the grey stone striped with violet and cerulean.
Luke scanned the area around it, seeing a large spaceport just nearby. They were close. The spaceport was unusual – six platforms in a star-like pattern, jutting out from the domed building. Each one had green lights, beckoning to the pilot. The comm beeped. Han let the message through quickly, his hands busy with the other controls.
"Lendix, prepare for landing," the voice instructed, "The platform is 2 klicks southwest."
"Here we go," Leia said quietly, as Han began to direct the Falcon towards one of the grey platforms.