AN: My apologies to Lyore for posting before she had a chance to beta read. My grateful thanks to Kazlynh for taking time to read over this part of the story. Any mistakes are mine alone! I urge you to check out Kazlynh's fic!
The character of Ehlen Anders is not my creation and belongs solely to Kazlynh. My thanks for letting me use her.
I have been struggling with my writing of late. Although my muse does appear to be working; my skills at writing are not what they should be. I apologise in advance if parts of this seem stilted.
Dark Times: Chapter Three
Rhovan
Part Two
A warm breeze ruffled his hair and he leaned back, lifting his face to the sky and closing his eyes, allowing the light wind to brush against his skin. The heels of his boots tapped against the packing crate he was perched on. The personnel unloading the freighter bustled about him, throwing curious glances his way as they worked. He ignored them, enjoying the moment: the wind on his face, the sun on his skin, the view of the plumes of smoke and steam that trailed from the crater of the volcano.
He'd never seen a volcano before. Lying in the medical centre in protective custody, he had felt the tremors that rippled through the base and, when the wind had changed and blown across the compound into the open windows of his room in medical centre, he had smelled the sulphur. It was only now, though, two days after his release from medical care, that he had really had the chance to study the mountain and he realise how much he had truly been out of it when he had landed here. He couldn't remember seeing the crater on his approach.
Thank the Force for Artoo!
Absently scratching at a still healing scab on his wrist he smiled at his thoughts. If it hadn't been for Artoo, he would not be here now.
He would probably never know how the little droid had managed to survive Escaal and make his way back to the Rebellion on Ra'imar. Or how Artoo had then, somehow, managed to follow Wedge's orders and not only keep the X-Wing intact during the bombardment of the Alliance base, but find his master and pick him up before bringing him here to safety.
Someday he hoped to meet the previous owner who had instilled such loyalty in the little machine.
A roar of engines caught his attention and he opened his eyes, looking round as the X-Wing squadron lifted from the platform and rose into the air, heading upward off world for their next patrol. He smiled, recognising Wedge's ship taking the lead in place of Commander Narra who had another task to attend to today.
He wished he could be up there with his friends in the tight cockpit of the fighter; passing through the atmosphere into the darkness and quiet of space; pressed into his seat by the g-forces as he practiced a few manoeuvres; feeling the throb of the engines through his body as he flew true and free…
"Bang out, Luke!"
"Shit!" He cursed, annoyed at himself for allowing his thoughts to wander to the last mission he had flown, to Wedge's pleas for him to eject from his stricken craft. He had heard that same plea repeated from the recesses of his mind during his interrogation: when his resolve had failed him; when his strength was waning and the temptation to talk, to tell them what they had wanted, had become overwhelming.
He almost had. He had almost spilled everything he knew, had wanted so badly to be free of the pain, to not be subjected to more shocks, more beatings, more drugs, to be lowered from that line and ease the weight on his dislocated shoulder.
"Bang out..."
Sitting up, he rubbed his hands over his face, trying to rub away the memories, trying to...
The comlink in his pocket buzzed against his leg. He ignored it until it went silent, then he reached in and switched it off.
"That's just gonna piss them off more, kid."
Luke grinned at the voice, shifted over on the packing crate, making space for his friend to sit down. "Hey, Han," he greeted, softly.
"So," Solo made himself comfortable and surveyed the scenery that Luke appeared to find so interesting, "Shouldn't you be somewhere?" Solo immediately regretted his quip as Luke physically flinched at the reminder.
"Did they send you?" Luke sounded tired, sounded like this was not a conversation he wanted to have.
"Nope," Han kept his voice as light as possible. "I came looking for you myself. Wanted to find you before the goons… Wanted to stop you from doing something stupid."
Luke smiled, wryly. "Too late."
They sat in silence watching the peak of the mountain belch smoke.
"So how did you break out?" Han wanted to know.
"The fresher window," Luke told him, with a smile. Still in protective custody, he had been transferred from the medical centre into spartan quarters with bored guards stationed outside the door: keeping him in and vetting his visitors.
Han chuckled. "That's the oldest trick in the book."
"I have a feeling they hadn't read it," Luke told him, knowing they were making small talk, skirting around the real issue. He chewed on a ragged nail. "Did Leia send you?"
"Busted," Solo admitted. "Her royalness didn't want you to get into any more trouble."
"Too late," Luke replied again. There was no smile this time and he looked away to the horizon, avoiding his thoughts.
"Luke," Solo began seriously. "I know you don't want do this, I know it's gonna be hard, but once it's done, it's done. You know? It's not a court martial..."
"Yet..." Luke injected.
Solo ignored him. "It's a debriefing, it's..."
"Questions..." Luke finished for him, his voice thickening with suppressed emotions. "More questions about what happened."
Solo didn't know how to reply to this: it was the truth. Luke had had his fill of questions, had suffered badly at the hands of the Empire and Han was worried for his young friend.
The Corellian spacer had seen harder men crumble at just the threat of Imperial detention and he found himself marvelling at the inner strength Luke had to possess to have come through such an experience… although he hadn't come through it unscathed.
Making a mental note to thank the man who had got his young friend out, Han remained silent. The clouds scudding across the blue of the sky, the men and woman on the landing zone went about their business of unloading the freighter. Luke and Han looked out across the smoking mountain, simply enjoying each other's company and the support that comes from camaraderie… delaying the inevitable by sampling ignoring it.
Movement from behind drew Solo's attention and he glanced back, groaning inwardly as he caught sight of two waiting soldiers, recognising them as the guards who had been posted outside of Luke's door. They did not look happy; Luke had been due at his debriefing over an hour ago and they had been charged with making sure the pilot arrived on time.
"Luke..." he warned, nodding at the men to acknowledge that he had seen them. They reluctantly held back, recognising what Han was doing.
"I know they're there," Skywalker told him as he still stared at the spewing smoke. There was something strangely hypnotic about the billowing fumes. How hard could it be to answer a few questions? They ask and he answers. Simple.
"With which squadron do you fly?"
"Did you meet Dade? Did you have contact with any other operatives?"
"What squadron do you fly with?"
"Tell us about Wedge..."
He closed his eyes, finding himself thrown back to that cell on Escaal, hanging from the ceiling, feeling his blood run warmly down his skin, hearing the droid hovering close by as Dade/Rhovan and the other Imperial threw questions at him.
Expecting answers.
Just as the waiting panel would expect answers.
"Luke."
Solo's voice broke through the scene, brought him back. He glanced at his friend, grateful for his presence. Knowing he had little choice. He had to do this, the same as he had to withstand the interrogation on Escaal. "Will you come with me?" He sounded like a child, a child who was terribly afraid and he hated the sound of his voice.
"Sure, kid," Han assured him, nodding. "They may not have read the book, but I sure don't want them to throw it at you." He stood and put his hand out to the younger man who took it. Han pulled him to his feet watching as Luke winced as his back straightened. "Still sore?"
"Stiff," Luke told him. "If I sit too long." He took a step forward, grimaced again as pain shot through his back, his leg. He placed a hand to the small of his back to brace it.
"Probably shouldn't have climbed through that window," Han told him as they began to walk, Luke's limp easing a little as he moved.
"It wasn't the climb through," Skywalker admitted, beginning to smile again. "It was the fall on the other side."
Solo chuckled as they walked, Luke's guards quietly falling in behind them as they moved through the base to the headquarters compound.
ooOOoo
Heaving in a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself, to slow his hammering heart, Luke glanced at Han as the door before him opened. He swallowed, thickly.
"I'll be waiting right out here," Solo assured him.
Skywalker could only nod, couldn't speak as his mouth had suddenly gone dry. He had no idea what awaited him in that room, didn't know who would be there and wasn't sure how much trouble he was actually in. This should have been a standard debriefing, this should have been just about Escaal and what had happened leading up to him being shot down and the subsequent events, but it had become so much more. They would be scrutinising him now, analysing everything he said; a base had been compromised and he had admitted to disclosing its location, he had disobeyed a direct order from a superior officer, had tried to persuade others to do likewise and he had failed to attend this meeting on time.
A nest of Gundarks would be more appealing than this room.
He stepped forward and the door closed behind him. Before him was a long table, empty apart from three data pads, a jug of water and some glasses and a holo-recorder. Behind the table sat three Alliance officers he did not recognise. Before it sat two chairs, one empty – waiting for him – and in the other sat a man he did not know.
Sitting along the back wall was Commander Narra, present as his Commanding Officer and as the officer who had conducted the initial, albeit incomplete, de-brief on Ra'imar. Sitting beside him, dressed in the Alliance uniform of a Major in the Intelligence Corps, was Erwin Rhovan.
Luke couldn't move, couldn't tear his eyes from the man who had tortured him, couldn't believe he was to sit in the same room as...
"Lieutenant-Commander Skywalker," The woman at the centre of the table spoke softly, but firmly. "Please take your seat. This meeting has been delayed long enough."
Anger twisted through him, he felt his cheeks burn with the heat of humiliation and he tore his eyes away from Rhovan, looked up at the ceiling, studied it's bland, corrugated duracreet.
"Lieutenant-Commander Skywalker," the woman spoke again, a little more sharply. "I have asked you to sit down."
Luke pulled his attention away from the ceiling. "Sorry, ma'am," he responded dryly. "I was checking for chains."
Major Ehlen Anders suppressed a smile at the young man's pointed comment admiring his courage. She flashed a glance to Rhovan as the pilot limped forward and lowered himself into the empty chair. Rhovan, unmoved by the biting words, coolly held her gaze for a moment. He loosely shook his head and she nodded briefly, acknowledging his direction to leave Skywalker's statement unrecognised. She did not particularly like the new addition to her staff, did not like that he was allowed to sit in on these proceedings, and definitely didn't like that she was to defer to him when it came this particular Alliance officer.
She waited silently while Skywalker closed his eyes for a brief moment then opened them to calmly regard her. So, this was the pilot who destroyed the Death Star, the rumoured Jedi-in-training, the son of Anakin Skywalker the Hero of the Clone Wars and the reason they had been gathered together in this small room and left waiting for more than an hour. If she didn't already know what this young man had been through she might have had him arrested and reconvened the de-briefing the following day while he spent a night in lock-up thinking about his actions. However, she had sympathy for the boy, understood how difficult the next few hours would be for him. She cleared her throat, activated the small holo-recorder on the table before her and addressed the pilot.
"Lieutenant-Commander Skywalker, I am Major Ehlen Anders. To my right is Major Derlin and to my left is Captain S'adaan," she gestured to the Sullustan. "Your appointed counsel is Captain Chemro and..."
Luke shifted on his chair, glanced at the man beside him and cleared his throat. "I was not aware I needed counsel for a debriefing, ma'am."
"This is not just a simple debriefing. Given the nature of the events since Escaal and the allegations of misconduct laid against you, it was believed prudent that you have legal counsel during questioning as the information you provide may result in disciplinary charges being formally laid against you. You may choose to continue without representation of course, that is your right."
Luke could feel Rhovan watching him from the back of the room. "Is it my right to ask that the man sitting behind me may be removed before we continue?"
Anders could understand this request. No-one should be forced to be in the same room as the man who had so brutally tortured him. "I'm afraid not," she told him, suppressing her compassion for the pilot, her anger at the change in protocol that allowed Rhovan's presence. It had come from Mon Mothma herself with no explanation. "Major Rhovan's presence has been ordered by High Command. He is here to corroborate, or refute, your recollections of the events on Escaal as Commander Narra is also here to do likewise for the events on Ra'imar before and during your initial debriefing."
Luke pushed his chair away, shakily stood. "Then I refuse to continue with this meeting."
His counsel also stood, placed a hand on his arm. "Luke..."
Luke shrugged him off, glared at him. He didn't know this man, what gave him the right to address him by his first name? "Who do you...?" He started but was cut off by Major Anders.
She stood, her patience finally frayed. "Lieutenant-Commander Skywalker, if you will not willingly take part in these proceedings then I have no choice but to place you under arrest and caution you that you do not have to say anything, but anything you do say may be noted down and given in evidence. You..."
Luke turned to see Rhovan also standing watching him, Narra gesturing at him to sit back down. The door opened and the two soldiers who had trailed behind himself and Solo entered. He caught sight of the Corellian in the hallway looking concerned before the door slammed shut. He wilted, sat back down, feeling like a tree-myre caught in landing lights. "Okay..." was all he could say. "Okay..."
Ehlen also returned to her seat as the two soldiers positioned themselves either side of the doorway. She had understanding for the pilot, could empathise with his feelings, but she also had a duty to perform and empathy could not get in the way. "... have the right to counsel," she continued. "If you do not have counsel then one will be provided for you." She paused, letting her words sink in, watching as the young man before her slumped in his seat and glanced at Chemro beside him. "This fact-finding debriefing of Lieutenant-Commander Skywalker will continue under the terms of the Alliance Military Procedures Act and he shall remain in custody for the duration of this meeting. Any further disruption, or misconduct, by Lieutenant-Commander Skywalker will result in the meeting being terminated and he shall be charged with the obstruction of an enquiry and he will be held pending further investigation. Am I clear?"
Luke nodded, defeated and deflated. "Yes."
"Do you wish counsel?"
He didn't glance at the officer sitting next to him. "Yes."
"Then we shall continue. Major Derlin, if you will." She sat back as Derlin lifted a data pad, read for a few seconds and then lifted his eyes to Luke.
"Lieutenant-Commander, we have already spoken to the other available witnesses to the events that we are about to discuss. Bearing that in mind, can you please tell us what happened when Commander Narra gave the order to break contact with the Imperial fighters above Escaal?"
Luke wiped a sweaty palm on his fatigues. "Lieutenant Antilles and I were cut off from the main flight. We had ..."
"You were both cut off?" Derlin asked.
"I...uh..." Luke tried to think back. There had been two TIEs, then another five heading his way. A Star Destroyer. "Wedge, he tried to get to me, but my ship was hit and..."
"So, only you were cut off from the flight?"
"No... No, Wedge was..." An image of Wedge's X-Wing cutting a path through the TIEs to get to him. "Yes, yes, I think I was. Wedge tried to clear the area. I took a hit, lost a foil. I..."
"You chose to go planet side rather than eject. Why was that?" Captain S'adaan wanted to know. The Sullustan's voice was clipped, stern.
"They would have picked me up. I stood a better chance of escape on the surface."
"And did you escape?" S'adaan threw.
Luke shrugged, annoyed at the attitude of the Captain, confused by the animosity he felt from the being. "No, I was picked up almost immediately."
"Why was that?"
"There was fire and an oxygen leak, I ejected. A TIE had my location. To speed up my descent I released my main chute and freefell before deploying my reserve chute. I hit the ground harder than I had anticipated. I blacked out. When I came too, I...
ooOOoo
Rhovan listened silently as the questioning continued watching as Luke quietly answered everything thrown his way, fighting the urge to throw in a few questions of his own when the topic turned to the Network. He was surprised at the surge of loss, of bereavement, he felt when Luke told of Taln and Isla.
If truth be told he missed his friends.
But he not here to reminisce, he was here to observe and get to know this young man. He was now tasked with deciding how much of a threat to the Alliance Luke actually was, or could become – especially if he was ever to discover who his father was.
Rhovan leaned forward, trying to hear as Luke's voice dropped to almost a whisper and Anders instructed him to speak up. The boy was telling them of his capture, of his and Taln's failed attempt at escaping. Rhovan had wondered what had happened and why Taln had been unable to follow through on his order to kill Luke. It seems his friend had hesitated, had then been interrupted by Stormtroopers as they had searched the tunnels. Rhovan couldn't help but wonder if his friend would have faltered had he known that Luke was Darth Vader's offspring.
ooOOoo
"I can't remember," Luke repeated, tightly. He was tired, exhausted and his back had stiffened up from sitting so long. This had been going on for hours now. He brushed a hand through his hair, looked to the ceiling as another mild tremor rippled through the building. At that moment a full blown quake would be a welcome distraction.
"This is important, Lieutenant-Commander," Derlin pushed. "Did you answer any of Major's Rhovan's questions about the Alliance?"
"I told you, I... don't... I can't remember. I was.... it was difficult." He was becoming agitated, angry.
"We understand that it was a difficult situation, but we need to know," Derlin insisted. "When the questioning turned from the Network and to the Alliance, what did you tell them?"
A Voice from far away, heard through rasping breathing, heard above grunting and moans of pain. A voice that had cut through his agony and torn his gaze from the blood and sweat that was dripping onto the floor.
"Perhaps, if he is reluctant to tell us of the Resistance he will be more willing to discuss his Rebel Alliance."
Luke closed his eyes, desperately trying to avoid the memories, the surging panic he had felt, the doubts on his ability to withstand much more. He swallowed, reached for a glass of water that had been placed on the table, then he clenched his fist, horrified at how badly his hand was shaking.
"What did you tell them, Luke?"
Luke. That's what Rhovan had done, too. He had used his first name, brought the questions to a personal level, tried to play him with the pretence of friendship.
"Stop this, Luke. Stop fighting me. Give me something I can work with and I'll let you down. You can rest."
"Luke, please answer the question."
Luke pressed his fingers against his brow. What did he tell them? What did he say? Between the pleas and the screams had he actually said anything?
"Luke," Derlin pressed, leaning over the table.
"Have you ever been shot and then beaten?" Luke barked, perilously close to losing his temper. "Have you ever been strung up by the wrists and slapped and punched? Electrocuted? How can you say you understand?"
"Please, just answer the Major's question." Major Anders prompted, softly, choosing to ignore, for now, the fact that Luke had been disrespectful to a superior officer. To remind him, might just push the young man one step too far at this point. "Did you tell Rhovan anything about the Alliance?"
Luke gestured behind him, to the man sitting silently behind him, watching. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"
"We already have," Captain S'adaan informed him, tightly. "Now we are asking you. Did you tell him anything?"
Tell.
Told.
Told about home...
You told...
You told about home...
Tatooine...
"No," Luke rasped. "I didn't tell them a thing."
"You're certain?"
Was he certain? Was he sure?
"I gave them my name. I gave my rank and number. I told them..."
"Bang out, Luke."
Wedge.
"I...I gave them Wedge," he admitted wearily, ashamed of his momentary lapse, when the drugs had meandered through his veins, when the pain had become too much and his mind played tricks.
Derlin leaned forward placed his elbows on the table. "What do you mean?"
"I said his name," Luke said quickly, like a child trying to explain a misdemeanour. "His first name, that's all." He looked at the panel, searching for signs of condemnation, of disapproval, but the gazes that met his eyes were bland, inexpressive, and professional.
"You didn't give them the location of Ra'imar?" Major Ander asked.
"No." He could only manage a whisper. Now they would zero in on Ra'imar. Now they would want to know how he knew the base was about to be attacked, if he hadn't already compromised it.
Ehlen glanced to Rhovan, who nodded, acknowledging that Luke had been truthful.
Luke caught the glance, grimaced as anger churned within, as his stomached flipped and his heart raced. It looked like she was getting her cues from the man who had brutalised him.
"Let's move on, shall we," she announced, sticking to the agreed line of questioning, ignoring the glaring gap between what Luke was saying now and what he had confessed on Ra'imar. "When did you become aware of Darth Vader's presence?"
The question threw Luke. This wasn't what he had expected next, hadn't anticipated that they would want to know about Vader.
"We will speak at length, young one..."
The threat of more torture, hidden in innocuous words, announced while the black gloved hand had cradled his chin and forced him to look up into the black mask, to see himself, what he had been reduced too, reflected in the eye lenses of his father's killer.
That was, perhaps, the worse moment, far worse than waking up to find himself still suspended from the ceiling and the obsidian mask mere centimetres from his own face.
"Lieutenant-Commander," Anders called to him, breaking into his thoughts. She glanced down at the data pad, looking at the questions that had been drafted by Rhovan and wondering what purpose they served, especially when Rhovan had been in the cell along with them at the time. "When did you first become aware of Darth Vader's presence?"
ooOOoo
Rhovan sat forward, feet planted on the ground, elbows resting on his knees. This was the part of the interview he had been waiting on and he had crafted the questions in an attempt to draw the pilot on just what the Dark Lord of the Sith meant to him. Even sitting behind Luke, and watching his back he could tell he had shaken the boy.
Anders repeated the question. Luke's back stiffened, straightened and he lifted his hands to rub at his forehead. The boy was under immense stress and it was beginning to wear him down. The pilot scoffed, laughed tightly, sounded a little hysterical when he answered sarcastically. "When I was hanging, naked, from a ceiling by my wrists. When I was so pumped full of drugs that no matter what they did to me, I couldn't pass out. When I was dripping blood onto the floor..." The words were fuelled by rage, fed by exhaustion and trauma.
Rhovan watched as Chemro, Luke's counsel, placed a hand on his arm to quiet him, Luke threw him off once more, but the Captain insisted and addressed the panel. "The Lieutenant-Commander is exhausted, perhaps if we could have a recess." He suggested.
Luke shook his head. "No... no I just want to get this over with." He sounded weary, bleak. He had sounded like that on Escaal, too.
Rhovan caught Ander's eyes, shook his head. To stop now would lose the momentum; break the pressure on the pilot. They needed to continue now. He ignored the spark of anger that flared in the Intel Officer's eyes and had to suppress his own when she spoke to Skywalker. "We could have a break for twenty-minutes, if you wished, Luke."
Rhovan had to stop himself from speaking, had to stop himself from taking to his feet and interrupting. He felt Skywalker's commanding officer look his way, but he refused to look anywhere, but at Luke's back. The pilot's head hung low for a moment, then he lifted it, turned around and looked directly at Rhovan as he answered, calmly. "It's okay, I want to go on."
He bit back a smile as the pilot turned away. He knew what Luke thought he was doing. The boy was struggling, was determined not to give him any advantage, but keep it as his own. What Luke didn't realise was that by calling on his reserves of strength now, he was leaving himself limited for later on. He had done the same on Escaal; had worked to show as little weakness as possible, had used all his reserves and would have broken...
...had broken...
... had Rhovan himself not chosen to stop and allow him relief, and then Vader had come and Luke's strength was renewed.
Anders nodded her assent. "Then, please, when did you first become aware of Darth Vader's presence?"
Luke shifted on his chair, pressed a hand to his back, rubbed at his thigh. "I... had blacked out. When I came too," he swallowed. "When they woke me up, he was there."
"Did Vader say anything to you?"
Luke was quiet for a moment. "He said something about my fear, something about..." He cleared his throat. "My...my anger and hatred keeping me going."
Anders consulted the data pad. "What do you think he meant by that?"
Luke shook his head. "I'm not sure, but he... he seemed to make sense."
Rhovan saw the Sullustan tense. "In what way?"
Intrigued by Luke's answer, Rhovan leaned further forward, suppressing the desire to take over the questioning.
"I was... giving up," he cleared his throat again, sounded nervous as he admitted his weakness. "I was scared, frightened of what was happening. The pain was.... the pain..." he heaved in a breath, seemed to struggle to keep calm then continued. "I was afraid and then, when... when he said that, I wasn't frightened any more. I was angry, really angry and I..." another pause and Rhovan could almost sense the boy searching for the right words to use. "I focused my... hatred onto him and I felt stronger."
Rhovan smiled, this was what he had wanted to know; what had it been that had picked Luke up from the depths of despair and made him able to stand up to the Dark Lord of the Sith. Now he knew it had been Vader himself, it had been the father giving advice to the son, albeit in a guarded and a surreptitious way. Rhovan had no doubt that Vader knew who Luke was. The question was; did Luke have any knowledge, or inkling about Vader?
Rhovan knew that to understand how a change in feelings could have such a profound effect he would have to know more about the Jedi. He would have to learn more about the Force.
Anders was speaking again. "Did you say anything to Vader?"
Luke lifted his head; this time his voice sounded stronger, more sure. "I told him I wouldn't betray the Alliance as he betrayed my father."
"Can you explain to us about your father, Luke? Can you explain what Darth Vader has to do with your father?"
Rhovan watched carefully, watching for signs of deception.
"My father was Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Knight. He was betrayed and murdered by Darth Vader."
Luke sounded sure, convincing.
"What proof do you have for these claims, Lieutenant-Commander?" The Sullustan wanted to know.
"Proof?" He seemed bewildered; a tone of anger underscored his words. "They're not claims. I was told this by Obi-Wan Kenobi, my father's friend. He gave me my father's lightsaber, taught me a little of the Force before Vader killed him, too."
"That is not proof."
Chemro finally joined the conversation. "I fail to understand how Luke's parentage has a bearing on this debriefing."
"We are merely trying to understand Luke's position," Derlin explained, "put what happened on Escaal and on Ra'imar into context." He gestured to Luke. "Please answer the question."
Luke shifted on the chair once more. "I have no physical proof anymore," he admitted. "Rhovan had my lightsaber on Escaal."
Rhovan nodded as all heads, bar Luke's, turned his way. He did have Luke's lightsaber on Escaal; he still had Luke's lightsaber in the bag that he had carried from Escaal to Ra'imar and to here.
"How did Vader respond to your statement?" Derlin asked.
"He told me that it wasn't him who betrayed my father."
"What did you take from that?" Captain S'adaan questioned.
"I knew... I thought he meant it had been Obi-Wan. He was implying that it had been Obi-Wan who had betrayed my father."
"You didn't believe him?"
"No, I... No, I mean he was trying to confuse me, play me. I didn't let him."
"What did you do?" Anders enquired.
"I spat at him."
Anders remained silent.
"He hit me," his hand went to his cheek. "He hit me hard. Then... I... I heard Dade, I mean Rhovan, saying something about me and Vader told him to continue the... interrogation."
Rhovan remembered the quiet breath of disbelief the boy had uttered, remembered the spit and hum of the lightsaber blade as Vader severed the line from which Luke hung and ordered the boy's transfer to his ship. Rhovan had thought all was lost, thought he'd be stuck onboard Vader's ship with a prisoner who knew he was not what he pretended to be. He had killed the detention centre guards, had contemplated killing Luke, but like Taln he had hesitated.
There was still something about this youth, something compelling and intriguing. More so now that he knew who the boy's father was.
ooOOoo
It was done. His torment and torture on Escaal had been discussed, analysed and explored. He should have felt some relief, should have felt that the worst was over, but still the panel sat. The hours dragged by, timed only by the questions asked, the build up of heat in the windowless room and the water jug being emptied and replenished. Yet still they sat. His back was killing him, his legs were going numb and his head throbbed wearily. Any more of this and he'd end up back in the med centre.
"Let us move on now, shall we?"
The woman was speaking again and Luke brought his eyes back up to look at the panel before him.
"Lieutenant-Commander we are now about to look at your actions during the evacuation of Ra'imar. You need to bear in mind that you remain in custody and under caution as what you say now may provide evidence at a future court martial. Do you understand?"
Cool anxiety settled in the base of his stomach. "Yes," he answered dryly.
And the questions began again, and again he answered. Why did he believe the base was in danger? How did he know that the Empire had discovered them when he hadn't given the base during his interrogation?
"The Force," he stated. "I can sometimes sense things. I just felt..." he trailed off. He'd felt the Dark Lord near. It had felt as though he had been in the same room as Vader. He looked at the panel, for some reason not wanting to share that piece of information."I knew, that's all. I just knew."
How did he know? How did he know it was the Force warning him? On what experience did he base that belief on? Was this something Obi-Wan Kenobi had taught him? Why did he lie and say he had given the base location.
"I wasn't being believed," he felt the same frustration, the same helplessness. "I thought if I said I had told that they would believe me. We needed to get out of there."
Why, when General Rieekan ordered him to the medical evacuation ship, did he feel it necessary to try and persuade his escorts to disobey? Had he intended on leaving the troopers on the planet while he flew to safety in an X-Wing? What were the consequences of his actions? Had he actually achieve anything?
"So, when you saw that there were no X-Wings, you split up from the infantry troopers. Why was that?" Derlin wanted to know.
"I wanted to give them a chance to get away. To hide. It was... it was my fault they were there, I accepted that."
"What did you plan to do?" Anders lifted a glass of water, took a sip.
Luke shrugged. He was tired, but at last he was sensing an end to the debriefing. "I'm the pilot who destroyed the Death Star. I'm the son of Anakin Skywalker. Vader was there for me."
"That's rather arrogant, is it not, Mr Skywalker?" The Sullustan broke in. "To assume that the Dark Lord of the Sith was only there for one person? That he would raze an entire Alliance base and kill hundreds for just one person?"
"It may sound arrogant," Luke readily admitted. "But it's the truth."
He felt it.
"We will speak at length, young one."
"So, you were willing to return to Imperial captivity to allow the others to escape?"
"Yes."
"That's a very noble act, considering what you had previously endured."
"It was the right thing to do?"
"The right thing to do, after so many wrongs." S'adaan stated. He looked down at his data pad, reading, before glancing back up. "I put it to you, Mr Skywalker, that your actions could be seen as being suspect. I put it to you, Jedi, that you were in fact returning to the one being in the Galaxy who could teach you more about this Force of yours. That you were, in fact, defecting to the Empire. Is that not the truth?"
The room erupted around him. He could hear Narra shouting that such a suggestion was preposterous. Rhovan was also on his feet telling Narra to sit down. His counsel was protesting loudly that such charges had not previously been discussed with him. Major Anders was calling for order. But his mind buzzed with white noise, with the static of panic. He could hear, but his comprehension was compromised and a solid mass of consternation blocked his throat.
They couldn't possibly think he had been trying to defect. They couldn't possibly believe he'd willing go to Vader...
...didn't you?...
...They couldn't believe he would turn against everything he now held dear and...
"Lieutenant-Commander Skywalker!"
"What?.... What?" He was bewildered, horrified at this turn of events. He needed clarity, someone to tell him what was happening.
"Answer the Captain, please." Derlin pressed.
"You don't have to say anything, Luke," Chemro advised him. "You can have a recess so we can discuss this."
Recess. Discuss.
"We will speak at length..."
"No," Luke found his voice. He took a breath, tried find some calm, aware all the while of Rhovan at his back. He looked to the Sullustan as he swallowed his horror and anger at the suggestions. "No," he repeated. "I was not defecting. I would never... Never."
"And yet you were willingly walking toward the Imperial lines."
Luke nodded, speaking earnestly. "Yes, but to buy time for Thecla and Haslam to get clear. Not for... not for... any other reason."
"What did you think Vader would do?"
Luke swallowed. He really didn't want to consider that. He closed his eyes...
...lying in a mud puddle in the middle of the roadway, held down by the knees of stormtroopers as they hauled his arms behind his back and fastened them with tight cuffs. He was pulled upward, crying out at the shooting pains along his spine and his legs gave way unable to sustain his weight. They dragged him forward to the waiting Dark Lord, stopped before their master and held him upright as he fought to gain his own purchase on the ground.
Sensing movement he glanced up and reeled as Vader viciously backhanded him across the face. Lights danced in darkness as his jaw was taken by the same hand and he was forced to face his father's murderer once more.
"There will be no escape this time, Skywalker."
He was dragged forward, up the ramp of the waiting shuttle and dumped unceremoniously on the floor and...
"Luke?"
Luke opened his eyes. Ehlen Anders leaned across the table a frown crossing her brow as she regarded him with some concern. He rubbed his jaw, glanced at both Derlin and S'adaan, while he tried to figure out what had just happened. It had seemed so real, he had been back on Ra'imar only this time he had been taken. "I.... I think I would have been interrogated and executed. The same as any other Alliance personnel." He looked to the Sullustan. "I made mistakes, Captain, I admit to that. But I am not a traitor to the Alliance."
"Thank you, Luke," Major Anders acknowledged. "You and your counsel may now step out while we consider the evidence you have submitted. We will recall you should we need clarification, and to explain what action, if any, will be taken against you."
ooOOoo
Rhovan remained seated while Luke stiffly rose and limped from the room with his counsel. Then he smiled at Anders. "What do you think?"
She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to ward off an impending headache. "He's been through a lot, as you should know, Major," she told him pointedly.
"Conceded," Rhovan dropped into the chair Luke had vacated as Narra joined them at the table.
"Luke is talented pilot, with natural instincts." The commander stated. "He possesses leadership skills and qualities that..."
"He's thoughtless and rash," Sa'adaan offered with a smile. "His actions on Ra'imar could have had serious consequences. He disobeyed a direct order and, as much as I regret it, for that there should be a penalty. He may be one of the most valuable officers we have, but we cannot over look that fact."
"He was traumatised by his experiences on Escaal," Anders argued, gently. "That would have had an impact on his choices and decisions."
"But does he pose a danger to the Alliance?" Rhovan wanted to know. "Does Vader's interest in him threaten the Alliance?"
Derlin frowned. "What are you saying?" He lifted his data pad and shook it in Rhovan's direction. "Your scripted questions and suggestions that were weighted toward Vader, are you suggesting that we should be concerned about Luke?"
"No," Rhovan denied. "My questions were designed to get Luke to think about Vader, to rattle him a little. He needs to see how others may view him considering his gifts. At the moment he's a loose cannon." And he was hiding something; Luke's body language had changed when he was asked how he knew the base was about to be attacked.
"Do you think we should cut him loose?" Derlin wanted to know. "If Vader is so obsessed with the boy, perhaps we let him go?"
"We would only be handing him to Vader if we did that." Rhovan countered, but Derlin had taken his bait.
"Then Luke would be dead," Narra stated, shaking his head, stunned at the turn of the conversation. "I can't believe we're discussing this. Why are we discussing this? This was a fact finding debriefing and it's turning into something else. Luke is one of the most honest and trustworthy people I know. I owe him my life two or three times over."
Rhovan shook his head. "Relax, Commander, I'm only thinking aloud. Vader's interest in Skywalker is intriguing considering he is the man who allegedly murdered Luke's father." He wanted to add that Vader didn't want Luke dead, but he'd planted enough doubts about the boy for now. They would be on their guard, alert to Luke's actions, just as he had intended. He needed them to be suspicious and aware.
"Vader has killed many fathers," S'abaan stated, bluntly. "Luke is the pilot who destroyed the Death Star, that alone sets him apart from us and makes him the greater target."
"And then there is the Force." Rhovan pointed out.
"Gentlemen, please," Ehlen interrupted. "We're getting off the subject here. This has been a long day for Luke and for ourselves. I would very much like to get something eat and possibly a very stiff drink." She looked to Rhovan. "The decisions were taken before this meeting, anyway." Anders pointed out. "Haven't they, Major Rhovan?"
Rhovan smiled, nodded in concession. "Apparently General Rieekan has cooled considerably and now views Luke actions in a different light."
Narra looked stunned. "You've already decided? You've put Luke through all this and the decisions have already been taken?"
"What would you rather happen, Commander?" Rhovan wanted to know. "Do you want a formal hearing and formal charges for your flight second?"
"No, of course not, but...
"Then let's get this over with." Ehlen interrupted with some finality. She really did want that drink and a painkiller for her growing headache.
ooOOoo
This time there were no chairs when Luke entered the room. He stood alone before the table to hear his fate; his counsel relegated to the back of the room with Narra and Rhovan.
The Major at the centre of the table was business like, stern, as she spoke. "We have heard from all the witnesses and we have heard from you. We have come to a decision on the action that the events merit.
"Stand to attention."
Luke pulled himself as straight as he could, looked ahead as the Major read from the data pad.
"Lieutenant-commander Skywalker. As to the events on Escaal, we find your actions appropriate to the circumstances. You followed Alliance directions of resistance to the letter and have concluded that at no time did you compromise Alliance Military operations. Indeed we find that your conduct under duress to be remarkable and you have been cited for commendation.
"However," She continued, glancing down at the data pad. "We have also had to consider your actions on Ra'imar. You have admitted that you disobeyed a direct order from General Rieekan and that you persuaded two infantry troopers to do likewise in an ill-advised attempt to assist with the evacuation. However courageous that attempt was, it was also foolhardy, reckless and resulted in severe injury to Sergeant Thecla D'amalan.
"Should this go to court martial you would most certainly be found guilty of conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline. However, in light of the medical report we have also received, it is our conclusion that you were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from your experiences on Escaal and were not fully in command of your own actions.
"Therefore, due to these mitigating circumstances, it has been decided to deal with your conduct on a more informal basis now. However, should you wish a full court martial, that is your right." She paused looked up at him. "Do you wish me to continue, or do you wish the right to court martial?"
Luke worked his jaw, worked conflicting feelings. He was relieved that this was coming to an end and that he didn't need to face court martial, angry that they had viewed him as impaired. "Please continue, ma'am."
"Very well, Lieutenant-Commander Skywalker. You will receive a written reprimand on your permanent record. Any repeat of the offense will result in a full formal hearing under military law. Conditionally you will attend the medical centre so that your physical and psychological health can continue to be assessed, any missed appointments, or late comings, will be reported to the disciplinary board. Until you have been passed as flight fit you will remain planet side and be issued light duties. I remind you, and order you, that everything that has been discussed today is classified and should not be repeated out with this room. You are hereby released from custody.
"Report to Commander Narra at oh six thirty to receive your orders. You are dismissed."
Luke turned on his heel and walked from the room, deliberately keeping his eyes straight and away from Rhovan.
ooOOoo
It had been a long day and it was time to bring it to an end.
Shouldering his bag Rhovan left his quarters and worked his way through the darkening rebel base. He past more hastily built, prefabricated buildings like the one he was billeted too. He knew he was lucky; like most officers, he had a roof over head, a bunk to lie on and privacy. Many of the lower ranks were housed under canvas, with several soldiers to one tent. It was like an ancient military camp, like something dragged out of the history data banks on Coruscant. It probably smelled like one, too. Too many beings crammed together in a small place, balanced precariously on the side of a volcano as night unfolded across the slopes.
It was noisy, too; the roar of ships landing and taking off, the shouts and yells from the training areas as the infantry ran through their paces, hammering and banging as more structures were put up and the underlying threatening rumbles of the mountain itself.
Skywalker was housed on the other side of the complex near the hangers and landing zones along with the other pilots. As he was an officer, Luke, too, had his own room within a bland and Spartan building.
Entering the structure he almost bumped into a very large wookiee who had just exited a room.
"My apologies," Rhovan quickly told him as he past and then he did collide with someone. He reeled back, hands up ready to offer yet another apology.
"You're the guy who brought Luke back," the man told him with a regional Corellian accent.
Rhovan stiffened, ready to defend himself, wondering what the spacer had been told, wondering if he had spoken to the pilot, Wedge; the one who had accosted him on Ra'imar when he had landed with Luke.
"I wanted to thank you," the Corellian continued before Rhovan had a chance to reply. "Don't tell Luke, but the kid means a lot to me. He needs taking care off. He has a knack for invitin' trouble, you know?"
Rhovan did know, had seen it for himself. "No thanks are necessary," he told the man.
The Corellian stuck his hand out. "Han Solo," he jerked a thumb behind him at the wookiee. "This is Chewbacca, my first mate. You ever need anything just gimme a holler."
"I'll bear that in mind," Rhovan assured him, filing the offer away. He looked at the door of the room Solo had left. "Is Luke..."
"'Kid's fine, a bit sore at the reprimand, but he'll recover."
So, Luke had already disobeyed an order and divulged the result of the meeting. Rhovan wondered what else he'd told his older friend. "That's good to hear," Rhovan acknowledged, he nodded toward the room. "Do you think he's up for another visit?"
"Sure," Solo agreed happily. "Just make sure he doesn't brood. Come on, Chewie." He gestured to the Wookiee who lumbered after him as he moved away.
Rhovan turned to the door and lightly knocked. He took in a breath, waited and wondered what kind of reception he was about to get.
ooOOoo
Luke lifted his undershirt over his head, wincing as his lower back spiked and protested. He threw the garment to the floor then paused and scratched lightly at his shoulder where the bacta dressing had started to itch, peel and fall away from his healing blaster wound.
There was a knock at his door and Luke sighed in mock exasperation wondering what Han wanted this time; there was only so much mothering he could take from the Corellian. He palmed open the door. The smile on his face immediately disappeared, his stomach crashed and he took an involuntary step backward.
"Lieutenant-Commander," Rhovan greeted.
Luke didn't know how to respond. A reel of images, sounds and feelings flickered through his mind; of being forced to undress before this man, being struck by this man. Rhovan ordering the droid in, ordering him to be hung from the ceiling, offering him hope and then snatching it away. Memories of pain and fear so intense, so severe, that his body trembled. He was embarrassed, humiliated, ashamed of his spontaneous reaction.
"I apologise if I have come at a bad time."
Luke struggled to calm himself, found his voice and forced out. "What do you want?"
Rhovan ignored the insubordination, accepted that Luke would find it hard addressing him as "sir" at this moment. He would have to learn, however. He took the bag from his shoulder and offered it to the younger man as he spoke. "To return something." He watched carefully for the reaction.
Luke didn't move. He glanced at the bag, not wanting to accept anything from the Major. However, he knew that what Rhovan offered him was probably the most precious possession he owned, one he had once thought lost and hidden on Escaal. He reluctantly reached out and took the bag. Wordlessly he turned away, allowing the door to close after him.
Rhovan's hand caught the door and held it open. "Luke..."
"Leave," the pilot spoke quietly, his back to the major. "Just leave."
The Major studied Luke's back, saw the healing scar of the blaster burn, noted the decolourisation of the skin on his lower back where the droid had released the charges and felt no remorse. He had done what was needed at the time. "You need to know something."
Luke turned, fighting his feelings, fighting his temper, his fear. "I don't need anything from you, Dade." He deliberately used Rhovan's Network codename.
"I would do it again," Rhovan told him, bluntly. "I needed to protect the Network and my people on Escaal." He let his hand fall from the door but remained in the aperture so that it couldn't close over. "Taln and Isla were my friends. They died trying to save your sorry hide, don't let their deaths be for nothing."
He stepped back and the door slid shut.
Luke stood for a moment, then his knees gave way and he landed on his bunk. He tightly clutched the bag in his fist, his body shivering from fright and anger. His breathing was laboured and he fought to slow it, fought to regain control over the burst of panic. He relaxed his fist, lowered the bag and forced himself to open it. It contained only one item.
His lightsaber.
The last time he had seen it had been in that cell as he had hung from the ceiling. Rhovan had shown him it as he explained that he was Dade, that he was the Network Commander and instead of getting Luke out, he was going to hand him to Vader.
He lifted the sword from the bag, turned the cylinder in his hands noting the dirt that smeared the shaft and hand grip. He had hidden it under a rock on Escaal and he briefly wondered how Rhovan had found it. Not that he was intending on asking. He ignited it and, as the blue blade emerged, as the hum of the sword filled the room, he smiled. It felt right, the first right in a very long time. It felt like home.
Home...
Warm air and sunlight. Tan sand, golden dunes and red rocks.
A woman in simple clothing calling him home...
"Luke?"
A gentle hand placed against his cheek.
He frowned at the trailing recollection of a dream he'd had. A dream of home that had come to him during his ordeal, a memory of peace and love. His aunt's voice whispering at the fringes of his mind, trying to tell him something.
"You are his weakness, Luke..."
A dark figure standing by his grandmother's grave. A tall figure, hooded and cloaked against the Tatooine winds.
"And you have a strength within you that he craves."
He frowned, confused at the images, and shut the saber off. He had no idea why the images had come to him, no idea what they meant – if anything – nor who his aunt had been talking about. He only knew that the dreams had helped sustain him through his darkest and weakest moments, had stopped him from divulging Ra'imar's location. They had helped him keep Vader at bay.
He lifted the discarded undershirt from the floor and used it to wiped away the dirt and grime from the metal of the saber's hilt. He wished it could be as easy to wipe away the remains of Escaal from himself.
ooOOoo
At the sound of the lightsaber deactivating, Rhovan turned on his heel and headed back to his own room.
TBC.................