Hello all! Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, if you celebrate it! Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Pursuing Hidden Truths
Leia could not describe the alleviation she felt when she finally met Luke again. He had commed them a half an hour before, telling them that he was alright and that he would meet them at their location as soon as he could, but she still felt more reassured now that he was with them in person. Watching him come towards them, Leia felt the worry slip from her shoulders.
"Luke!" Han greeted Luke in relief as Leia went up to her brother and tackled him in a hug. It was the most she could do when she felt no words could express her comfort.
She could feel Luke's arms return her hug, giving her a brief squeeze. She could tell that he was nowhere near as concerned as they had been, but she allowed him space anyway, breaking off their embrace shortly afterwards.
Anakin caught up with them shortly. What used to be a look of relief on his face quickly dissolved into anger. "Where have you been?" he demanded, to which Luke shrugged, slightly bashfully. Leia suspected that Anakin, who had been beside himself with worry for the past two hours, was only reacting with frustration out of the stress of their situation.
"Trapped in a tunnel underneath the club," Luke answered him. "The Boss sealed the blast doors so I couldn't follow him. They took a while to wire."
"For two hours, Luke!" Anakin replied angrily. "You were gone for two hours! No word. No calls. Your shields were up so tightly that I couldn't contact you. You could have been dead, or worse."
"…What's worse than being dead?" Han asked with a small frown, but he was quickly overridden by more angry words from Anakin.
"Two hours! We didn't know where you were. We didn't know where we could find you. It was too risky to return to the club. We didn't hear from you. What were we supposed to do?"
As Anakin continued to speak, movement in the corner of Leia's eye caused her gaze to snap sideways. Mara Jade was standing there – and why, Leia had no idea. The sight of the familiar redhead, however, elicited feelings of distaste in her mouth.
Anakin growled in frustration, turning away abruptly. He did not seem to see Jade standing there. "What if you had been captured? What if you had been injured? Or killed? What would I tell your mother?" He looked up at Luke, and Leia could see the fear in his blue eyes. It was one of the only times she had seen him truly afraid, and Luke seemed to see it too.
"I'm okay, Father," he told Anakin, his eyes alit with sincerity. Behind him, Mara Jade's eyes widened in surprise, but neither seemed to notice. "I promise."
Anakin's shoulders relaxed somewhat, and his brow smoothed. He nodded in understanding.
"I can take care of myself. I have for years," Luke told him. "Since before you even knew about me."
"I know," Anakin admitted, having the prudence to lower his head in guilt. After a moment, he raised his eyes once more to look at Luke. "I know, my son. But it doesn't stop me from worrying."
"Perhaps you can explain what happened, Luke?" Leia prodded him, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the presence of Mara Jade nearby. She didn't like the fact that Jade was listening in on such a private and personal conversation.
"Mara says she thinks she might know where the Boss is meeting Vadim," Luke replied, and Leia was unsure if she liked the fact that he was addressing Jade as Mara. "If we follow to the location, we might be able to get two at once."
"It'll be difficult," Han said in a low tone.
"It'll be worth it," Leia corrected him.
"If we can get both of them," Anakin added, looking at both Leia and Han closely with an stern expression Leia could not quite identify.
The others simply nodded in silent, grim assent, sealing their path of action.
"How do you know the Boss and Vadim are meeting now?" Han hissed to Jade as they made their way along the narrow scaffolding following the pipe lines. They were moving single-file, softly, and as quietly as they could along the slender pathway.
"Shhh," Jade snapped back as she whirled around to face him. Her voice was a whisper. "Do you want to get caught?"
"Merely questioning your sanity, your grouchiness," Han retorted with his usual cheek. "Somehow, I doubt-" he began to say, but Jade cut him off with a frantic warning wave of her hand.
"Down there," Jade hissed to them, her voice only just above a whisper. Their eyes followed her hand down to where she was pointing, where, in the shadows below, two figures were gathered together, in hushed, inaudible conversation. Any thoughts Leia might have been thinking fled from her mind, and she was caught with baited breath. Right there. Both were right there. They could end this now.
"How do we know that's them?" Han asked, his words coming out in a low murmur.
"It's them," Leia replied quietly. There was no questioning the Force signatures of the two males below. As group moved closer, following Jade as quietly as they could, Leia's fingers moved subtly towards the comm in her belt. She had only to press it for Mothma to send reinforcements to their area.
Leia met Anakin's gaze and noted the warning in his eyes. It appeared he had been thinking the same thing. They would need all the back up they could get, especially because both were known to be slippery. And they both knew that they could not mess up this time. Not when they were so near. Not when they had come so far. They would have to strike fast. Leia's finger found the button.
"We're so close," Han breathed. "Do we go for them?"
Jade's abrupt shushing elicited glares from both Leia and Han, but Luke's urgent whisper of "Listen!" caused them to quiet.
Leia strained her ears to hear the conversation below.
"…Devaron does not wish to be revealed in the plot," the low voice of Bogdaan Vadim was saying to the thin figure beside him. "It's too risky as it is, and I'm going to need additional protection if we are to follow it through."
"You must follow through, but there must be no more mistakes, Vadim," hissed the Boss angrily. "You've already butchered two attempts."
"The Jedi got in the way," growled Vadim in return. "No one could have predicted that. They've been prodding their noses in my business." He leaned closer to the Boss and continued, "They know too much already. I can't risk them following me, or our success will be jeopardized."
"I will take care of them," said the Boss. "Do not worry, they will be silenced. I will ensure your path is clear."
"It's too late – the Republic has already been notified. Their authorities already know of my involvement. They already have men out searching for me. I'm telling you, it's too risky."
"They're blaming the Jade girl as well," the Boss replied impatiently. "If necessary, we can alter the guilt, she will take all of the persecution. You will go free." He leaned closer to Vadim. "What's important now is that they never find out Devaron's connection to the plot."
"And if they do?"
"They have no proof."
"This bill may still be passed after all. Then all this will be for nothing."
"Mark my words, Devaron will continue to receive its precious metals."
"We'd better – the government is crumbling from the inside. We need that relationship back with Antal 4; legal or not and public or not, both planets were benefitting from that slave labor."
Leia spared a shocked glance at her brother. Padmé had been right all along – this entire plot had been about the slavery bill! As Luke's blue eyes conveyed his own surprise to her, the two returned their attention to the conversation below, watching and silent with equal apprehension and alarm.
"I assure you, Vadim," the Boss consoled him impatiently, "You will continue receive protection. The bill will be stopped, and your planet will resume its illegal dealings. I expect to be well paid."
"My employers will ensure that. If we are successful."
"Of course," the Boss returned dangerously, his voice dark and alluring. "The pressure turns on you, Vadim. If this attempt does not succeed, your plot will be exposed and your planet condemned. Better not fail this time."
Leia glanced over to the others, and, with a mutual agreement, the five slowly reached for their weapons. And just as the Devaronian had bowed his thanks, the five launched themselves off of the scaffolding and down into the area below. The slap of their firm landings on the pavement sent echoes down the alley. Both the Boss and Vadim snarled in surprise, moving to grasp their weapons, but the five were already upon them.
"You're both under arrest for crimes against the Republic," Anakin informed him, his voice hard and commanding as he ignited his lightsaber with a snap-hiss. Beside him, Luke, Jade, and Leia ignited their blades as well. "Drop your weapons."