A.N. This chapter is the last one that I have pre-written, so the time between updates may become a little slower now as I balance life and writing fanfics. Thank you for every review, they always bring a smile to my face!
"Officer Gaines, has Oliver Baten reported in today?"
"No, I'm sorry sir. Would you like me to call his commlink?"
"Thank you, but I can contact him."
Bail Organa dismissed Officer Gaines and journeyed back to his office. Oliver's absence put him very on edge. The boy never reported late, and he always let Bail know in advance if he had to be absent for work. Something was very wrong.
Upon entering his office, Bail immediately called Oliver's commlink. He knew he shouldn't be so personally involved with Oliver's whereabouts. Everyone in the Alliance was an equal, and calling him without going through the proper procedures was against protocol. But Oliver was more than just another Rebel officer to Bail. He was his daughter's boyfriend and best friend. He was practically family.
Bail hung up frustratedly after listening to the commlink ring repeatedly for a few minutes. He needed to take matters into his own hands. The viceroy snatched his cloak from its hook and ventured off towards Oliver's apartment.
Bail knocked and knocked on Oliver's apartment door for ten minutes, with no answer. Eventually, he had to bribe Oliver's landlord to let him into the apartment. As the lock turned, Bail silently begged that he wouldn't find anything devastating inside.
The door swung wide and Bail stepped inside. "Oliver? Are you home?"
The apartment looked as if everything was in order, nothing seemed to be in disarray. Bail approached Oliver's bedroom slowly, his nerves tense. "Oliver?"
No one was inside. Bail had checked every room of the apartment and it was empty. He noticed a flickering light from Oliver's holoprojector, indicating that there was an unwatched message waiting for him. Bail didn't want to watch Oliver's private messages, but figured the message could reveal his location.
He pressed a button and then a blue image of Leia appeared from the machine.
"Hi, Oliver, I just...really want to make sure you're all right. I haven't heard from anyone in a couple hours and I don't know if you or my family is okay. You mean the galaxy to me, and I need you to be okay. Please..." Leia choked up for a moment. "Please stay safe. You still need to take me on that epic date we talked about." She laughed lightly. "Send me a transmission when you get this. Goodbye."
Bail held his face in his hands, dread filling him. Either Oliver deliberately ignored Leia's transmission, or had never known it came. Bail's commlink went off, startling him out of his thoughts.
"This is Organa."
"Viceroy? This is Officer Gaines. I'm sorry, but I thought you should know that one of our X-wing fighters has gone missing."
Bail's stomach dropped and his heart clenched. "What is the number of the fighter?"
"It's a T65B, number 1841."
He knew that ship. He had seen it bring his daughter back to the ground after an unauthorized flight weeks ago.
"Oliver's ship," Bail muttered. "Report this to Mon Mothma and wait for further instructions until I return."
"Yes, sir."
Bail hung up and mulled over the facts in his head. There was only one harrowing conclusion: Oliver had disappeared.
Oliver jolted awake, banging his head on the cold metal behind him. His head whipped around, taking in his surroundings. To his dismay, he discovered there was nothing to see but four hard, shiny metal walls. And he was laying on a hard, shiny metal bench. A cell. Oliver wracked his brain trying to remember what happened before he blacked out. He was out for one of his joyrides in his X-wing, unauthorized and not logged into the Alliance's system. He often did it to blow off steam and clear his head. With Leia gone and the stress of the invasion, Oliver needed it.
He recalled a small moon in the distance, and had planned on ignoring it until he noticed it was made of metal. Curious, he came closer and closer to the object until he became caught in its tractor beam. After that, Oliver's mind was blank.
Huddling up against the wall, Oliver tried not to panic. He breathed deeply and attempted to figure out who captured him. And hoped desperately that one option wasn't true. It could be smugglers, pirates, war lords... But only one faction had enough power and resources to build a space station this large. The Empire.
As if to confirm Oliver's worst fears, boots clanked outside his cell door. It slid open abruptly, revealing the most formidable figure in the galaxy, shrouded in black.
"Darth Vader," he croaked out in shock.
Vader stood tall in the entryway. "Oliver Baten, I assume. Do you know why you are here?"
Oliver shook his head, his eyes transfixed on the Dark Lord as if in a trance. "I don't even know where I am."
Suddenly, Oliver noticed a faint, low hum growing closer to the cell as Vader stepped inside.
"You are on the Death Star. You have been summoned to give us the location of Princess Leia Organa."
The Death Star? How have I not heard about this? How does the Rebellion not know about this?
Oliver gulped, but sat up straighter. He had a mission now. He had to protect Leia, no matter the cost. "I don't know anything. You're wasting your time."
"That is what I thought you would say," Vader said menacingly. The droning hum grew much louder as a horrendous black orb hovered into the cell. Oliver let out a slight gasp. He recognized the machine, had studied its tendencies as part of the Alliance.
"Are you familiar with interrogation droids?" Vader asked.
Oliver turned his attention from the droid to Vader, glaring at him. "Not personally."
"Then perhaps it is time that you...became acquainted."
With that the cell door slammed shut, leaving Oliver alone with a nightmare.
"What do you mean, 'he's gone missing?'" Leia yelled at her father's blue hologram. "Where could he go?"
Bail's heart ached as he saw his daughter's panic stricken face. "I don't know. He didn't report for duty today, he wasn't in his apartment, and his X-wing has gone missing. No one has seen him since yesterday."
"He's obviously been captured! Oliver doesn't just leave like that! You have to create a search team." Leia was fighting against tears stinging her eyes, and her throat was constricting from anxiety.
"You know we can't do that yet. Leia, we have to consider all options. Please be rational."
Leia's face turned steely and she glared at her father. "What are you trying to say?" She asked, her voice low. "You think that...that Oliver abandoned the Rebellion?"
"Anything is possible, Leia. Everyone is under a lot of stress after the invasion," Bail replied.
"But it's not possible for Oliver! He would never abandon us, or me. We have to-"
"Do not let your emotions cloud your judgement, Leia. There is protocol." Bail said sternly.
"Forget protocol!" Leia screamed, slamming her hand down on her desk. "He is my boyfriend and he is a dear friend of yours. You know he wouldn't leave according to his own will. There is something wrong here, and you know it! We have to act fast and do something about it!"
"Leia!" Bail barked at her. "It is time you learned something. In the Rebel Alliance, no one's life is worth more than another's. Not yours, not mine, not Oliver's. Every person becomes part of a larger whole. Everything you do is for the sake of the Rebellion. Until you understand that the Rebellion is worth more than your life, you make yourself vulnerable to betraying it. Now, I care about Oliver deeply, and I've broken enough protocol trying to find him already. While I truly believe Oliver did not abandon us, we cannot put the Alliance at risk. Anyone who goes AWOL could have been captured, but they could also have abandoned us or defected to the Empire. I will do everything in my power to make his disappearance a top priority, but I cannot make guarantees."
Deep down, Leia understood her father's words. It hurt to admit it, but when she signed up for the Rebellion she had already sacrificed her life. And so had Oliver. She let out a frustrated sigh and said, "I understand, Father. I have to go, but keep me updated."
"Of course, my dear. I love you."
Their connection cut off and the resulting silence pierced Leia's ears. She took in her surroundings, feeling utterly helpless. Leia certainly did not like being helpless. She picked up her commlink and called her pilot on Dantooine.
"Hello? Yes, I need you to prepare my ship for departure. Destination: Alderaan."