Chapter Two

Rebel Base

General Madine was furious. "I knew something wasn't right about that Wookiee's story," he railed at Rieekan and Mon Mothma. "If they were both captured, why would Vader set the Wookiee free? It didn't make any sense... we should have arrested him."

"On what charge?" Rieekan asked, his voice weary.

"Treason!"

"Arrest him on charges of treason, with no evidence? Are we the Empire, now?"

"He obviously kidnapped Commander Skywalker and the Princess," Madine shot back. "Solo and the Wookiee are probably spies... working for the Empire."

Mon Mothma shook her head. "The recordings show very clearly that Luke and Leia both entered the Millennium Falcon willingly with personal belongings. If Solo was a spy, Chewbacca would not have returned and our base would have been attacked. Commander Skywalker and Princess Leia went with Chewbacca to try and rescue Captain Solo."

"If that's true, then Skywalker and Organa are both fools and deserters!"

"Or there is something more here, something we are all missing," Rieekan said quietly.

Millennium Falcon

The Princess jumped slightly when she heard a tap on her door. "Come in."

The door slid open, revealing a very nervous looking Luke Skywalker. For a second, it reminded Leia of when Luke was standing at her cell door onboard the Death Star. "My name is Luke Skywalker, and I'm here to rescue you." Leia smiled at the young man she felt was her dearest friend. She never felt confused or conflicted around Luke, or lie awake at night thinking about him, getting angry at herself for having fantasies that her aunts would find shocking. No, those private thoughts were reserved for someone else, someone completely inappropriate for a Princess.

"Leia..." Luke shifted on his feet, staring at the floor. "I need to tell you something important."

"Is this what Chewie wanted to talk to you about?" she asked. A few seconds earlier she had been irritated for having been excluded, now suddenly, she was worried.

Sometimes Luke felt transparent, especially around the Princess. Why was it he felt she could see right into his very soul? "Yes. It is." He held out his hand, showing her a small disk with Imperial markings. "When Chewie woke up on the Falcon, he found this."

Leia made no move to take the disk from Luke's hand, looking at it as though it might jump at her and bite. "I assume that's the instruction disk where to locate Han?"

"He left two disks. One was the instruction disk to Chewie, and this one was for me. Personally."

Leia stared at the disk. Something was wrong, and she had a feeling she didn't want to hear whatever Vader said on the recording. "I don't think I can watch and listen to Vader."

The young man coughed. "It would be easier than me telling you, but I understand." Taking a deep breath, Luke plunged ahead. "Vader claims he trapped Han so, so... I'd come talk to him."

"Talk?" Leia asked, her eyes wide. "Vader doesn't talk, Luke. He tortures. He kills."

"He says he's my father." There...it was said. He waited, hoping she would laugh. Instead, the Princess got angry.

"He's lying," Leia snapped, taking a step closer to the Tatooine moisture farmer turned Rebel. "He's just trying to... trying to..."

"Trying to, what?" Luke questioned quietly.

"Capture the person responsible for destroying Palpatine's death toy. Somehow, he must have found out it was you that made that shot," she returned bitterly, her eyes narrowing. "He'll say anything to get you to do what he wants you to do."

"Why, though? Just telling us where to find Han would have been enough to convince us to try and rescue him. Why would Vader come up with something like that?"

Leia thought furiously. Luke simply couldn't be Vader's son. It's no more possible than I'm his - "Maybe he didn't think we cared enough about Han to come after him, unless he gave us some other reason."

"You didn't need another reason."

Flustered, the Princess realized Luke was right. She was heading right toward the man she feared and hated the most, all because she felt utterly compelled to try and save a smuggler she'd only known for six months, a smuggler that kept threatening to leave. Vader certainly didn't leave her a disk, only Chewie and Luke received instructions. It was very unlikely he expected her to be among those aboard the Falcon. "Are you telling me you believe him?"

"I don't know," Luke admitted. "Would you hate me?"

"What? Why would I hate you?"

"I mean... if it turns out to be true? Would you hate me then?"

The Princess looked away, unable to met Luke's eyes, and feeling sick. "I don't know... maybe."

Her admission was painful as a slap across the face. Luke turned and walked out of the cabin without another word.

Amidala

Han watched as the stars streaked into hyperspace blurs. Vader was right about his ship; it was impressive, fast and powerful. But it was no Falcon, and Han felt defensive just thinking about his beloved ship. He looked over at the Sith sitting in the pilot's seat. "Why did you name her the Amidala?"

"I wanted to."

"A big secret, huh?"

Vader turned his mask to look directly at the Corellian. "It is none of your business."

"Fine. Sorry I asked."

After a moment, Vader decided to question the smuggler. "Why have you stayed with the Rebellion for over half a year?"

"They pay good," Han replied quickly. It was a safe answer, much safer than the one he spent his nights thinking about.

Behind his mask, Vader smirked. The Corellian's feelings were coming through clearly. He cared about the Rebels, and one Rebel in particular. "She is too good for you."

"What?" Han snapped, spinning his chair to face the Sith, his fists clenched in his lap since the binders were still firmly around his wrists.

"The Princess. You have feelings for her. You cannot hide your emotions from me. They are far too strong."

Han felt a rush of outrage at the Sith for the intrusion into his thoughts and feelings. "She's too good for me? Are you talking about the same Princess you were about to execute?"

"She would not have been executed," Vader replied easily. "It was just another way to convince her to reveal the location of the Rebel Base."

"Sure," Han said in disbelief. "Why was the Rebel Base so important six months ago, but now you don't seem to care a vrelth's backside about it?"

"Tarkin cared. Palpatine cared." Vader shrugged. "Events have altered my priorities."

"Events. You mean Luke?"

"I mean Luke."

"I still don't believe Luke is your son," Han stated.

"Your belief, or lack thereof, is irrelevant. The fact remains that my son is coming to me... I can feel the shift in the Force already. Soon things will change, the leadership of the Empire will change. And the Skywalker family will finally gain the respect of the entire galaxy."

"Respect is earned, Vader."

"So it is, Captain Solo. So it is."

System 14.9367, three days later.

The Amidala dropped out of hyperspace in a very remote area of space, far past the Serpindal system. Little was known about this area of space, except that few pilots ventured beyond this point. A small, desolate planet could be seen in the distance. "There. That is the place where we will wait."

Han frowned at the murky, brown orb, absent-mindedly rubbing the binders that were back around his wrists. He was getting a bit tired of having restraints around his wrists all the time, but at least they were regular binders, and not painful stun cuffs. A very important distinction as far as Han was concerned. "What's the name of that system?"

"It has no official name. It's designated as System 14.9367. The planet has no breathable atmosphere, and no native life.. either sentient, or otherwise. During the Old Republic era it had an artificial atmosphere dome which was operated as a scientific outpost, but it has been abandoned. The dome is where we will wait for Luke."

"How do you know this dome still is operational?"

"It is."

"Just one of those Force things I'll never understand, I suppose?"

"You are learning, even if you are incredibly slow."

"But once it sinks in, it's permanently embedded," Han pointed out with a grin. "At least that's what my Academy instructors always told me."

Vader spared a glance at the cocky smuggler. "You will be lucky if I don't crush your larynx before this is all done, Solo."

"Aw, if I couldn't talk, you'd be bored outta your mind," Han returned quickly, hoping the Sith wasn't serious. Han had spent the majority of the trip locked inside a small berth that had been modified to be escape-proof. He'd only been allowed out to use the refresher. Food had been limited to water and ration bars, but the Corellian didn't dare make any complaints. At least the binders had been removed during his confinement in the berth. "Sides, if you think I'm bad, you should try hangin' around the Princess's droid for a while. Goldenrod's constant blather makes you wish you'd never been born."

"Goldenrod?"

"That's what I call him. His designation is C-3PO, and talk about an antique. I don't think he's had a memory wipe in years, which doesn't make his prissy personality any easier to stomach."

Vader started slightly at the protocol droid's number. It couldn't possibly be the same one. Prissy? Antique? The odds of that droid being the same one were too small to even contemplate.

Millennium Falcon

Artoo cooed softly, trying to bring Luke out of his depression. The young man had been lying in bed for days, hardly moving or eating. When the human didn't respond, he extended his 'arm', gently poking him in his shoulder. "Breepee?"

"Just leave me alone, Artoo."

The little droid swiveled his domed head sadly. He had never seen his Master so depressed, and the droid was becoming very concerned. Spinning around, he decided to go find Chewbacca. Maybe the Wookiee could fix Luke.

A little while later, Chewie tapped softly on Luke's door before sticking his head in the room. *We are approaching the stopping coordinates. I would like a co-pilot when we come out of hyperspace.* He looked over at Threepio, who politely translated his request.

"Ask Leia," Luke muttered into his pillow. "She's just as good a pilot as I am, anyway."

*That is not true, Skywalker. You have been moping around for three days now, not even getting out of bed. There is no excuse for this behavior.*

Luke sat up, glaring at Threepio during the translation, then jumped up off the bed. "Are you kidding me! My father might be Darth Vader! Leia hates me! How can you possibly think I don't have any excuse?"

"I don't hate you," a soft voice spoke from behind the Wookiee. Leia stepped into the berth, deep circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. "I'm sorry I said that, Luke. It was inexcusable."

"Yes, it was," Luke shot back, thinking back over the past three days that Leia had been avoiding him. Never in his life had he felt so rejected, so.. alone. "Even if Vader is telling the truth, which I don't think he is, I'm not Vader! I can't help who my parents were... or are. I didn't get the opportunity to pick and choose, Leia. Nobody does."

"I know." Leia looked at the floor, truly ashamed. She had come to this conclusion more than a standard day ago, yet had been unable to face Luke after her hurtful comments to him. "Please forgive me."

For a long while, Luke said nothing. Finally, he spoke softly, "You, Chewie and Han are the only family I have left, even if we're not a real, related family. If you push me away, or if Vader kills Han..."

"That's not going to happen," Leia stated firmly, feeling her heart skip a beat at the thought of Han dying. "We're going to rescue Han, and you're going to find out what I already know. Vader is nothing more than a manipulating liar. He's a Sith Lord, and that's what they do, Luke. Lie and murder." She stepped forward, hugging him tightly, hoping he would forgive her.

Luke nodded and returned her embrace, hoping with his entire heart Leia was right. His mind, or maybe the Force, was telling him something different.

System 14.9367

"Nice place," Han commented dryly as they walked around the sterile, enclosed dome. Everything looked surprisingly clean, and personal items like family holos and cups were still sitting where the owners had left them, almost like they expected to return. "Why was this place abandoned?"

"No one knows."

Frowning, the Corellian looked up at the tall Sith. "I don't understand."

"According to the recorded information, one day the scientists were working here, sending back daily reports. Everything seemed fine. Then, the next day, the reports stopped being transmitted. A supply ship was diverted to see if there was a problem. When the pilot contacted Coruscant, he said all the inhabitants had vanished. No messages. No distress signals. Nothing. They were never found, or heard from again."

"That's strange."

Vader nodded in agreement. "In fact, it was so strange that the Republic sent several Jedi to investigate. Those Jedi also disappeared. The start of the Clone Wars put an end to the investigation. For years afterwards, rumors circulated that the place was cursed, and no one would venture back here."

"That makes me feel nice and secure," Han joked.

"You don't strike me as the superstitious sort, Solo."

"A person doesn't have to be superstitious to think of other ways those scientists could have disappeared. Maybe there's a more reasonable explanation - like unfriendly pirates, or a spice-crazed hermit."

Vader was amused at that suggestion. "Spice-crazed hermit?"

"All right... pirates, then."

"Pirates, no matter how unfriendly, could not have disposed of two Jedi. And there were over one hundred scientists on this outpost. A distress signal, or some type of message, would certainly have been left behind. There was no evidence of violence."

"What do you think happened, then?"

"I have no idea," Vader admitted, as he looked out of the viewport, and stared at the reddish, rock-strewn surface. "Perhaps if we stay long enough, we will find out."

"Swell," Han muttered under his breath. "I'm starting to think I took this supply trip for way too little money."

Millennium Falcon

The old freighter dropped out of hyperspace at the designated coordinates, the shields at full power while Chewie kept his large paw on the lever, prepared to pull the ship back into the safety of hyperspace. Silently, they looked at the blackness of space and the tiny, red system that was the meeting place.

*Sensors show this system has no breathable atmosphere. Are we supposed to wear pressure suits?*

Frowning, Leia looked over the Wookiee's shoulder. "No, look. Something is right there... on the surface." She watched as Chewie adjusted the controls. "An artificial atmosphere dome," she murmured after the object registered. "That's the only place they can be."

Luke looked back at the Princess, sensing her increasing trepidation at confronting Darth Vader. "You shouldn't have come, Leia."

"Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't do, Luke," she replied, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. "This was my decision, not yours."

Standing next to Leia, Threepio said in a low voice to Artoo, "This wasn't my decision... no one gives us droids any choice." But no one was listening as the Falcon made a swooping turn and headed for the planet.

Now standing in what had been the main laboratory, Vader stood facing the duraglass, watching the Corellian's reflection as Solo peeled the wrapper off a ration bar and chewed it with a look of disgust on his face. Vader was surprised that the Corellian hadn't complained about the food onboard his ship. He must have some common sense after all, he mused to himself. It had been two decades since Vader had tasted food, ration bars, or anything else. His injuries were so extensive that he was forced to drink a specialized liquid. It was full of vitamins and calories, but he longed to be able to actually taste and chew.

Then he felt a tremor in the Force, and looked up, through the high ceiling. "They have arrived."

"They?"

"Luke, your Wookiee friend and..." Vader trailed off thoughtfully. "And the Princess. Interesting."

Han's eyes grew wide with concern. "Leia? Leia's here? Why in the nine hells would she come along?"

"Perhaps your feelings are not unreciprocated, Solo," Vader responded as he faced the Corellian.

For a second Han didn't understand what the Sith meant. Then it dawned on him. "The Princess doesn't have feelings for me... other than friendship," Han argued. "If she came, it was probably to keep the kid outta trouble."

"Perhaps," Vader agreed easily, pointing to a table and chair. "Sit down, Solo. I wish for them to come to us, not the other way around. We are not hiding, so locating us will not be difficult."

Slowly, Han sat, knowing if he refused the Sith would just use his power to force the issue. He crumpled his wrapper and tossed it on the table, trying not to worry about what would happen next, wishing he had his trusty blaster strapped to his side.

The hanger doors cycled open, allowing the Falcon entry into the huge space. Half a dozen Old Republic-era steel gray shuttles sat, neatly lined up on either side of the room. As the door automatically shut behind them, Chewie landed the Falcon directly behind a much newer shuttle - a shiny, black ship that appeared both menacing and out-of-place among the benign, older ships. Leia swallowed as she stared at the shuttle. It must be Darth Vader's... it looks like him, even, she thought, glancing over at Luke.

The young pilot was going through the landing procedures, his face a mask of grim determination. He looked over at the Princess. "You can still stay on the Falcon, and wait for us."

"Yes! Thank the Maker!" Threepio cried out in joy. "I would love to stay here and wait for you, Master Luke. How very kind of you to think of me!"

"I was asking Leia," Luke said dryly.

"Oh..."

Leia unstrapped her safety harness, and stood up. "I'm coming." She checked the power pack on the blaster, making sure it was fully charged.

"A blaster isn't going to stop Vader," Luke pointed out.

"You distract him with your lightsaber, while Chewie and I rescue Han. He won't be able to deflect all of our shots away," Leia insisted. "Once Han is safe, then the four of us can move in for the kill."

Leia's words echoed through Luke's mind as the group headed out of the Falcon, using a small life-sign sensor to locate Vader and Han. Move in for the kill... move in for the kill...

Vader was now pacing the laboratory, his body language tense, his breathing coming in much shorter rasps. Han watched the Sith in silence, knowing instinctively that if he said the wrong word now, the Sith would not laugh at his joke - he would kill him without hesitating. The Corellian glanced down at his binders, trying to think of some way he'd be able to help Chewie and Luke fight the Sith. And why... why did the Princess have to complicate things by coming? It was when he was looking down at his wrists that Han suddenly noticed something very odd. A fine, reddish mist was rising up off the floor. For a second Han thought that this was part of the rescue plan, then he quickly discounted the idea. His friends had only been on the surface for ten minutes, at the most. There was no way they could be responsible for the mist, especially since it wasn't coming from the air vents, but literally seeping from the seams along the durasteel flooring.

Reluctantly, Han decided to interrupt the Sith's pacing. "Uh... Vader?"

The Sith spun around, his hand clenching the hilt of his lightsaber. "What, smuggler? I am in no mood for your witty remarks," he hissed out in warning.

Han gave a quick nod downward. "I just wanted to point out the floor is doing something strange."

Irritated, the Sith Lord gave a quick glance at the floor, then did a double-take. The red mist was now knee high, with tendrils that appeared to be actually reaching for both the Sith and the smuggler. Nervously, Han stood up to move his face further away from the mist.

"Maybe we should leave this room," Han suggested. "This outpost is a big place, we can wait somewhere else."

"Perhaps you are correct." Vader grabbed the smuggler by his bicep, pulling him toward the exit. The door, which had opened so easily and obediently when they entered, remained shut. Vader pressed the buttons. Still no response. Giving an exasperated hiss, the Sith turned on his red lightsaber, driving the humming beam through the metal door. The metal started slowly melting, but as far as Han was concerned, it was too slow. Although he could not smell any odor, he was becoming lightheaded and his vision was starting to dim.

"Could you please hurry? I think I'm about to pass out..." Then Han's legs folded, and he went down in a heap to the misty floor.

Vader ignored the Corellian, cutting away at the door until it slowly gave way. Using the Force, he pushed it outward. It clanged to the ground with an extremely loud thud. The Sith noticed the hallway was also filled with the same red haze. He turned and hoisted the unconscious smuggler onto his shoulder, pausing half a heartbeat to wonder why he was bothering to save the man.

The mist was now becoming thick and difficult to see through. Whether it was the Force or the filter on his respirator, Vader had not yet been affected by the mist. Then he hurried down the corridor toward the hanger.

It was Chewie that noticed the mist first. With a series of short barks, he pointed at the floor. Luke and Leia didn't need Threepio to tell them what Chewie was saying as they looked down and saw the mist.

"Vader is doing this," Leia quickly guessed. "He's trying to drug us!"

"We need to get back to the Falcon and get airmasks," Luke replied as he looked back the direction they had just come from. The mist filled the hallway. If it was poison, or something to sedate them, it wasn't too likely they would make it back in time. "Threepio, if we pass out, you and Artoo will need to get us those masks."

Artoo gave a beep, indicating he understood, and turned to head back to the Falcon.

Less than halfway back, Leia collapsed, and Chewie reached down to pick her up. Desperately, Luke tried to use the Force to remain conscious, but with the little training he'd been given he never had a chance. Slowly Luke sank to his knees, then his lightsaber dropped from his grip as he fell face forward. Giving a howl of frustration, Chewie bent over, trying to pull Luke onto his shoulder. With his face so close to the floor, the strange fumes quickly overtook the Wookiee, leaving only Threepio and Artoo still aware of what was happening.

Threepio threw up his hands in despair. "Oh, dear... I knew we should have stayed with the ship! How are we going to save them? Everyone will die... and it will be all your fault, Artoo!"

The little blue and white droid gave an indignant whistle, and Threepio looked down through the mist that enveloped the little droid. "Of course it's your fault! It certainly isn't my fault!" Artoo rolled away from his partner, forcing the protocol droid to hurry after him, still yelling, "It wasn't my idea to come to this dreadful place!"

Darth Vader nearly tripped on the unconscious body of the Wookiee. Frowning, he squinted down and saw not only the Wookiee, but the Princess and Luke lying on the floor. His son was his first concern so he picked Luke up with his free arm. If he could, he would try and come back for the Wookiee and the Princess, but if not... well, they were not really his problem, he reasoned.

As he approached the hanger he immediately noticed that the Falcon was parked behind his ship, blocking the Amidala's exit lane. He shook his head with disgust, then stalked up the lowered ramp of the Falcon. An astromech droid was whistling further inside the ship, and for a brief moment, Vader thought he heard the familiar voice of... no. It couldn't possibly be him.

He didn't have time to check, quickly placing the Corellian and his son on the floor, then hurried out to retrieve the others, grateful the red fog didn't seem to be coming into the hanger - yet.

Turning the corner, he came to an abrupt halt. The mist was dissipating and solidifying, the tendrils were changing, becoming snakes that were at least three times the length of a man. The snakes were dark red, each with iridescent scales, a long narrow nose and rows of very sharp fangs... and they were slithering toward the Wookiee and the Princess.

Vader ignited his lightsaber, and the red eyes of the twenty-some snakes focused on the humming blade. Their scales rippled along their spine and they reared back, showing a silvery underside, hissing at the saber.

"So you've seen lightsabers in the past," Vader remarked as he moved forward, driving the huge creatures backwards. The Dark Lord glanced down at the still forms of the Princess and the Wookiee. It would make far more sense to return to the hanger and leave them here to their deaths. The Wookiee was strong and dangerous... the Princess hated the Sith, and for good reason. Vader stepped over the unconscious pair, putting himself between the huge snakes and the two fallen Rebels. The Force seemed to be compelling him to save them, so he swung his lightsaber at the snakes, severing the closest into two pieces. Instantly they dissipated, leaving no evidence of their existence other than a fine red mist that quickly faded away.

The Sith tried to focus on the creatures, to locate their life-force and destroy them from the inside, but there was nothing in the Force that indicated they were even there. Vader had no time to ponder the strangeness of something obviously living, yet without a Force-presence. The snake-creatures surged forward, hissing and spitting at the Dark Lord, trying to get him to retreat. Vader glanced over his shoulder, then noticed a second group of snakes heading toward the unconscious pair from the opposite direction. Things were not looking good.

Luke spluttered and gasped as the oxygen mask brought him back to awareness. Artoo gave a happy beep, rolling closer to his Master. To his utter shock, he saw that Han was lying next to him, unconscious, but with a mask over his face as well. "Artoo? How did I get back on the ship? How did Han get here?" He sat up and looked around in concern. "Where's Leia and Chewie?"

"Master Luke!" Threepio keened in despair, still holding two of the masks. "Princess Leia and Chewbacca are still in the corridor... with Vader! Darth Vader must have brought you here, because we saw him leaving the ship just as we came around the corner with your oxygen masks! Oh dear me... the Princess and Master Chewbacca are doomed!"

"Stay here with Han," Luke ordered, his voice muffled from the airmask as he staggered to his feet. "I'm going back for Leia and Chewie."

"But... Master Luke! What about the poison mist and Darth Vader?"

Luke snatched the two oxygen masks that Threepio was holding. "I'm going after them!" Threepio and Artoo watched worriedly as the young Jedi ran back out of the ship.

Luke looked around the hanger, briefly wondering why there was no mist. He rushed back down the corridor, then came to a sudden stop. The hallway was filled with huge, red-scaled reptiles, and Vader stood in the middle of them, slashing his blade in both directions, trying to drive them away.

And Leia and Chewie were still on the floor, unconscious.