Chapter 2: Coruscant

Coruscant.

That's where they were going. Luke had heard of it before, of course—who hadn't heard of the capital of the galaxy? It was all one gigantic city; no oceans, no forests, no mountains ... and definitely no sand.

He'd been on this ship for hours now. Along the way, they'd made brief stops at other planets, and each time, the small group of orphans had halved. Now, there was only himself and four others. Coruscant was the last stop.

He wondered what was going to happen to him there. It would have been a wonderful adventure, if not for the constant ache in his heart. He was never going to see his aunt and uncle again. He'd always dreamed of leaving Tatooine, but he didn't want it to be like this.

"Do you think there will be banthas on Coruscant?"

Luke looked up at the small Ithorian boy sitting opposite him. He must be very young to ask such a thing.

"I think so," the girl next to him replied. "What would the sand people ride without banthas?"

"There are no sandpeople on Coruscant," their caretaker explained, from the other end of the room. "There's no sand. Only buildings."

A shudder ran through the craft, and Luke quickly scrambled up on the seat to look out the window. They had entered the atmosphere. Far below, spires and towers could be seen sticking up out of the clouds.

The ship gradually descended, revealing more of the buildings below. Luke opened his eyes as wide as he could, desperate to see more of the wondrous sight before him. Where was the ground? All he could see was an endless criss-cross pattern of trenches, filled with speeders of every shape and size.

Their ship dropped lower and lower, but Luke still could not see any sign of the ground. He wondered if it even existed.

He could have remained with his nose pressed against the glass for weeks, just staring at the constantly changing view, but the ship had landed, and their caretaker was calling him.

"Come on! We're here!"

Luke reached into the poncho, making sure he was still carrying his model T-16. Tatooine already felt like a lifetime ago.

Outside, he was immediately met with the stench of air pollution. He wrapped his arm around his mouth and then craned his neck, trying to see where he was. He was too low to see the top of the building, yet too high to see the bottom.

"Come on, kid!" the caretaker called, sounding annoyed this time.

He trotted after the group, who had already begun to move into the building. Why was everyone in such a hurry?

Inside, it seemed like they walked for hours, up stairways, and across walkways, until they finally arrived in a gray, sterile plaza. Luke looked around, reading the signs above the various offices. There was a law firm, and an accountant agency. Luke's eyes fell on the largest office: 'Imperial Family Services'.

Was this somewhere they took kids who needed to find a new family?

They walked past the stormtrooper guards and into a large reception area. There were several queues of people, streaming away from a single desk, and all of them seemed unhappy. Hopefully they weren't the new families being offered. There were no people behind the desk, only one red protocol droid. The droid left the desk and moved over to meet them, causing the abandoned queues of people to all groan in annoyance.

"Are these new arrivals?" he asked, sounding as impatient as a droid could sound.

Their caretaker nodded. She handed the droid a datachip. "That contains their records. Except for the blond human." She gestured vaguely at Luke. "We have no records for him. Sorry, I don't even know his name."

Luke looked at his feet, feeling like he didn't really exist.

Their caretaker bent down to say goodbye. "I'm leaving you with the nice droid now," she said. "Be good."

Several of the younger children began to cry at the caretaker's words. She didn't pause in her hasty departure, though. Luke tried to comfort a small girl standing beside him, but she was inconsolable.

The droid was oblivious to the irritating wails. It beckoned to a nearby stormtrooper, who moved forward immediately. The droid extended one of its spindly arms and handed the trooper the datachip.

"These children have just arrived. Enter their details into the computer system and then take them to the incoming dormitory."

"Forget it," the trooper said. "I'll take them to the dormitory, but data entry is your job, droid."

Luke blinked in surprise. He'd never heard a trooper disobey an order before.

"I am aware of that, trooper, but as you can see—" the droid gestured behind him, where the queue had extended by another three meters. "I am otherwise occupied."

"I'm a soldier, not your secretary!"

They continued to argue for a good two minutes, with the droid making calm, rational responses while the trooper grew increasingly emotional. Luke watched this exchange in puzzlement, until the trooper finally relented and started pushing the group towards a nearby office.

"All right, hurry up, I haven't got all day!" He then mumbled something behind his helmet which sounded suspiciously to Luke like 'sniveling brats'.

He rushed through the processing part, banging the computer buttons with such force, Luke was sure the records must be full of typos. When he discovered Luke had no record, he cursed with a few exotic swear words, and then started interrogating him for details.

"Name?"

Luke tried to speak, but found he still couldn't remember quite how to form words.

"Age?" the trooper asked, impatiently.

Luke shrugged, shifting away in fear. The other children were staring at him like he was crazy, but he couldn't help it. He just couldn't remember how to talk.

"Ah, forget it."

He was left alone, but not for long. Once the trooper had finished with the computer, he came around with a big roll of labeling tape. Every child received a label, containing a serial number and a name. All except for Luke's—his label had a number, but instead of a name, his had 'unknown'.

Luke studied his number, wondering whether it was random, or whether it related to anything. It was 15123.

The incoming dormitory turned out to be one large hall, full of noisy children. Some were running around in circles, others were fighting, but most were simply huddled against the walls, looking scared. Their stormtrooper host made sure they were all in and then shut and locked the door.

The younger children in their group began to cry louder, but they were scarcely audible above the racket in the room. Luke gazed around, wondering where he was supposed to fit into all this chaos. Eventually, he picked a space against the wall and sat down, hugging his knees.

"Where are you from?"

Luke turned to the speaker, feeling nervous at being spoken to. It was a girl, around his age.

His mouth made the movements to answer her, but no sound filled the air between them. He turned away in frustration.

She soon lost interest in him and walked off to participate in a nearby game of cards. He looked around for something to hide under and saw a thick, black blanket, folded neatly in a corner. When he wrapped it around himself, it created a dark cave, where he could withdraw from staring eyes and questions he couldn't answer.

He wasn't sure if he ever planned to come out.

It was puzzling, sometimes, the way the human memory worked. Vader considered his past life as Anakin Skywalker a faded, insignificant thing, much like a recollection of an old holovid story. The passions and sentiments associated with that persona were alien to him. However, on this particular morning, his younger, adolescent self didn't seem so far away.

Once again, he was in trouble with his master.

The Emperor sat behind his desk in the spires of the palace, turned away to face the sprawling cityscape beyond the windows. He'd recalled him to Coruscant a few hours ago, but had not yet enlightened him as to the reason for his displeasure, and Vader could only guess what crime he had committed. If this situation was indeed anything like his younger years, he had undoubtedly broken some unspoken rule he didn't know existed.

"I hear that Senator Denna made the journey to visit you yesterday," the Emperor said, finally breaking the silence.

Understanding came quickly. The senator must have been of use to his master.

"Yes, master."

"He hasn't been seen since."

For a brief moment, Vader considered throwing Mas Amedda under the proverbial sandcrawler, but it seemed unwise. He liked the idea of that particular bureaucrat being in his debt.

"He wasn't careful about where he chose to step," Vader said.

His master turned his chair back, peering at him over his steepled fingers.

"Really, Lord Vader. A senior representative of my capital world. What is wrong with the multitude of insignificant underlings you have on hand?"

"I did not realize he was of use to you, my master," Vader said. "I apologize."

"How do you imagine he rose to the position of Coruscant senator without being of use to me, Lord Vader?"

"I acted in haste without thinking, my master."

He shook his head in response. "What did the man do to cause you to forgo all reason in such a manner?"

Vader considered it. In truth, he did not remember all the details.

"He attempted to obtain my support for a corrupt proposal designed purely to line his own pockets."

"Yes, I did hear about the blaster damage in the Grand Vizier's office," the Emperor said. "In other words, he was behaving as all politicians do, and it offended your misguided sense of justice. You know, some days I wonder how exactly Kenobi survived all those years putting up with this." He waved a hand in his general direction.

Vader felt a flare of anger at the name Kenobi. His master didn't miss it.

"You clearly need to take some time away to work on your control. I have the perfect task for you."

Vader instantly imagined some boring assignment supervising irritating officers on a remote Imperial outpost and found himself dreading what the Emperor might say next. But he merely pressed a button on his desk, causing a map to appear.

"I recently discovered this map in the Jedi archives. Lygun. A secret world in an uncharted sector and apparently home to an ancient Sith retreat. You will go there. See what there is to find."

Well, he'd certainly had worse assignments in his career.

"Yes, master. What did the Jedi make of it?"

"The planet is surrounded by toxic clouds that make visiting the place impossible, unless one is an exceptionally talented Force-sensitive pilot."

Even more intriguing. How typical the Jedi archivists had never seen fit to share their knowledge of this place with him. It was probably forbidden, like so much of their hoarded information.

"Go, now. I will have the details sent to you. I will be occupied finding a new senator to replace the dearly departed Denna."

Vader hesitated for a brief moment, wondering if he should ask if his master had felt the recent disturbance in the Force. But perhaps he should be grateful he was getting off so lightly, and leave Coruscant as soon as possible.

Obi-Wan drew his hood tightly around his face as he entered the holo-communications booth. It was only partly to ensure his anonymity and mostly to try and block the disgusting smell, probably caused by the furry brown growth on the left-hand wall. It was hard to believe this was one of the better communication centers in Mos Eisley. One of the few that offered an encrypted channel.

He waited patiently for the call to connect, hoping the frequency had not been discontinued in the meantime. It was a long time since he last contacted this particular person.

When his blue image appeared on the viewer, he looked as regal and collected as always.

"Obi-Wan? Obi-Wan Kenobi! Is it really you, my old friend?"

"It is good to see you, Bail," Obi-Wan said. "However, I contact you under grave circumstances."

"Luke," Bail inferred. "Vader has found him?"

"Not Vader. A Force-user I'm not familiar with. He came in the night and murdered the Lars. Luke ran off into the desert and he was taken off world by the child protection administration. I've been fighting with the bureaucracy for days and they've finally given me the names of three places he could be. I'm leaving tonight to check their offices on Chootis and Inorix. I was hoping you could check the one on Coruscant."

"Coruscant? Of all the places—"

"I know, Bail, but time is short. I was hoping to find you on Coruscant already, but I see that is not so."

"I try and avoid the capital as much as I can, my friend. But I'll arrange for my office staff there to investigate immediately. If they find him, they can have him on a flight to Alderaan by nightfall."

"There is another complication."

Bail frowned with concern.

"The Lars murderer—he was a Jedi. Although, used to be a Jedi would be a better description."

"An Inquisitor?"

"No. At least, he gave no indication he was. He was mired in the Dark Side, fueled by his anger towards the Sith. His target was Luke, not the Lars."

"But why go after Luke?"

"He knew he was Anakin's son."

Obi-Wan saw the fearful expression pass across Bail's face and knew he was thinking of his own daughter. "Does he know where Luke might be?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "I don't know. He disappeared after Luke left Tatooine, and I have not heard anything since. My inquiries have led nowhere. If he does, Luke is in even greater danger. And perhaps Leia as well."

"Would a former Jedi risk setting foot on Coruscant, though?" Bail asked. "Right under the nose of the Sith?"

"If desperate enough."

"I will send word to Coruscant immediately, Obi-Wan," Bail said. "If he's there, Luke will be safe."

"I only hope it isn't too late," Obi-Wan said. "I fear that Vader would have sensed the boy's presence as soon as he entered the atmosphere."

To Obi-Wan's surprise, Bail smiled.

"Vader isn't on Coruscant, my friend. According to the Senate grapevine, he was sent away by the Emperor after he murdered Senator Denna—one of Palpatine's bootlickers, who was about to table a bill to rescind employee rights on all Imperial construction projects."

"At last, some good news."

"Thank the Force for small mercies," Bail said, with a grin.

Life at the Family Services center was as routine and ordered as Luke had ever known it. On Tatooine, he'd always thought of other planets as havens of excitement, full of spaceports and star pilots. Perhaps Coruscant was like his dreams, or perhaps it wasn't. Either way, he would never see it.

A day after he'd arrived at Family Services, he was shifted out of the incoming dormitory and into a smaller room clearly intended for a long-term stay. It was lined on either side with ten sets of 3-tier bunks. They were given three meals a day and security droids would arrive on every hour and escort groups out to the exercise yard. Although what they called a 'yard' was really just another room in a different part of the building. It didn't even have a window, but the walls were covered in projected holograms of the sky.

The room they lived in had a window, but it was only for those outside to look in. All the occupants saw was a reflection. Some of the younger children would entertain themselves by performing for imagined visitors behind the glass.

Luke wasn't interested in all that, however. All he wanted was to get out. Maybe the others were used to an institutional life, but he wanted to see the horizon. He couldn't verbally communicate his frustration though, so it had to find other outlets. He'd been dubbed 'the lock boy' by the others, due to the long hours he would spend picking at the drywall and studying the circuitry which connected the door lock to the controls on the other side.

Less than a week after he'd moved in, his claustrophobia had reached a new intensity. At lunch, he'd managed to swipe a fork, and now he was making the most of his new tool. It was after midnight, and the others had all drifted off to sleep, but he was still very much awake.

There was a small, round hole in the drywall, right above the main power fuse, which connected the lock mechanism to its power supply. It was pitch dark, and if he made a wrong move he could end up deep fried, but it was worth the risk. If only he could reach the darn wire.

He heard footsteps behind him and glanced over his shoulder. It was the Twi'lek girl who lived in the bunk underneath his. He had learned her name was Vallie.

"Are you still at it? Stars, give it a rest, lock boy!"

Luke frowned and turned back to the task at hand.

"You sure are stubborn," she said, coming closer. She picked up a blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders. "Here. You must be freezing."

He accepted the blanket and tried to say thank you. There was still no sound out of him, though. The frustration of it caused him to concentrate harder on the wall. If only he could get out of here, maybe he could speak again.

There was a groan from the top of a nearby bunk, and a spiky-topped Zabrak boy raised his head from the pillow.

"Shut up, Val."

"It's not me!" she insisted. "It's Lock Boy."

"Lock Boy is talking? Yeah, right."

"No, he's still trying to bust out."

"Tell him to go to sleep!"

"I did. I think he's really lost it, Crix."

"Hang on. I'm coming." Crix yawned loudly and dropped down to the floor with a thump.

Luke didn't spare them a glance, though, because he knew he was getting close. Just a little bit more to the left ...

Something twanged inside the wall, and the little red light on the lock blinked once and then disappeared.

Luke turned back to Crix and Val with a wide grin. For all his inability to communicate, those two were the closest people he had to friends around here. They made sure he got his fair share at meals and prevented the bullies from getting too close to him. They watched out for all the newbies, but they'd taken a shine to him in particular, for some reason.

"What's he grinning about?" Crix said. "I think you're right, Val. He has lost it."

Just as Crix finished speaking, the doors suddenly slid into the walls, revealing the deserted corridor. To Luke, the sight made him joyous and frustrated at the same time. His joy made him want to shout in triumph, but as it had always been since Tatooine, his voice had other ideas.

"Val ..." Crix said, staring at the open doorway in shock.

"Stars! He's done it!"

"Quick," Crix said, suddenly moving into action. "I'll go get the blankets."

Val nodded. "And keep quiet," she whispered. "Don't wake anyone else."

Luke didn't need to collect anything from the space he'd made his own. All his possessions were already in his pockets. He entered the corridor and then paused. He may as well wait for the others. It might pay to have some company out there on this big, busy planet.

They soon joined him, and the group made their way towards the exit. All the staff droids were powered down, and the stormtroopers were on light patrol, meaning it was a simple manner to sneak past them without notice. A security barrier blocked the main entrance, but there was a small gap underneath. Not wide enough for an adult, but it wasn't too much trouble for Luke and his companions to hunker down against the floor and slither under it.

Then, they ran off into the night, soon leaving their prison far behind.

Luke was breathless after their escape. It took a lot of effort to get anywhere on Coruscant. This planet wasn't like Tatooine, where you could only move across the surface. Here, moving across-ways was difficult without an airspeeder, but moving up and down was simple. All of them had unanimously agreed that upwards was better than downwards, and so after an hour of traveling, they had set up a makeshift camp on top of the last building they had managed to reach.

Luke stretched out on his blanket, staring up at the glittering display which was the Coruscant night sky. There were endless lines of ships, criss-crossing, merging, and eventually traveling out of his field of vision. He wondered if the speeders ever crashed into each other and what would happen if they did.

"What are you thinking about, lock boy?" Val asked.

Luke looked up at her and pointed at the sky.

"Yeah, it is beautiful," she agreed.

"Maybe he was saying that he thinks it's going to rain," Crix said, smirking at Val.

"No he wasn't. I can understand him ... you've just got to look at his eyes."

Luke frowned to himself. He liked his new friends, but he wished they'd realize that just because he couldn't speak, that didn't mean he couldn't listen and understand. They talked about him like he wasn't there.

"What are we going to do now?" Val asked, after a moment of silence.

"I know what I'm doing," Crix said. "Looking for my father."

"Crix! No!"

"I don't care what you think. He's my father."

"No one who treated you and your step-sister like he did is your father. Besides, you said yourself he's probably on the other side of the galaxy by now."

"I'll find him, even if it takes me the rest of my life. They had no right to take me away from him!"

"Here we go," Val sighed. She glanced over at Luke. "I wonder if lock boy has parents."

"Sure he does," Crix said. "He probably got snatched away from them like me. How about that, lock boy? Do you have a father?"

Luke nodded. "Pilot," he said, absently.

He started at the sound of the word from his mouth and turned to meet Crix and Val's surprised gazes. "Pilot," he repeated, louder.

"So you can talk, lock boy!" Val said. "Your father is a pilot?"

Luke hesitated. In those stories he told himself in his head, his father was a pilot. And they flew together, all over the galaxy. There had been a lot of those daydreams, recently. The best was the one where his father would arrive at Family Services and announce to everyone that he was here for his son.

"Don't strain him," Crix said. "This is probably like amnesia. Takes a while to come right."

"Strain? It was just a yes or no question."

Luke turned away, snuggling down into the insulating blanket. He was happy that he was able to speak again, but he felt like indulging in some of his long-lost father dreams right now. They'd be plenty of time for talking tomorrow. Judging by the snores he soon heard behind him, Crix and Val had come to the same conclusion.

Now where was he?

I'm here for my son.

As a travel destination, Lygun had little going for it. Acid rain, poisonous water, stifling humidity, and a varied array of hostile wildlife that brought new meaning to survival of the fittest. Worst of all was the excessive amounts of sand.

The original owner of the retreat appeared as dedicated to misanthropy as she was to the Dark Side, and had secured the place with no end of elaborate traps. All of which Vader had easily disabled once he'd located the ancient power source. There was little of value inside. An ancient caretaker droid, long since rusted away, and a library full of paper texts, mostly dense tomes philosophizing on the nature of the Force and the Dark Side. The type of thing he had fallen asleep over as a young padawan.

Of more interest was a holographic map of the surrounding area. On the second day, he'd left the island where the retreat was located and explored a nearby network of underground caves, housing a meditation temple and a treasure trove of ancient artifacts. The temple might once have been an impressive thing, but now it was dank and littered with old bones. Lightsaber burns gouged the walls and floor, and upon touching one, Vader saw blurred visions of a Sith Lord fighting a girl. As it came into focus, he could see both women had the same braided black hair. Daughter ...

He turned away, feeling a gnawing sensation in his chest. Old memories threatening to resurface. It was time to leave this unfortunate place before any more old ghosts resurfaced.

The sun was setting when he emerged from the cave, giving the dirt track a dull yellow appearance. Partway along the ridge, some fresh animal tracks crossed near a creek.

Vader had yet to catch sight of the monstrous creatures sitting unchallenged at the top of the food chain. The first explorers of the planet had dubbed them 'gargoyles'. Early Sith occupants of the retreat had obviously taken great pleasure in the sheer brutality of these creatures, as the log books were scattered with references to their single-minded killer instinct. One passage, which stood out in Vader's mind, described an eye-witness account of a parent and child fighting each other to the death. On success, the child subsequently devoured its own parent. Such was the level of aggression, that Vader found it hard to fathom how they managed to raise their young at all.

It wasn't difficult to see the relationship with the Sith. They, too, were powerful beings who accomplished their goals through aggressive means. One wrong move, and they, too, could end up fighting each other to the death. But in the meantime, the master had to train the apprentice, and the apprentice had to learn from the master, so it was better to avoid such confrontations.

A nearby yowl caused Vader's hand to move to his lightsaber. He moved around the side of a rock and saw the creature concerned. It was a greenish-skinned four-legged animal, scratched and bleeding. A predatory sea bird attacked it in a methodical fashion, while the creature twisted round and round in a losing battle to keep it away. One of its wings hung limply by its side, undoubtedly injured in a fight with one of its own kind.

It was somewhat humbling to see such a powerful creature taken down by something scarcely a quarter of its size. Vader wondered why the animal didn't run for cover. Its wing may be broken, but its legs looked healthy. Instead, it held its ground, becoming ever weaker. Vader was about to turn away and let nature run its course, when curiosity caused him to glance back, one last time.

It was a coincidence that Vader happened to look in the right direction, revealing the solution to this puzzle. Camouflaged among the reddish-toned rocks, was a gargoyle cub, barely the length of his arm. So, this dying creature was a mother protecting her young. That explained the irrational behavior. Vader stepped forward, seeking confirmation that this was indeed the situation, and the bird and the creature were not simply fighting each other for a meal.

His movement attracted the attention of the bird, who gave a loud squawk and flew for the sky. In the ensuing second, the gargoyle also noticed his presence and rushed at him. Vader held his lightsaber ready, but the creature turned away at the last minute, obviously not willing to move too far away from the hidden youngling.

Its wing was dragging roughly on the ground and its body was heaving with ragged breaths. Vader was not surprised when it keeled over, finally exhausted. It would be nothing but dust by tomorrow.

He walked around the body, curious about the cub. It was not just anyone who was given the opportunity to see one of these monsters up close. In all truth, he was probably the first. The young creature was equally curious. It squealed at the sight of him and shuffled out of its hiding place. Its wings were only bumps on its shoulders, but it waved them back and forth rapidly.

Vader lifted it with the Force, surprised at how skinny it was. Strange to think that this creature would soon be as deadly as its dying parent.

The youngling let out a raspy crying sound, having caught sight of its mother. Vader put it down, allowing it to shuffle across the gap between them. It crawled up on top of the body, continuing to bawl with agonized howls.

Vader felt his dormant temper begin to rise. He knew how that young creature felt, despite the vast physical differences between them. He could still remember that terrible day when he had stood over his own mother's body, unable to find any sense in her death. Anakin was dead and burned, but the anger and hatred remained. It would always remain. It was part of him, now.

A far deeper howl stirred Vader from his tortured memory, and he was surprised to see the adult gargoyle had managed to lift its head.

So, it wasn't quite dead after all.

Life on the 'streets' of Coruscant was a constant struggle. Val and Crix were quite open to stealing to get what they needed, but for Luke, it was a difficult transition. He preferred to make use of some of the charity organizations, which offered free food and shelter for street kids, but there was always a long, long queue. They were also operating under the law—living on the street was illegal on Coruscant, as Luke soon discovered. Stormtroopers patrolled the walkways, looking to round up anyone who appeared homeless.

Neither Val nor Crix could tell him what happened to the people the stormtroopers dragged away, but Luke had a fair idea what would happen to them if they were caught. Back they would go to the prison known as 'Imperial Family Services'.

His prediction was soon proven right. It had started much like any other day, with the three of them eating the last of yesterday's takings on the roof of a building. It was one of the lower buildings in the area, but the view was still incredible. They could see straight across the outskirts of an industrial area and into the glittering heart of Coruscant known as Imperial City. Even the air surrounding the affluent area was cleaner than elsewhere.

Luke sat in silence, taking it in, while leaving the chatter to Val and Crix. Val was reading an old flimsiplast news magazine, which they'd retrieved from a disposal unit in the hope of finding discarded food within. They'd been unlucky, but Val had still kept the magazine. She was always reading something.

"What do you think the Emperor does all day?" Val asked, pointing to a blurry picture of the galaxy's leader.

"I don't know." Crix picked at his food. "Sits around and gets waited on hand and foot. Isn't that what all the Imperial leaders do?"

"Then who runs the galaxy?"

Crix shrugged. "Droids?"

Val laughed. "If it was run by droids, it would be in a darn sight better condition that it is now."

"Which one is the Imperial Palace?" Luke asked, suddenly.

"The one with the five spires and the huge statue of the Emperor outside," Crix said, pointing.

"Why, Luke?" Val asked. "Dreaming of moving in?"

Crix sniggered. "Emperor Skywalker. How about it?"

"Can we go and see it up close?" Luke asked. "We could grab a free ride on the back of an airbus."

Val flicked a seed out of a piece of fruit and took a bite. "Why not? We've got nothing else to do today."

"I guess we might as well see the sights," Crix said, in a fake-posh accent. "While we're touring the galaxy."

"Maybe Palpatine will hear we're in the area and invite us to afternoon tea," Val suggested, in an equally affected voice.

"Who's Pal ... pal-pa-tine?" Luke asked, confused.

Val and Crix both chuckled. "You really are from the Outer Rim, aren't you, Luke?" Crix said. "Emperor Palpatine. He rules the galaxy?"

"We didn't get much news on Tatooine," Luke explained. "And my Uncle Owen hated news. He would always turn it off when I came in the room." Luke thought back, remembering. "I did know there was an Emperor, though," he insisted. "And an Empire."

"Well the two usually do go together," Crix said.

"Do you know who that is?" Val asked, holding up a page and pointing to a figure standing next to the Emperor.

Luke studied the person—he sure looked creepy, whoever he was. Dressed entirely in black, and his head was covered by a full helmet and mask.

"No," Luke said. He studied the person for another few seconds, thinking. "He looks familiar, though," Luke added.

"That's Darth Vader," Crix said, looking over Val's shoulder. "He hunted down and killed all the Jedi knights and he commands the entire navy."

Luke blinked at the picture, imagining what it would be like to have entire fleets of Star Destroyers at your command. "Why is he wearing that mask?" Luke asked.

"He always wears it," Crix explained. "Maybe he comes from a planet where they breathe a different sort of air."

"Or maybe he wears it so he doesn't have to smell you, Crix," Val said, shuffling away. "When was the last time you had a shower?"

"Zabraks don't need showers," he said. "Because we don't have hair." He ran his hand over his horns, to emphasize the point.

"What a lie!"

"Are we going to Imperial City or not?" Luke asked, impatiently.

Jumping on the back of an airbus was a dangerous and difficult task, which most people in their right mind wouldn't dream of attempting. But for Luke, it was one of the biggest thrills he'd ever had in his young life. Once they had risen into the air and were streaming through the Coruscant traffic, Luke felt like the king of the universe.

Val and Crix huddled down under one of the tail stabilizers, but Luke climbed right up high, enjoying the wind blowing through his hair.

"You two all right down there?" he yelled, as the bus swerved to avoid a merging speeder.

They answered him only with a shared look that said 'you're crazy!'. He laughed, knowing they were probably right and loving it.

Finally, the bus reached its destination, a landing pad or two away from the borders of Imperial City, and the three of them jumped off and ran for the elevators.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Val complained, as they reached an elevator. "We're walking on the way home."

"Walking? You can't walk anywhere on Coruscant," Luke said, pressing a button for a lower level. "I swear, this planet has no ground."

"You think all the buildings just meet up at the core?" Crix asked.

"Maybe."

The elevator doors made a hiss and then slid open, revealing a clean concrete sidewalk right outside.

"You spoke too soon, I think," Crix said, stepping out. "Of course they'd have walkways in Imperial City."

Luke joined Crix outside and gazed around. There was the odd stretch of sidewalk, but it was clear they'd simply built over more streets underneath, in order to achieve this effect of a surface.

"Where's the palace?" Val asked, joining them. "I've lost my sense of direction."

"That way," Luke said, pointing to Val's left. "Come on."

They took a few steps forward, before seeing a group of stormtroopers heading towards them. They quickly turned, only to see another one coming up behind.

Luke was about to run, when Crix held him back. "Steady, Luke. They're aiming their blasters—it's not worth your life."

"Show me your identification," the lead stormtrooper said. "All of you."

Luke swallowed as he stared up into the faceless mask. He wasn't so sure that Crix was right.