Chapter 34- Escapes

Amidst falling debris and booming shots, Han, Leia, Lena, and Threepio made it to the hangar where the Falcon was Chewbacca beckoned them with a huge hair arm and growl. They ran up the ramp leading into the ship. "Hurry up, Goldenrod. You're gonna be a permanent resident," Han shouted over his shoulder to Threepio, who was toddling behind.

"Wait! Wait!" Lena heard Threepio faintly behind her.

Lena made her way through the ship the dark side feeling stronger as it got closer. Vader must be not that far behind them, if his evil felt that close. The ship's engine sputtered and Han pressed controls. "How's this?" Han asked as steam engulfed Chewbacca.

"Would it help if me and Lena got out and pushed?" Leia asked snidely at Han's elbow.

"Captain Solo! Captain Solo!" Threepio said, trying to get Han's attention, which had turned from the ship to Leia.

"It might," Han snarked back as Chewbacca growled.

"Sir, might I suggest that you- It can wait," Threepio said as Han held up a warning finger and stalked to the cockpit.

"This bucket of bolts is never gonna get us past that blockade," Leia said as she and Lena followed Han.

"This baby's got a few surprises left in her, Sweetheart," Han said pressing a button. Lena looked out as a turret gun popped out and starting shooting at the stormtroopers that had gathered in the hangar.

"Come on! Come on!" Han shouted Chewbacca as he sat down at his chair. "Switch over. Let's hope we don't have a burnout. See!" Han said triumphantly to Leia as the console came to life.

"Someday you're gonna be wrong and I just hope I'm there to see it," Leia said with a snide smile. Personally, Lena didn't want to be there to see it. Why her cousin did, she'd never know.

"Punch it!" Han ordered Chewbacca as the turret gun fired. Lena's blood froze as she saw Vader lumber into the hangar and look at the ship as it took off.

Vader felt his anger rise as he saw the Millennium Falcon take off with his girl inside. Lena's Force signature had gotten stronger with age. Since finding out about her, Vader had wondered if the Force would be stronger as she aged. She was now almost the age he had been when he had fallen to the dark side and looking more like Padme with each moment.

"Follow that ship. I want the passengers alive," Vader ordered ominously. The underlying sentiment was that no one was to be killed. His daughter and son both had to live to know that he was their father, not the people who had raised Luke or Talon Orran, who had stolen Lena.

Talon and Luke ran through the snow to their x-wings as the Millennium Falcon flew through the air, heading for the atmosphere. Talon felt a surge of relief. Lena and Leia were on the ship and Cora had left with Winter. Cora had sent a message that she had left and was on the way to the rendezvous. Judging from the relief on his nephew's face, Luke looked just as relieved.

"Come on, Luke. Let's get out of here," Talon said, clapping the boy's shoulder. Talon could still feel the danger that was the dark side and the longer Luke stayed, the more danger he was in from his father. Not that Vader would have killed his own son, but since he had almost killed Padme when he choked her, Talon wouldn't put it past him to hurt Luke, Lena, and Leia.

"Anything you say, Uncle," Luke said as the two of them ran towards the x-wings that had been hidden. Talon had requested his own x-wing and the Alliance had given him the one Lena had used in the battle against the Death Star three years ago.

"Artoo! Get her ready for takeoff!" Luke ordered the squat little astromech droid plugged into his x-wing.

"Good luck, Luke, Master Jedi! See you at the rendezvous!" Wedge shouted to them. Talon had to refrain from rolling his eyes and reminding Wedge that Jedi didn't believe in luck.

Artoo beeped as Luke and Talon entered their x-wings and took off. After a few minutes Talon noticed that Luke was going a different direction. Artoo gave an enquiring beep. "There's nothing wrong, Artoo. I'm just setting a new course," Luke said.

"Are you sure, Luke?" Talon asked as Artoo beeped.

"We're not going to regroup with the others. We're going to the Dagobah System," Luke said. Talon felt his insides constrict. Dagobah? Bail had told Talon that Yoda was on Dagobah after Order 66 was carried out. Dagobah was the one place no one would think to look for the Jedi master. Some of the Padawans had talked about a cave there that was used to teach the difference between the dark side and light side of the Force. The last time anyone had been there had been two years before Anakin Skywalker had joined the Jedi Order.

Artoo beeped again. "Yes, Artoo?" Luke asked with barely concealed impatience. "That's all right. "I'd like to keep it on manual control for awhile," Luke said, a laugh in his voice.

Talon looked at the controls on his ship. If Luke was going to find Yoda, he might as well go with him. If Luke was to be trained as a Jedi, he might need more than one master to train him. In the Old Republic, Talon had Master Plo, but he also had Ki-Adi Mundi and Master Yaddle teaching him a couple of times when he had been a youngling, not much older than Cora.