It felt strange to pilot a spacecraft. To slip the bounds of planetary gravity and be free among the stars again. Luke had dreamed of this moment, of escaping Diswalt and the castle and the Beast's custody. He imagined how ecstatic freedom would feel, how delicious liberation would taste. The galaxy would not be big enough to contain his jubilation.
In reality, parting from the Beast left him cold and bereft. He knew she was right. He knew he had to warn the rebels. But even as the welcome sight of Home One filled his viewport, he fought the urge to turn the shuttle around. After all, Leia and Han had an entire Alliance with which to fight. And they had each other.
The Beast had no one except Pottz, K'gworth and Looma. And while he appreciated the strange trio far more than he had ever thought possible when he first met them, three almost but not quite alive servants were no match for the Emperor.
He just hoped he would return to her in time.
He transmitted his command codes and was given immediate permission to dock. Despite his worry for the Beast, his heart thumped painfully at the thought of finally seeing his friends. It has been so long. But when he descended the ship's ramp, only Threepio was there to greet him. "Master Luke!" the droid exclaimed. "You are such a sight for sore eyes! Did your top secret mission go well?"
"My what?" Luke asked. Then he remembered. The Beast had used the dark side of the Force to wipe everyone's memories as she allowed the Millennium Falcon to escape. Apparently that had extended to Threepio and the Falcon's computers.
"Your mission! When we didn't hear from you, we feared the worst. The Princess will be so happy to hear you are back!"
Luke looked around. Only essential landing bay personnel seemed to on the deck. "Speaking of, where is Leia? And Han? And Admiral Ackbar? I must speak with them at once."
"Oh! I nearly forgot! You will want to go the main briefing roof. Mon Mothma giving an address. Come along. This way, this way."
Luke followed the droid and arrived in the briefing room just in time to hear Mon Mothma mention the new battle station. Good. So they knew already. He searched for his friends to see if he could take a seat near them, but Han and Leia sat in the center of the room, toward the front near where Mon Mothma spoke. Luke settled into a chair in the back, not wanting to draw attention to himself while the leader of the Alliance was speaking.
"We've learned the Emperor himself is personally overseeing the final stages of the construction of this new Death Star." Mon Mothma paused, her eyes downcast. "Many Bothans died at the hands of the Emperor's Beasts to bring us this information. It's a miracle one of the Beasts somehow let our spy slip through the deadly net."
Luke sat up straighter. Was that the mission his Beast had been on? Where she received all her injuries? She had helped the Rebels?
He had to get back to Diswalt. If the Emperor knew…
"Our information pinpoints the exact location of the Emperor's new battle station. But most important of all, we've learned that the Emperor himself is personally overseeing the final stages of the construction of this Death Star," Mon Mothma continued.
Luke exhaled and the hard knot of worry making a permanent home between his shoulder blades began to unravel. If the Emperor was overseeing the Death Star, then he wasn't on Diswalt.
Admiral Ackbar came to stand next to Mon Mothma. He pushed a button, and a hologram of a familiar planet with two moons for ears appeared. Luke's knot tangled and spread. "You can see here the Death Star orbiting planet of Diswalt. Although the weapon systems on this Death Star are not yet operational, the Death Star does have a strong defense mechanism. It is protected by an energy shield, which is generated from a tower on the planet. The shield must be deactivated for any attack to be successful. Once the shield is down, our fighters will be able to knock out the main reactor."
Oh. No. No no no no no no. He immediately knew the tower had to be the Beast's. He sprung to his feet. "I volunteer to take down the shield."
"Luke!" Leia jumped out of her seat and ran to him, crushing him with her hug as much as her petite figure would allow. "You're back!"
"Hey, kid." Han followed behind her and gave him a bruising slap on the back. "Good to see you." Chewie growled his agreement from where he stood along the far wall.
"We volunteer, too," Leia said, her brown eyes shining. "Don't we, Han?"
"No," Luke said quickly. The last thing he needed was Han or Leia getting trigger-happy around the Beast. His friends would see the monster only. They wouldn't know the Beast was so much more.
"What?" Leia turned to him, her eyebrows knitted together. "You'll need us. You can't do this alone."
"Yes, I can—" Luke started to say, but Admiral Ackbar cut him off.
"We thank you, Commander Skywalker, but access to the planet is restricted to Imperial ships. Without one, we cannot—"
"I have one," Luke said. "An Imperial shuttle. It's sitting in the landing bay right now."
"How did you—"
"Nice going, kid—"
Han and Leia spoke over each other, but Luke didn't hear them. He gently pushed past them and walked down the stairs of the made his way to Admiral Ackbar. "I can take down the shield. But I have to go alone."
"Admiral, tell him he's being unreasonable," Leia commanded.
Luke didn't look at her. He kept his gaze fixed on the Mon Calimari. "The Emperor is on that planet. He's come for me. That's why I have to go. I have to face him."
"Great. One top secret mission and he's got delusions of grandeur." Han tried to roll his eyes, but it came out as more of a grimace.
Luke finally faced his friends. "You know it's the truth. He wants me for his collection of Beasts. He won't stop. The longer I remain here, the more danger I'm putting the Alliance in."
Leia put her hand on his shoulder, forced him to look at her. "You have a power I don't understand and never will. But don't go to the Emperor. Leave! Run far away."
Luke shook his head. "I can't. There's someone else – the Emperor keeps a Beast on that planet. She has to be rescued"
Chewie roared and Han snorted. "A Beast? That's an even better reason for taking that shuttle and skedaddling to the other side of the galaxy."
Leia shook her head, her dark gaze disbelieving. "Luke, are you insane?"
"I know it sounds crazy, but I…I met her on my mission. She's kind. And gentle. In her own way."
The room, mostly quiet as the three friends talked, erupted into a low roar of whispers and comments hissed behind hands. Admiral Ackbar stepped forward. "Commander Skywalker, we thank you for bringing us an Imperial Shuttle. But I suggest you get a good night's sleep before you speak further."
"But—" Luke protested.
"That's an order," the Admiral said He turned to the bearded man deep in conversation with Mon Mothma. "General Madine, you will prepare a strike team to storm that tower. We need that shield DOWN."
General Madine nodded. "They'll deactivate the generator. And they won't come home until that Beast is good and dead."
"No!" Luke protested. "You don't understand. Who do you think let the Bothan spy go? It was her. The Beast."
Admiral Ackbar shook his head sadly. "I fear your mission, whatever it was, has gravely compromised you. You are confined to quarters, immediately. General Madine, gather your team and take Commander Skywalker's shuttle, at once."
Luke had to do something. He had to act. They coulnd't go after the Beast. The strike team would only be killed, and her life would be at risk as well. Concentrating on Ackbar, he raised his hand and started to intone. "You will allow me access to the shuttle and safe passage to Dis—"
Something large, and furry, and HARD hit the side of his head. He crumpled to the cold metal deck of the briefing room.
"Sorry, kid," he heard Han say as consciousness started to drift away. "It's for your own good."