Chapter 5 – A Tendentious Truth

"Shall we begin?"

Luke's head swiveled to the door where he saw Vader standing. His hair was damp, indicating he had just exited the bacta bath. Luke had been waiting in Vader's bedroom, an austere room which conspicuously lacked a bed or any sort of furnishings except for a chair and desk.

"I, uh… yeah," Luke stammered, hastily standing up out of the chair.

Vader glanced down and seemed to realize their predicament. "Forgive me, I'm not used to having company," he apologized woodenly. "Allow me to –"

"No, it's fine," Luke said. "You sit. I can stand."

Vader hesitated at this. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Sit," Luke insisted, stepping aside and gesturing to the chair. Vader glanced at him and nodded, although not after considerable pause. Stepping forward, the hulking man arduously leaned down to grab the arm rests before falling into the chair. He sighed, eyes closed and jaw clenched. "Are you okay?" Luke asked.

"Sore," Vader confessed.

"Because of the bacta?" Vader nodded. "Yeah, I know that feeling," Luke empathized.

Vader arched an eyebrow and looked up at this comment. "You've been in bacta before?" he asked.

"On Hoth," Luke affirmed. "I got stuck out in the snow for a night."

"How did you survive?"

"Han came to rescue me," Luke explained. "He's saved my life more times than I can count."

"The pilot?"

Luke pursed his lips and looked down. "You, uh… what did you do to him?" he asked cautiously. "He's not… dead, is he?"

"No," Vader said at once.

"Then…?"

Luke could sense Vader's discomfort at this question. "I was not aware of your debt to this man," he said, not addressing the question. "If I had known –"

"What did you do to him?" Luke asked forcefully.

In an odd reversal of the roles, Vader seemed to whither under Luke's glare. Clasping his hands together over his lap, he looked away and sighed. "I will make this right," he said.

"How?"

"I will handle it, but we have more pressing matters to deal with at the moment," Vader said, returning his attention to Luke. "You want to know the truth, don't you?"

Luke nodded, yet made a mental note to pester Vader later about Han's fate. It seemed he had a unique power over Vader, and Luke planned to use it as best he could in order to save his friend from whatever he had been subjected to.

"Then let us begin," Vader said. Luke straightened out his back, eagerly awaiting answers which had eluded him for twenty-one years. "What did Kenobi tell you?" Vader asked.

"Not much," Luke admitted. "And what little he did tell me must have been false."

"Such as?" Vader inquired.

"First off, he told me you killed my father," Luke elaborated.

"He told you that?" Vader asked.

"He made it seem like you were two different people."

"Vader and Skywalker?" Luke nodded. "Typical," Vader snarled. "The Jedi were always manipulators and liars."

"Why wouldn't he just tell me?" Luke asked.

"Because he wanted to use you," Vader growled, clenching his fist atop his knee. "He almost succeeded, too."

Luke allowed Vader's anger to allay before speaking. "So what actually happened?" he asked tentatively.

Vader took a long while before answering, his eyes distant as he stared down at his fist. "The Jedi lied to me," he said finally. "They feared my powers and tried to exclude me from their plans. When I found out, they turned on me."

"What plans?" Luke asked.

Vader grimaced as if the question pained him. "They were planning to… plotting against…" He stopped to exhale loudly. "This is immaterial," he resorted on saying, looking back up at Luke. "What matters is that they sent Kenobi to kill me."

Luke frowned, far from convinced by Vader's sketchy description of the events. Neither he nor Obi-Wan seemed willing to divulge the full story. Why? Was it really that bad? "Then what happened?" Luke asked.

Vader's eyes turned somber as he met Luke's inquisitive gaze. Suddenly, he stood up, his mechanical limbs creaking loudly. Surprised, Luke took a hesitant step back as Vader approached. Looming over him, Vader tilted his head as he scrutinized Luke's face with a melancholy expression.

"Father?" Luke said nervously, willingly referring to him as that for the first time.

The word had the intended effect, startling Vader out of his ruminations and back to the present. "You look –" he began to say before stopping himself abruptly.

"Like you?" Luke asked, utterly perplexed. It was true, but why was Vader thinking about that right now?

"Never mind," Vader said, shaking his head. "I… where was I?"

"The Jedi sent Obi-Wan to kill you," Luke provided, his voice laced with concern. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to ask so many questions of Vader like this. Whatever had happened all those years ago, it was clear Vader was still struggling to come to terms with it.

"Yes, yes," Vader said absently as he looked away. He turned around and languidly returned to his seat. "Kenobi," he murmured upon sitting back down .

"How did it happen?" Luke asked, craving any sort of details.

"I was overconfident," Vader said, rubbing his forehead wearily with his gloved hand. "I attempted to leap over him, but Kenobi was too quick for me. He cut off my left arm and both of my legs."

Luke winced. "Then what happened?" he asked, noticing that Vader didn't seem to have any difficulty speaking about his grievous injuries. If that wasn't the painful subject, then what was?

"I was foolish. Weak. I pleaded for him to help me. To save me."

"And he did? He saved you?"

"He ruined me!" Vader said savagely. Luke flinched, startled by the outburst. "He dragged me back to her ship and took me to a medical facility," Vader continued, regaining his cool. "He told me he felt sorry for me," he said with the utmost acrimony. "He told me… he…."

"Told you what?" Luke pressed.

Vader shook his head. "The coward fled as soon as the Emperor arrived," he intoned, the passion now gone from his voice. "He took you from me and hid for eighteen years."

"He took me? What do you mean?" Luke asked, perplexed by how this fit into the story. "Where was I?"

"You were there," Vader said vaguely.

"There? At the medical facility, you mean?"

"I didn't know," Vader mused, speaking to himself it seemed rather than to Luke.

"You didn't know?" Luke repeated. His eyes widened as a realization struck him. "Wait a minute, you said her ship," he said, recalling Vader's statement from moments earlier. "Was that… was that my mother's ship?" he asked. Vader hadn't mentioned anything about his mother up to this point, but obviously he must have had one. Had she been there?

Luke was about to push harder for an answer when the sound of a vibration stopped him. "I must take this," Vader said, sounding relieved as he pressed a button on the panel below his breastplate. "Yes?" he asked.

"Lord Vader, is that you?" a voice replied via the comlink, Admiral Piett's, if Luke remembered correctly.

"Yes, of course it is," Vader said with a surly frown.

"Forgive me, my lord. You sound a bit different, that's all. Perhaps this is a poor connection."

"Your mask," Luke mouthed, gaining Vader's attention.

"Oh," Vader said, realizing the reason for Piett's confusion. Clearing his throat, Vader deepened his voice when he spoke into the comlink. "The connection is fine, Admiral," he said, and Luke had to suppress a laugh at Vader's imitation of himself. "What did you want to tell me?"

"It's Fett, my lord. The local garrison reported that they saw his ship arriving in Mos Espa a few hours ago."

"And?" Vader asked as he stood up once again and paced a few lengths away from Luke. "Did they apprehend him?"

"No, my lord. He eluded captivity."

"Regrettable, but not surprising," Vader sighed. "I will have to do this myself. How long will it take to get to Tatooine?"

"Not long, my lord. A few hours, perhaps."

"Good. I will inform the Emperor."

"Very well, my lord."

Vader deactivated the comlink and turned toward Luke. "I need to go to the bridge," he told him, ignoring Luke's attempts to interject. "You stay here. If you need anything, contact me with the holoprojector on my desk." With that, Vader spun around and marched toward the open door.

"But you haven't –"

The door slid shut behind Vader.

"– told me about my mother," Luke said to the empty room.

"You still haven't told me."

Leia and Fett were walking side by side down a dusty, winding trail. Having arrived on Tatooine, Fett had insisted that she accompany him to Jabba's Palace. Having slipped away from some obtrusive stormtroopers at the Mos Espa spaceport, she and Fett had made their way out of town. Ahead of them floated Han's carbonite cage, a green tarp covering his features. Leia felt horrible, but she knew there was nothing she could do. She had seen how expertly Fett had disposed of those stormtroopers back on Bespin.

"Told you what?" Fett asked, kicking a rock up the path as they continued to ascend.

"Why you care so much about Luke," Leia elaborated, squinting as she glanced up at Fett. "Is it because he's Vader son?"

"That's part of it," Fett mumbled.

"Then what's the rest?" Leia asked.

Fett didn't answer her, shaking his head as he kicked the rock another time. The pebble skidded up ahead and took a bad bounce off the trail.

"Fine," Leia said bitterly. "Be like that."

"The less you know, the safer you'll be," Fett told her, the trail bending so that the suns were now mercifully behind them rather than in their faces.

"Safe from whom?" Leia asked.

Once again, Fett offered no response. Frustrated, Leia blew out of her mouth, pushing a stray stand of hair off her forehead. Wiping her sweaty brow, Leia bowed her head as they trudged along, the incline of the trail increasing as they grew closer to their destination. The both of them were breathing heavily now, so they fell into a natural silence. Leia's curiosity was far from sated, however. She would find out Fett's secrets, one way or another.

A few minutes later, they reached the top of the trail. She and Fett were standing in the shadow of a massive black door which served as the entrance to the structure. In spite of its grand name, Jabba's Palace was quite an inconspicuous locale – enormous, yes, but otherwise uninspiring.

"What now?" Leia asked, not seeing anyone to greet them.

"Follow me," Fett said. Surpassing Han's carbonite cage, Fett flicked his wrist and summoned the block to float behind him. Leia scampered after Fett, not wanting to get separated from him in this place. Reaching the door, Fett knocked three times, his fist clanging loudly against the metal.

"Are you sure that's going to work?" Leia asked skeptically.

Fett craned his head back to look at her. "You have no faith in me whatsoever, do you?" he said, sounding hurt.

"I don't doubt your competence, but at times I question your judgement," Leia said diplomatically.

Fett snorted at this and turned back to the door when a mechanical arm suddenly extended out from a circular flap. "Tee chuta hhat yudd!" the optical sensor at the end of the arm barked in a deep, grating voice. Startled, Leia took a half step back. Fett, however, seemed unfazed.

"It's Fett," he said simply. "Tell Jabba I have his prize."

Leia pursed her lips and glanced down at the carbonite block in front of her. She felt so horribly guilty about what had happened and what was yet to come for Han. While she could concede there wasn't anything she couldn't have done differently, it didn't make the situation any less painful.

With a deafening creak, the bulwark of a door slowly began to open. Leia watched with a mixture of awe and apprehension as the door extended upward. "Stand next to me and don't say anything," Fett commanded, beckoning her forward with his hand. "I'll do all the talking, okay? And I swear, if you try to present your little counteroffer to Jabba –"

"I won't," Leia assured him as she took a step forward. "I don't want to be here for any longer than I have to."

Fett glanced at her and nodded. "That's very smart of you," he said. With that, Fett ducked under the door. Leia followed after him, not having to duck since she was a bit shorter than Fett. The bounty hunter turned around to see that the carbonite block had cleared the door. Seeing that it had, he resumed walking forward down a sandy pathway. They had entered a dark, cave-like hallway with a high, arched ceiling. As Leia's eyes adjusted, she made out a few burly figures approaching them. Fett came to a stop and held out his hand to stop her.

"Die wanna wanga," a raspy voice called out to them. Blinking a few times, Leia made out a pale twi'lek, his impressively long lekku wrapped around his neck and behind his back.

"You know I don't speak Huttese, Fortuna," Fett said.

The twi'lek laughed throatily. "You used to," he said in a heavily accented voice.

"Well, it's been a while," Fett said.

Fortuna nodded as his gaze drifted toward Leia. "What is this?" he asked, eyes narrowed. "A gift for Jabba?"

Leia felt Fett stiffen next to her. "No," he said. "She belongs with me." Leia clenched her jaw and resisted the urge to remind Fett that she didn't belong to anyone.

Fortuna contemplated Leia for a moment longer before turning back to Fett. "Very well," he said. "And Solo?"

"Right here," Fett said, reaching back and patting the tarp covering of Han's carbonite block.

Fortuna tilted his head and gestured for the two behemoths behind him to step forward. As they did so, Leia was able to make out their features – green, muscled, terrifying. These were Gamorreans, or so she thought. She had never seen a member of their species before.

"Hold up," Fett said, raising a hand. The Gamorreans stopped next to Fortuna, their beady eyes darting to the much-smaller bounty hunter. "Nobody touches Solo until I get my money," he said.

Fortuna hesitated for a moment before waving off the guards. "A reasonable request, for a man of your reputation," he conceded. "Follow me. Jabba is eager to greet you."

Fett nodded and stared down the two Gamorreans. The guards glanced at each other and then at Fortuna before begrudgingly turning around and leading the procession down the hallway, presumably toward Jabba. Leia exhaled with relief and followed after Fett who was walking side by side with Fortuna.

Her heart hammered in her chest as they neared the throne room. Raucous sounds of revelry filled the hall. Boisterous laughter and clamorous music echoed loudly, ominously. Leia was entirely out of her element in this place, and she couldn't help but fear for the worst. Sure, Fett seemed to have things under control, but she got the sense that things could change quite quickly with one wrong move.

"You coming?"

Leia cleared her mind and looked up to see Fett standing in the doorway to the throne room, one leg elevated on a step. "Of course," she said, her mouth feeling dry.

"Then let's go," Fett said impatiently.

Leia complied, following after Fett into the rambunctious throne room. She kept her head low, not wanting to accidently make eye contact with anyone. The room hushed at their entrance and the music stopped playing abruptly. Eyes fixated on Fett's heels, Leia stayed a few feet behind him as they proceeded toward the center of the room. She breathed through her mouth, sickened by the rancid stench. Finally, Fett came to a stop and Leia halted as well.

"Come here," Fett hissed, grabbing her forearm and dragging her toward him. Leia resisted, shaking off Fett's hand and stepping forward on her own volition.

"Chowbasso, Fett," came a guttural voice.

"Jabba," Fett replied.

Reluctantly, Leia looked up to see the gangster whom Han had been hiding from for three years. Jabba was a vile creature, his massive, slug-like body stretched out on an elevated concrete platform. Leia inhaled sharply when his yellow eyes met hers for a moment before he looked back at Fett.

"Solo is frozen in carbonite," Fett said. Fortuna, who was standing at attention behind Jabba, leaned down to translate into the Hutt's ear. "He is alive. You may do with him as you please."

Jabba laughed, his wide mouth stretching into a sickening smile. "Lam'kay wee shahnit," he rumbled. "Do remma sa derra."

Fett and Leia both glanced up at Fortuna. "Jabba is most pleased with your work, Fett," the twi'lek told them. "You will be compensated handsomely."

Fett bowed his head in appreciation. "I would be happy to serve you in the future," he said. "I believe I could…" He stopped talking, noticing that he no longer had Fortuna's attention. A silver protocol droid had waddled up to the twi'lek and was whispering something into his ear. Fortuna's eyes widened as he listened.

"Are you certain?" Leia heard the vizier ask the droid. "Very well," he said when it nodded. Leaning down toward Jabba, Fortuna relayed the message.

"Choy suni naga?" the Hutt asked, looking startled.

"What's going on?" Leia asked Fett, anxiously taking a step closer toward her ally.

"No idea," Fett whispered.

After a few moments of consultation, Fortuna stood back upright and looked down at them. "Forgive us, but something has come up," he said vaguely. "If you could kindly wait, we will return to this matter shortly."

"Of course," Fett said. He nudged her gently and stepped aside toward the edge of the grated floor beneath Jabba's perch. Han's carbonite block followed after them, and from behind emerged a little droid which rolled forward on one squeaky wheel. Leia watched curiously as the droid came to a stop in Jabba's shadow and craned its conical head upward.

"Cheeso, Droi," Jabba commanded.

Springing forth from the droid's nose was a wavering blue projection. Leia gasped, instinctively taking a step back when she saw who it was.

"Greetings, Exalted One," said Darth Vader, masked once more. "It has come to my attention that you hired a bounty hunter by the name of Boba Fett to track down a certain Han Solo. As you know, the Empire typically does not interfere in your matters, but we cannot allow Fett to deliver Solo to you. Both Fett and Solo are wanted by the Empire. I will be arriving within the day to collect them both. In exchange, the Empire is willing to provide any sum of credits which you deem fit."

Vader continued on, but Leia was no longer listening. "Fett! Fett!" she hissed, tugging on the bounty hunter's arm. "We have to get out of here!"

"Shh!" Fett said, wrenching his arm free from her grasp. "Activate my comlink," he told her.

"What?" she asked.

"The green button on my forearm, see it?" he said. "I need you to press it." Leia did as he asked, subtly extending her hand toward the button. She pressed it, and the device came to life with a crackle of static.

"Rex, this is Fett," the bounty hunter whispered. "This is a code red. I repeat, code red. Contact base. I need Fulcrum."