Chapter 44
Luke watched the small figure run away, but did nothing to stop them. Of course, he could have stopped them if he'd wanted to, but he was confused. He'd at first been confused to think that Kenobi was a man who simply looked like a small girl, but now he was even more confused to find that that may not be the case. It seemed that this person was indeed most likely just an actual, young girl. His Master had warned him about Kenobi, and Luke had determined that the real Kenobi was no coward. A murderer and villain, certainly, but not a coward. Obi-Wan Kenobi wouldn't run from an honest fight against a single opponent. So who was this girl? She was both skilled and strong, that much was clear. Yet she couldn't be old enough to have been part of the old Jedi Order, assuming that she was indeed a human and as young as she appeared to the eye. Not to mention, she'd been foolish enough to use Kenobi's name. As odd as that was, it was also very annoying, as it had gotten his hopes up that he may have finally located his father's old enemy.
The Commander of Luke's 52nd Legion, Commander Amil, crawled out of the wreckage of the transport, having just regained consciousness, and moved to secure the area, his blaster pointing in each direction, searching for threats. "The area is already secure, Amil," Luke said. "Prepare to return to the Redemption." Commander Amil nodded and started to salvage what he could from the wreckage as several TIE Fighters came in to hover over the area, scanning for the Jedi, but Luke knew that they wouldn't find her. Luckily, someone as young as her couldn't be too dangerous, but he still was concerned for her. Whoever that girl was, she had been brainwashed by the Jedi philosophy, just as his Master had always warned him against. Luke knew that he had an obligation to destroy the Jedi, but what if this girl could be turned? She would be a perfect candidate for the Inquisitorius. At such a young age, she was already extremely powerful. She would be an even stronger replacement for the Second Sister, maybe even the next Grand Inquisitor one day. But first, he had to report to his father, as Emperor Vader was expecting him to visit quite soon.
Luke took a TIE Fighter and flew back to the Redemption. When he arrived, he went to the bridge and looked out into space as they entered hyperspace, heading deeper into Imperial Space until they arrived right next to the Devastator. Luke went back to the hangar and entered his personal fighter to fly over to the Devastator. Finally, Luke arrived before his father in his office, and Luke kneeled in front of the desk and said jokingly. "Master. If I may, I think we need to invest in a faster means of transportation. The commute time just to visit my father is getting to be ridiculous." Turning around in his seat, Vader chuckled to himself, and Luke raised his gaze to meet his Master's eyes, which were no longer hidden behind visors. He no longer spoke through a voice modulator. But perhaps the biggest change was that Vader's presence was no longer announced by deep, rattling breaths through a respirator. Instead, the sounds had been replaced by a repetitive hissing sound, courtesy of artificial, replacement lungs that had completely changed his breathing. He was no longer in constant agony, and he had removed all of his greatest hindrances. Of course, none of the damage done by Kenobi could ever be perfectly corrected. For one, the midichlorians that Vader had lost with his limbs could never be recovered, and so his connection to the Force was permanently weakened by over half of what it could have been, but otherwise, Vader now looked just as he had 14 years ago. The appearance of Anakin Skywalker had returned, yet still completed with the yellow eyes of Darth Vader. Vader looked trustingly at his son and asked, "So, how was your visit to Jedha?"
Excited, Luke responded quickly, "There is much to tell, Master. For a time, I even thought that I had found Kenobi." Vader stiffened. Even after all this time, there was still no one else that caused Vader to feel like this at the mention of his name. The hate that Vader felt for his former Master was incredible, but Luke knew that he had to push past the subject. "Unfortunately, it wasn't Kenobi, but rather a young girl, perhaps around my own age, using the name of Kenobi." Vader raised a synthetic eyebrow and responded, "Daring of her. But she was a Jedi?" Luke nodded, and Vader continued, "Then she was dealt with, I assume." Luke flinched slightly and said, "Not exactly, Master." As Vader narrowed his eyes at his apprentice, Luke almost wished that Vader still wore a mask. It was much easier to see Vader's expressionless face than to view his various emotions when he was dissatisfied, such as disappointment or anger. Luke quickly tried to snuff out the flames of Vader's rage before they attempted to consume him, saying, "But I let her go. She is no serious threat. She's powerful, but she's also young, and I think that she could be convinced to serve us. She would make an excellent addition to the ranks of the Inquisitorius." Vader considered this, and nodded. "Very well, my apprentice. You may attempt your little… experiment. However, if you should fail, she must be eliminated." Luke bowed his head and said, "Of course, Master."
Vader leaned back in his chair and questioned, "And the others?" At this, Luke visibly winced. "The hunt is… not going very well, I'm afraid. We've gotten hundreds of reports of Jedi in the last month, yet they usually manage to escape our grasp at the last second. We've only managed to kill…" "Say it," Vader demanded with a growl. Luke took a deep breath and said, "One." Vader roared in anger and stood up quickly, and his desk began to shake in place. Luke prepared to defend himself if necessary, but he knew that Vader's anger was directed at the Jedi, not him. "This is unacceptable!" Vader roared. "A month of hunting our prey when they're offering themselves on a silver platter, and we only catch one?!" Vader began to pace behind his desk, and Luke just felt glad that Vader didn't keep many loose objects in his office, or he was sure that they would be flying around the room right now as though in a storm. "I have had it with these Jedi!" Vader yelled, then he got right in Luke's face across the desk and said, "From here on, I'll be leading the hunt. Only I can find Kenobi and the other, stronger remaining Jedi. Only I can destroy them. Prepare our forces for a full sweep of every system, one by one, using whatever force necessary to drag these survivors out of hiding. It's time that the Jedi were finally made extinct!"