Part 4
Han took his place in the cockpit of the Falcon and stared out into space.
"Princess?"
"Yeah?" Leia followed Chewie inside.
"Now that we're out here, I would like to know our course, your
highness."
The course? She was surprised that he hadn't asked her before. She felt her
cheeks burning.
"To be true I don't know where to start searching him."
Chewie howled something. Han nodded.
"Yeah Chewie I know space is damn large!" He glared at Leia.
"General Solo I wouldn't have asked you to join my search if I hadn't an
idea."
Han could already tell that he wouldn't want to hear what's coming next.
"Set course for Imperial Center."
In light speed Solo jumped to his feet.
"Are you out of your royal mind! IMPERIAL CENTER?! CORUSCANT?!"
"Han I know that."
But Han stopped her.
"Princess you can't just fly to Coruscant and simply start asking about a
young boy spending time with the second in command! Nor can you just walk to
the Imperial Palace and, and."
Han trailed off falling back heavily into his pilot set.
He would be killed. They all would be killed.
"Leia your plan is - well - it's just not well planned. Don't be angry,
but
our heads are on the Imperial Most-Wanted-Top-Ten-List!"
Leia knelt down in front of him.
"Han just listen to me. I have friends there. Powerful friends who are
still
loyal to senator Organa's daughter and they want revenge for the destruction
of Alderaan. They can help us."
"Are you able to contact them?"
Leia nodded and smiled. Han fell his heart beating again.
"And after that?"
Leia's eyes got darker and Han felt a knot in this stomach.
"No Leia. You don't really want that."
"Oh yes Solo, I do."
~
2 days later
Super Star Destroyer Executor
Lord Vader had done a good job in the last two days Luke admitted, feeling
the pain caused by the lack of training, while walking down the corridor.
The training had been hard, maybe even harder than on Dagobah and Vader had
never been famous for his patience or his understanding. There was no space
for excuses.
Luke stopped in front of the door and wanted to knock, but, than he heard
his father's voice from inside.
"Come in."
Surprised, Luke opened the door and stepped towards the big, wooden desk.
"Good morning, father."
Vader signed a paper and looked up at his son.
"Sit down, Luke."
Unsure of what to expect next, he started talking.
"Is there no training today?" Luke asked wondering why they were
wasting
time, sitting here to chat.
"There is no need for further training. Yoda was a good teacher. And
you're
extremely skilled my son. You know the technique, everything else you will
learn by practice."
Luke gave his father a confused look.
"But Yoda said I had to complete my training."
"Your training isn't complete son. Only your lightsaber training is. And
that's the smallest, easiest part."
Luke nodded. In a way he had always thought of the Jedi as the guys with the
lightsabers and never bothered with the rest of what it means to be a Jedi.
"Not Jedi Luke - Sith." His father interrupted his thought.
"Stop doing that!"
Vader stood and walked to the gigantic window.
"Very well this will be your next lesson. Thought control and Force
barriers. You will need them when you face the emperor."
"Face the emperor? So soon?"
Luke asked, while joining his father looking out in space.
"We will reach Imperial Center in five standard days."
Luke felt his heart racing. Only five standard days?!
"There's no need to fear Luke. You are my son and together Palpatine is
nothing in comparison."
Luke felt the need to do something. How could he just stand here and let
this Sith Lord plan his future?!
"I'm not your son. I'm the son of Anakin Skywalker."
Vader shook his head and lowered his gaze to his son, analyzing his
thoughts.
"Oh you rebellious son mine." He said, one hand taking Luke's chin
and
bringing it up to his level, so that he could look into his son's blue eyes.
"Do you really think you turn in a single day? That you just wake up and
see
the universe through the eyes of a different person?"
He shook his head again. "Luke you ARE MY child. When you were conceived,
Anakin Skywalker had already been dead for years."
Luke immediately took a step back. Denying the truth he had heard in his
father's voice. He had never thought of this possibility.
"But there's good in you. I can feel it. I feel love, I."
The dark Lord felt his heart of stone weaken as he saw his son trying to
find a way out of his legacy.
"Luke a Sith isn't supposed to love." Luke felt his eyes going wet.
He
wouldn't cry! No not in front of his father! His father! The most feared
man
in the universe who felt nothing besides anger and hate. But if that was
true why did he care for him? Just to help him kill the emperor and conquer
the universe?
"No Luke. I hold you dear to my heart. I would never let someone hurt
you."
That was true the Dark Lord admitted to himself. And it was more than
anything else he had felt in a long, long time. His boy meant something to
him.
"You told me once about my mother. Did you love her?"
"What do you want to hear from me now, son? Let's say I desired her."
Luke felt his pain transforming into anger.
"You desired her!" he screamed.
Lord Vader looked uncomfortably out of the window, than he took Luke and
placed him in fort of him.
"Anakin Skywalker loved her and 'I' must 'love' because she made me the
greatest gift a woman can give. You." Luke felt his father's hands resting
on his shoulders, while studying the stars.
"How could I thank her more than to give this to her son." One hand
lifting
up from his shoulder he pointed out of the window. The galaxy as a present.
And together we can rule the galaxy as father and son. Luke heard his
memory
from Bespin flashing in his mind. Luke shut his eyes from the stars, his
gift, and lowered his head.
"Teach me how to block my thoughts, father." He whispered.
~
3 days later
Imperial Center
The Falcon landed on one of the big landing platforms of Imperial Center.
Leia already saw her father's old friend coming towards her.
"Princess Leia." The old man said hugging her.
"Senator Dunken, It's been a long time."
"Too long my dear, far too long." He replied and released her again.
Leia turn around pointing at her friends.
"These are my friends Han Solo, Chewbacca, C3-PO and R2-D2."
"It's a great pleasure to meet you Senator."
The old man shook Solo's hand and smiled.
"Ex-Senator. Palpatine desolved the senate before the destruction of the
Death Star, remember? Now I'm just Kaip Dunken."
"Very well - Mr. Dunken than."
Leia and Han followed Dunken into the big building.
"It's incredibly brave for you to come to Imperial Center, do you know
that?
There is a high price waiting for the one who brings Palpatine your
heads."
They stood now in front of a gigantic door, which lead outside.
"That's why we're even more thankful for your help Dunken. You took a
great
risk by helping us rebels."
The door opened and Han looked at more than 30 blasters which were pointing
directly at their little group. He jumped over to Leia trying to bring her
out of danger, but it was too late. Han was hit and fell to the ground like
a stone.
"Han!" Leia screamed running over to her friend.
"I'm sorry Princess for betraying your trust and the trust of your father.
But believe me when I say: I had no other choice."
An imperial commander in green took Leia's hand and pushed her away from
Solo.
"No! Han!" his grip hardened and she was pushed into the arms of two
storm
troopers who grabbed hold of her.
"We will take care of him Princess." He hissed looking down at Solo's
unconscious body.
"The Emperor wants both of them alive."
Leia's face went pale. The Emperor? They would bring them to the emperor?
What would he do to them? Why? Would he torture them to break Luke?
"No!" she screamed again fighting wild with arms and feet. She
saw the
commander give a signal to the men holding her, than she felt a pain in her
neck and the world fade out.
~
Luke walked inside the cafeteria. Only to days left till they reached
Imperial Center and with every day he got more and more nervous.
As he walked in he already felt crewmembers staring at him. Luke could hear
their thoughts clearer and clearer with every day of his training.
Is that Luke Skywalker?
I have heard he's Vader's son. No. Impossible. He's too small.
Can Lord Vader have children?
Luke looked around. All of the people pretend to concentrate on something
else, but Luke knew he got their full intention. It was always the same. But
in a perverse way he started liking it. He had always been nothing more than
a farmboy, who had to fight for every bit of attention, this was a nice
change.
He got his cup of coffee and made his way to the bridge.
As the door opened he could see his father at the end of the walkway
speaking with the captain. What was his name again? Needa or something like
that.
He walked up to them, waiting till they were finished.
"You're late."
Luke lifted an eyebrow.
"It's nice to see you too, father. It's five in the morning and maybe you
could tell me what's so important that I had to be here immediately."
The Dark Lord felt his temper rising again. If it hadn't been Luke he would
have been dead by now.
"Watch your tongue boy! You're lucky the Emperor is late as well. This cup
of coffee could have cost you more than credits."
Luke almost burned himself with the coffee as he heard the news.
"The Emperor? But I thought he."
"He's not coming Luke. But he wants to speak to you. Personally."
One com. officer looked up from his screen.
"My Lord it's the Emperor."
Vader nodded.
"On the screen." He ordered and his eyes met Luke's.
"Behave." He warned darkly.
Suddenly the screen was filled with the ugly face of Palatine, his mouth
curled into an evil smile.
"Lord Vader my friend." His eyes locked on Luke. "Is this your
son? What was
his name again?"
"Luke, Master. Luke Skywalker."
"Beautiful boy. I can see his mother in him, and the stubbornness of his
father. Tell me Luke why don't you look at me when I'm talking to you."
Luke's eyes were cold as ice when they looked up again. Now staring into
those of his enemy.
"Because I don't feel the need to talk to you Palatine."
The Emperor's face showed nothing but amusement about his reaction.
"Still the rebel inside. You should teach your offspring manners Vader or
I
will 'repair' his lack of respect myself." Vader looked over to his son.
"I will my master."
"I'm sure you will Lord Vader, but I have my doubts about Luke's
cooperation. Maybe it would help him to know that a special guest of mine,
Princess Leia, is very eager to see him again."
Luke couldn't take this any longer. "You bastard!" he hissed through
his
teeth, glaring at Palpatine. "What did you do to her?!"
Palpatine's eyes sparkled with joy. "You're surprising me. Didn't your
father tell you that it can be very dangerous to call me things like
that?"
"You will see I'm full of surprises."
Palpatine's face darkened. Did he know something?
"I'm sure our meeting will be very interesting young one."
With a curt goodbye to his father the screen went black again.
Lord Vader turned to his son. "Luke Skywalker. I don't think that it was
wise to upset the Emperor. So please explain to me why you said THAT!"
Vader's voice hurt in Luke's head.
"Let's say I was in a bad mood." He said darkly making his way back
to his
quarters.
A/N: Now that I got a beta you hopefully don't have to
suffer under my bad
english any longer. Thanks a lot for your reviews and your offer the help me
with my grammar. Sometimes it's really hard to put your thought in the right
words if your don't have this much vocabulary. I can't say this enough:
THANK YOU! And please review. I love reviews!
