A hard slap on Luke's cheek awakened him into the hot, muggy jail cell. He pushed off from the brick floor and turned a scowl on the two troopers that had thrown him down. Leia groaned at his feet, and he stooped to help her up. She sat slowly upright and looked around the cell.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked.

She turned to him. "We have to get out of here, Luke. As soon as Vader sees me..."

"All right, calm down."

Something stirred by the wall beneath the barred window, a lump of brown fur, and beside it a blonde lump. The brown one rose and after a good yawning stretch it peered down its swaying, bell-shaped snout at the two humans, who stared curiously back.

"What is it?" Leia whispered.

Luke shrugged. "I'm Luke," he said to the looming figure. The blonde creature stood up beside its brown companion, regarded the humans for a moment, then turned and sniffed out the window.

"Hin," the brown creature rumbled, placing a hand on its chest. It indicated the blonde creature and said, "Kee."

"Leia," Luke said, pointing to the princess. "Why are you here?"

"We fought drunk in the mine, killed a miner."

"It was an accident," Kee muttered, her voice a bit smoother, and her accent clearer. "We shouldn't have been fighting each other when we really wanted to get at Grammel."

Footsteps echoed through the hall, approaching. The balding General stopped at their cell with a sneer and two stormtroopers behind him. Luke stepped up to him defiantly, and Hin rolled up beside him.

"You two are very fortunate," said the General. "Vader is on an expedition, so you have a little while longer to live. He's searching for two rebel spies, but I think we've found them."

"You must be Grammel," Leia said. "You are a disgrace to your uniform."

"Charming," the General replied coldly. "Quiet down, young lady, I've come to speak with the Jedi."

She narrowed her eyes at him and clenched her fists as she rose to tell him off.

Luke spoke first. "I don't know what you want to talk about, Grammel, but you won't get any information from me."

"Lord Vader has come out of his way to find you, knight. Whatever he has in mind for you, I'm sure your little rebellion will be far from your mind when you meet with him."

"So you came here to gloat?" Luke asked.

"It will be interesting to watch him destroy you without your laser sword to protect you," Grammel continued to taunt. A long, brown arm suddenly snaked out and grabbed the General by the collar with huge probing fingers as he tried to struggle away. A stormtrooper fired a blast that sent out blue-white energy rings into the creature, knocking it down. Grammel huffed excitedly and sweat began to pour down his brow. You can watch me personally kill these worthless balls of fur in one standard hour... if you're still alive then."

The general stormed off, his troopers trailing behind.

"We have to get out of here, Luke," Leia said.

"Good plan," Luke said. He flopped down to a sitting slump on the floor. Kee squatted beside Hin to check on him.

"What are we going to do?" Leia asked.

"I don't know," he replied.

A spectral voice echoed in his head, "Use the force, Luke," it said. Luke looked around for his mentor, but saw nothing. He opened his mouth to speak, but Kenobi's disembodied voice spoke again, only for him. "Relax. Concentrate on your breathing until you can feel the force flowing through you."

Luke closed his eyes and began drawing deep breaths and concentrating on inhaling, then exhaling, while Leia silently watched him. He waited for Ben to speak again, but heard nothing but the sound of his own breathing, the drip of a leaking pipe, the light pitter of drizzling rain on the glades outside the window. He became aware of different emotions flowing through him from Leia and the two furred creatures in the cell. He became one with the force, aware of every molecule around him, sensations permeating through him in ways previously unavailable to his mind. He could feel Ben Kenobi's presence, but he was nowhere around. Then he remembered the reason for his meditation. A ripple of dark feelings washed through him, but he stayed focused on his goal. He had to open the cell door.

Hin sat up, rubbing his head, staring at Luke as he breathed deeply, loudly, every breath echoing around the cell block.

Another ripple splashed through Luke's mind, fear, anger, hatred, greed, and sadness hit him, churning his stomach. The ripple passed through the force again, then again, picking up in intensity. Luke suddenly realized that the ripple was Vader's presence. He was coming. He could sense Luke's presence as he stretched out with the force. Luke found an electronic switch, and reaching out with his own manifestation of the force he pushed the switch. Leia gasped. Luke opened his eyes to see her jump up and run out of the cell, followed by the two furred beasts. He stood and followed them.

"How did you do that?" Leia asked.

"I think Ben Kenobi helped me," he said, and followed the jogging creatures down the hallway to the exit. Kee pounded the switch to open the door, surprising the two guarding stormtroopers on the other side. Hin grabbed one by the helmet and smashed him into the other, then stooped and grabbed their blast rifles. He tossed one to Kee, then charged into the corridor, followed closely by his cellmates. The two monstrosities shot down startled troopers as they went, and Luke and Leia each stopped to grab a gun and help. Alarms began blaring around them. Hin kicked open a door, and moonlight sprayed down on them, followed by an onslaught of red energy beams. Kee spun to one side of the door while Luke pulled Leia into his arms on the other side. Hin fell with a grunt, eliciting a roar from his companion. Luke and Kee spun and fired off into the ambush, then back again behind cover.

"This isn't going to work," Leia said.

"Why didn't you say something before?" Luke asked.

"You were too busy using the force," Leia quipped.

"Good idea," Luke said, and began to sink once more into the force trance. It came easier this time, four troopers stood on the other side of the door, guns ready, one dead trooper at their feet. With a gentle nudge from the force he pushed the four troopers onto their backs, then spun and charged out the door, shooting the fallen stormtroopers one by one.

"Come on!" he yelled, and ran to find the ship lot, followed by Leia and Kee. The golden-furred creature hoisted Hin over her shoulder and slammed the door angrily behind her. Luke stopped breathless beside the ship they'd been caught trying to steal in the first place. R2-D2 rolled up, followed by a waddling Threepio. The astromech droid extended a probing attachment to an interface on the surface of the ship, and within seconds the ramp extended down and the hatch opened up. A blaster bolt struck the side of the ship, while Leia ran up the ramp, Luke close at her heels. Kee spun and dropped the trooper with one shot, then backstepped up the ramp, following the droids.

Grammel ran out onto the lot just as the ship lifted up and shot out into space. He watched it disappear into the night sky, stared after it for a long time. His entire life had just flown away, and all he had to grasp at pitifully was the ancient Jedi weapon clipped to his belt. He grabbed it and looked down, finally becoming aware of the speeder screeching to a halt before him. Vader leapt out and sidled up to the General. He stopped and snatched the saber from Grammel's hand. "Your incompetence has betrayed the empire for the last time, Grammel," Vader snapped. He turned on Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber and observed it silently for a moment, then looked to Grammel, who opened his mouth to utter a final stammering plea for life. Vader did not hesitate long enough to listen.