Star Wars Infinities: The Warrior

By Christopher W. Blaine (darth_yoshi@yahoo.com)

DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2002 by George Lucas and are used herein without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2002 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.

CHAPTER 13

"I live to serve only you, my mother," Luke Skywalker said as he knelt before the image of Darth Deceptra. The hologram frowned; his tone was somehow arrogant and disrespectful. The apprentice of Emperor Palpatine had received a report of her son's antics on Tatooine and while not impressed, she had not felt the need for alarm either.

"Rise, my son, so that I may look upon your face," she said coolly.

Luke Skywalker did so and it was there that she noted the change that had occurred. Gone was the freshness of boyhood wonder to be replaced by the grim determination of a young man. He looked so much like his father, so hungry to take on the galaxy, so impatient.

The spies she had sent ahead to Tatooine had spoken of several illegal races her son had competed in and won, of course. Very few pilots in the galaxy could compare to Luke Skywalker! His reputation among the lower echelons was growing and Deceptra considered that a great advantage over many other promising young imperials.

"I have heard many great things of you lately, my son," she said.

His face lightened. "I only try to bring more honor to the Skywalker name."

That was it! He was not trying to rebel and break away from his mother; he was trying to honor his father. Anakin Skywalker would have indeed been proud of his son. "Good, because that name is tainted as of now with deceit and lies."

Rage washed over her son and his knuckles whitened. "Tell me who dares to deceive my mother…"

She smiled. "You have heard about the razing of Alderaan?"

He nodded. The reports had come in to him and Han as they engaged in their debauchery on the desert planet. Luke had not fully read through them, not like Han had, but he still had plenty of time. He and his friend were currently on a cruiser heading for Core where their squadron was due to ship to the Death Star. As they were not part of the ship's air wing and had no fighters, there was nothing else for them to do. "I was pleased to see that Bail Organna, my father's true killer, was finally able to be dealt with."

"There is more, my son, something of which I am loathe to tell you."

"Nothing my mother says can ever break the bond between us," he responded. It was a true enough statement, she supposed. Perhaps it was the incredible loneliness she had felt after Anakin's death, but the Dark Lady of the Sith had put her entirety into raising her son. Their relationship transcended mere love; they were joined in the Force, the first two links in what she hoped would one day be the chains that bound the galaxy.

In Luke, she had seen a bright future, a future she and Anakin had discussed between lovemaking sessions, when their bodies were left to cool in the brisk night air. Anakin had seen a galaxy that was so completely different from what was now true. Anakin had been naïve in his trust of Palpatine, but then so had young Padme Amidala.

"You have a sister. A twin sister."

Luke's holographic reflection paled, the blue hues lightened as he digested the information. His mind was swimming through all of the possibilities and while the Dark Side told him to be angry, told him that this sister, whomever she was, must die for not revealing herself, he could not hope but feel joy.

His reaction surprised Deceptra, but not because she was filled with venom over the betrayal by Bail Organna; she was surprised because Luke's mimicked her own. "A sister? We have the same father?"

"And mother," she reminded him with a smile. Her face softened and Luke suddenly felt sad. He had seen the pictures and holos of his mother before the accident that robbed her of her natural beauty and it seemed as if he were gazing upon that face now. "The Emperor does not know yet," she announced.

"You have not told him?" Luke questioned, his eye moving over to where his stormtrooper escort stood. They were required by Imperial law to report any hint of treason. He quickly scanned their minds and was reassured when he felt that they may have sworn an oath to Palpatine, but it was Deceptra they served.

"When I first found out about your sister, I was angry, but rightfully so," she began. "Bail Organna had no right to inflict such pain upon me."

"My twin is Leia?" he asked, embarrassed. The young princess had been a pod-racing rival for many years and he had even entertained the idea of their eventual coupling. At least now he understood the attraction he had felt.

"Yes, but she is missing."

"I will find her."

"No; you are required on the Death Star with your commanding officer, my consort," she said, revealing for the first time her intentions to pursue a relationship with the Baron. Luke decided now was not the time to point out the potential problems with their union.

"What of her sister, Mara?"

"Governor Tarkin's forces have raided Chandrilla only to find Mon Mothma dead from suicide. Mara is missing as well." Her image moved out of range of the holocamera and then moved back in. "That is why I want you on the Death Star. I am forwarding to you all of the information we have on Mara Mothma. You will help the governor find her and you will determine if she is a Jedi."

"Then she is not my sister?"

"No. I do not know whose child she is, but if Bail was hiding her, then there is something special about her, something that may well benefit the Empire."

Luke decided to push the issue. "Whose empire, mother?"

She took in a deep breath and her artificial eye began to glow brilliantly. "This is our Empire, my son, as it always has been."

"You still can't reach Alderaan?" Leia asked in a bored tone. Corran chuckled softly and adjusted their azimuth as they slowly descended towards the swirling mass of methane and mud below. Dagobah was a swamp world in the extreme. This was a place Gammoreans and Hutts would most likely come for romantic getaways.

"It looks like someone is jamming that entire sector of space. More than likely some of your rebel friends pulled a stunt…"

"The rebellion does not pull 'stunts'…"

"Shut your pie-hole little missy!" Dash said. He could not wait to land and finish this mission so he could get back to being a plain-old smuggler. Facing star destroyers with only a blaster was preferable to spending time with the spoiled Alderaanian princess.

He turned around and grumbled in his mind that he wasn't really being fair. The princess was an all right babe he figured, a little on the skinny side but he wouldn't kick her out of bed for eating rations.

So she was opinionated; so was he! She had a passion for the common people, though, and he had to admit that some of her arguments made a lot of sense. He knew that his outlook on life, the Empire and everything was going to always be a little bit different now that he had been "educated" by her.

She wasn't exactly a slouch around the ship either. The Outrider had never been so clean and she could fine-tune a hyperdrive like he had never seen. Too bad she couldn't cook because Corran's constant fair of Corellian sour bean sandwiches with Ithorian chum beer was tearing Dash's stomach apart. It didn't help that Leia and Corran also spent as much time as they could flirting with each other.

All Dash could think of right now was landing and giving her away to this Quinlan Vos fellow, hunting some local food and getting back into space. Corran had already agreed to stick with Dash for a little while longer, which would no doubt make Garm Bel Iblis happy. The two of them were beginning to click; Corran's raw energy and positive outlook helped to compensate Dash's tendency to shoot first and ask questions after they were safely away.

"How is it that you can't have manners like Corran?" she asked sarcastically.

"Because I'm not trying to sleep with you, sister," Dash whispered under his breath. He then turned to her and smiled. "Maybe he likes you. I don't."

Corran said nothing, but instead turned to watch the surface temperature gauge. As they entered the atmosphere, the hull temperature began to rise despite the shielding. He found the exercise relaxing, as he was nervous about the landing. The past few weeks, crisscrossing the galaxy to throw off pursuers, had given him a lot of time to not only reflect, but to learn more about the pretty girl from Alderaan.

She was a pod-racing champion, quite a feat for a human and she was ranked number six in the entire galaxy. Like him, she also enjoyed the newer and faster snubfighters the different manufacturers were putting out. But she was also concerned about social issues and this intrigued him. Corellians, in general, ignored social issues. Disputes were handled with fists and if you couldn't fight, you died. Corellia had no social welfare, no programs for refugees; in fact, you couldn't even immigrate to Corellia!

"Do we know where we are supposed to land?" Corran finally asked.

"Bail said the information would just 'come to me'," Dash responded with a chuckle. "A bunch of Jedi hoodoo."

"You don't believe that Jedi can help?" Corran asked. It was a typical Corellian attitude. The Jedi were never much welcomed on Corellia. He then looked to Leia. "What do you think, your highness?"

Dash continued to chuckle, not realizing that his hands were moving over the controls and inputting landing coordinates. Leia sighed and then answered the question. "I only know what I've read and been told about the Jedi. I know that my father supported them and believed in them. However, one cannot dispute the recorded history if they just look at the facts."

She held a finger up. "First, they were a secretive organization. There is ample evidence that they believed they were somehow above the law of the Old Republic and this led to arrogance." Another finger. "Second, they did separate children from their families at very early ages and made them sever ties to their loved ones. This is intolerable and when I think that the old senate supported such moves, it chills me to the bone."

"Yeah, but wasn't it dangerous to have Jedi kids running around the planets, making stuff fly and controlling minds?" Dash asked, still piloting the Outrider as if he knew exactly where to go.

"Are they any more dangerous than a child that shows a tendency towards genius? How about a young person who is quick on the draw?" she asked, glancing down at Dash's low slung pistol. "The Force made the Jedi powerful, not invincible."

"Tell that to the Emperor," Corran muttered.

"But the Emperor is not a Jedi, he's a Sith, a totally different philosophy. Yes, he's powerful but not invincible. That's why we believe the rebellion can succeed. The Old Republic was corrupt, but the answer is not a dictatorship!"

Dash wanted to argue, but he couldn't. Even under the unfair trade laws of the Old Republic, Corellia was able to prosper, as were many other worlds in the galaxy. Palpatine's New Order directed that only those worlds that kissed the Emperor's toes received favorable treatment. His homeworld was slowly starving to death and it was all because of the New Order. "So, what sort of government should replace the current one?"

"Democracy gives people, all people, the chance to have a voice. The Imperial Senate is nothing more than Palpatine's puppet. I've been in several sessions where stormtroopers march in right before a critical vote. There's no choice." She looked out the viewport. "Do you know where you're going?"

"No," Dash said, his hand reaching down to adjust the trim. "I'm just sailing along, waiting for a telepathic call," he joked. Corran said nothing but glanced down at the holographic map of the surface and noted that they were definitely heading somewhere and not in a straight line.

"So, will the Jedi have a voice in this new government?" Corran asked, trying to draw her attention.

She smiled. "I hope so. If I am a Jedi, and I don't really know if I am, then I will want a say."

"Do you think there are other Jedi?"

She shook her head. "My father told me that when my sister and I were hidden it was because we were the last except for Master Vos. All of the others were either hunted down by Deceptra or escaped into the unknown regions. It's been nearly 18 years since the fall of the Republic and ten since the last Jedi Master was killed."

"Where is your sister anyway?" Dash asked. The ship dropped in altitude slightly.

"She's doing her part for the Rebellion. It was agreed that I would train first and then she would." Corran asked why they wouldn't be trained together. Leia shrugged. "That was the plan, something about Jedi training more than one person at a time."

"The Jedi trained for years, though," Dash said, recalling the stories of his youth. "You ready to spend your best years here on the swamp world? Nobody wants to marry a bog hag, you know."

She laughed and Corran felt his face flush. "There is more to life than getting married!"

"Yeah, sex," Dash answered with a sly grin. Leia smiled as well. Only Corran did not find the comment amusing.

Dash stepped out of the Outrider and into the smelly world of Dagobah. He had to calm his stomach as he tasted the air. "Blasters! This place reeks! Guess you won't have to worry about stinking when you sweat, your holiness."

Leia stomped past him and into an ankle high pile of material that looked very much like manure. Dash doubled-over in laughter and Corran hopped down, strapping his blaster on.

The princess looked to the pilot, but said nothing. She realized that in her time on this world, whether she liked being there or not, she would probably end up walking through much worse than this. "How did you know to land here?" she asked, changing the subject.

Dash stopped laughing and scratched his head. "I don't know…"

"That would be my fault, I'm afraid," a voice said. All three turned, the two men drawing their weapons, as a tall, powerfully built man stepped out of the mists. His thick hair was now more gray than black and the tattoos on his body had faded with time, but his eyes still held the intensity of a Jedi master. "I am Quinlan Vos."

Leia stepped forward and bowed her head. Doing so put her nose in line with the rising stench coming from her boots. "I am Princess Leia Mothma Organna of Alderaan."

Quinlan stepped into view and Corran lowered his pistol. Dash did not and Quinlan sensed the outrage coming from the mercenary. "I assure you captain that any mind control was merely for your safety. Dagobah is not a friendly world and if one gets lost here, one dies."

"Touch my mind again and we'll see who dies," Dash grumbled.

"Dash!" Corran whispered excitedly. The mercenary waved him off and slowly holstered his blaster.

"No secrets here, Leia," Quinlan said, turning his attention to the stinking princess. "Your thoughts betray you and you wear your emotions on your face. I would think a politician would be better schooled in control and discipline."

"No secrets, Quinlan Vos," she replied with a smile. "I have no real desire to become a Jedi, but if it helps the Rebellion and aids in bringing down Palpatine, then I am willing to be trained. As for the emotions on my face, well, if you have seen as much suffering as I have seen, then you would not be so quick to judge."

"Yet, you will be judged, right or wrong, by how your are perceived. A Jedi must be flexible, flowing freely in the Force," he held his hands out, "passive."

"Being passive is what got you wiped out," Dash muttered.

Much to his surprise, Quinlan burst out in a healthy dose of laughter. "I, of all people, never thought I would live to see the day someone would call me passive! You bring mirth to this dismal place, Dash Rendar; I see in you the warrior spirit. In the days to come, you and I will speak much about this."

Dash shook his head. "Sorry, but I've upheld my end of the bargain for my master, Garm Bel Iblis. She's your problem now."

Leia's face suddenly darkened as she realized that she had grown used to the company of the two special operatives from Corellia. Corran stepped up, seeing the look on her face. "Perhaps we could stay a few days? Rest up, maybe do a little scouting, Dash? This could be a good place to hide sometime."

Dash looked around and then thought long and hard. The world was in an ideal spot, far away from any trade routes or pirate territories. "Maybe…" he said, rubbing his chin.

Quinlan's eyes closed and he seemed to be whispering. Suddenly, his eyes shot open. Her looked directly at Corran. "Yes, I think it would be a good idea if you stayed for a few days. I very much would like to get to know you, Corran Horn."

"How did you know my name?"

"He read your mind, kid," Dash said. 'Best be careful or he might tell the princess what you told me last night." He then wiggled his eyebrows at Leia and went back up into the Outrider.

"What did you say?" Leia asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Corran began to turn blood red and Quinlan again broke into a fit of laughter.