What Lurks in the Dark

by DragonflyonBreak

A simple mission to check out an abandoned weapons factory turns into a dangerous fight for survival. Trust is broken, loyalties will be tested, and dark secrets are brought to light. Because sooner or later, the truth always comes out.

6. The Lower Levels

A/N Thank you once again to Riftwalker and SpellCleaver for beta-ing! Their advice and comments were insanely helpful. :D

Now. Ladies and gentlemen... without further ado, please enjoy.

Chapter 6: The Lower Levels

---

It wasn't too long after Wedge and Tycho had left that Cesi pulled himself up to his feet again and stumbled back to the entrance of the cavern, spurred by his own paranoia and unease. He hesitated in the doorway before swallowing his nerves and cautiously poking his head out into the long dark passageway, looking up and down it for any sign or hint of movement.

The passageway looked clear. But it was dark – so very dark and shadowed and their eyes had played tricks on them throughout their time in this damn place. Seeing nothing didn't mean that there was nothing. The dust and particles of dirt in the air reflected off the flashlight that he had left sitting next to Zach. It shined in his direction in an eerie, ghostly sort of way.

And it was quiet now.

Cesi didn't know how he felt about the quiet anymore.

Caleb's screams had echoed behind them as they ran for far too long. It had been a terrible, haunting, and gut-wrenching sound and if he lived for another hundred years, Cesi would never be able to forget it.

The silence should be better than that. Anything should be better than that. But dread and fear sat heavy in his gut and never in his life had the quiet seemed so sinister.

He scrubbed his face with his free hand, feeling two days' worth of stubble prickle against the skin of his palm. He felt the tenderness in his jaw from where Skywalker had decked him one the day before and wondered briefly what the bruise looked like at this point.

The creature had moved so silently.

There had been no warning – no indication at all that that beast was just within feet of them until it had appeared out of thin air behind Caleb and grabbed him.

He shook his head, trying to chase the horrifying memory away before it could get the chance to take hold.

After a long moment, Cesi pulled back into the cavern and looked left and then right.

They needed something – anything at all that would just give them a chance to try and prepare….

Cesi blinked, spotting a long length of chain sitting curled up in a neat bundle alongside the wall. He glanced back out into the passageway one more time and then stepped to the side. Squatting down, he rested an elbow on his knee and picked up one end of the chain with his other hand. There was a big hook attached to it and it was heavy. The links in the chain were thick – obviously meant for some heavy-duty machinery or some other such strenuous, load-bearing work.

And there was a sturdy looking wall mount which had been fitted into the middle portion of the walls with heavy duty screws. Cesi chewed his lower lip for a moment. He wasn't terribly keen on making a lot of noise that could give away their position… but at the same, Cesi wasn't sure what difference it would make at this point either. The creature had the clear advantage over them.

Standing up to his full height, he made a quick decision, and attached the hook to the mount before grabbing as much of the chain length as he could and stretching it across the entryway. It was heavy enough that it dragged along the ground, and he hissed in pain, determinedly straightening his spine so as not to drop it entirely. The chain clinked and jingled, and it felt so terribly loud – so loud that Cesi imagined even people up on the surface could hear it.

As he suspected, there was another mount on the opposite side of the entryway and with some quick finagling, figured out a way to attach the rest of the chain to it so that it hung in the air, suspended directly across the entrance. The creature had looked tall but there was a good chance that it would have to rustle the chain when it came back this way and tried to get in.

Cesi stared at it, watching it sway for a long moment before it settled and ceased to move at all.

He felt empty inside. Empty and cold and numb down to his bones.

One stupid chain stretched across the doorway wasn't much.

In terms of security and protection, it was honestly pretty pathetic. But… at least it was something. If the creature moved silently, if it really could manipulate their perceptions, the way the others had suggested, then setting up obstacles that could force it to make noise seemed logical. Maybe it would even help them – give them a chance to try and prepare the next time it came around.

He thought of Caleb screaming in agony as his arm was torn out of his socket and the dark colored blood that had so quickly splattered across the floor and walls as he'd been shaken and crunched and broken –

They'd left him. They'd listened to him dying while they ran for their lives and dear Force, why hadn't he just taken the shot? He could have – Cesi had always been a good shot and there had been enough time. He could have ended it for Caleb, could have shot him between the eyes and put him out of his misery before sprinting after the others and leaving him there.

It haunted him to think that he should have.

But he'd never killed a friend before.

Cesi choked on a sob.

Damn him, he shouldn't have let Caleb suffer like that – he should have… he should have done something more….

Not now. Not here.

He swallowed, trying to think of anything else and took twenty seconds to breathe his way through the intense emotion that flooded his mind and made his chest feel tight. Tears pooled up in his eyes and Cesi squeezed them shut, refusing to let them fall.

Crying wouldn't do anything for anyone and Wedge had been right – as hard as it was, now wasn't the time for them to mourn. They could do that later if… when – Cesi breathed in quickly through his nose and out through his mouth.

When they got out.

They needed to get out of here – that was what was important right now. Caleb was dead and there was nothing that they or anyone else could do about it.

There was nothing else that he could do except wait for the others to come back.

He turned away from the entrance and made his way back to Zach, sitting down gingerly on the floor. Cesi breathed shallowly at the hot flare of pain the simple action caused him. A radiating ache stretched down his left leg, though he couldn't remember an instance where it had been injured; but more than his leg was his back. Force, it hurt. It was tight and rigid and it felt as if it was spasming whenever he sucked in air. Cesi slowly tried to make himself more comfortable and experience alone kept him from sobbing aloud.

Once he was as comfortable as was possible, he pulled his weapon out of its holster again and kept his dominant hand resting carefully on his knee, the weapon trained steadily on the entryway at low ready. No amount of pain was going to distract him from keeping himself and the others as secure as possible.

Even so, Cesi found himself glancing down at his weapon every so often and wondering what the point of his efforts even were.

I have everything I need to survive with a blaster in my hand and a good head on my shoulders.

Cesi huffed, shaking his head slightly. He ran his free hand through his dirty hair and tried not to think about Caleb's screams of agony as he was eaten alive. What he had said had always been the truth before – a blaster had always been enough. But he remembered his tense conversation with Skywalker and in light of all that had happened, couldn't help but feel that his words were hollow and arrogant.

His blaster hadn't done them any good today.

It couldn't hurt the creature and it hadn't saved Caleb and it wouldn't save the rest of them either.

…could Skywalker have really made that much of a difference? The others' theory about the Force and the creature feeling threatened by Skywalker's presence really didn't make much sense to him. Cesi hadn't grown up in a household that cared much about the fall of the Republic, let alone a household that talked about the mysterious Jedi.

Outside of hearing the Imperial mandates for the arrest of any survivors of the Jedi Order or those suspected Force sensitives, he hadn't had any exposure to the notion of Jedi until joining the Rebellion and they only had one.

And… Luke Skywalker seemed like nothing but a famous name backed by a few famous exploits of his own. Granted, the destruction of the Death Star was damn impressive, but Skywalker hadn't been the only one to fly in the Trenches that day. He was just the only one that hadn't died in the effort.

The Rebellion was banking so much of their success on one person whose abilities couldn't be replicated by anyone else – a person who regularly disappeared without word for long periods of time, who survived multiple encounters with Darth Vader and could only call it luck or the Force and who could keep secrets without being held accountable to anyone else for them.

It had been his job to pay attention to and look for threats within the Rebellion. Skywalker came back from Bespin a different person. He came back and was shifty and secretive and there had been a few times where even High Command had whispered about him in hushed tones and seemed wary where they hadn't been before.

It had raised the alarm bells in his head and Cesi had watched him closely ever since.

It seemed that he hadn't been wrong to be suspicious either.

Luke Skywalker was the Force-damned son of Darth Vader himself.

An unreported son of the second most high-ranking Imperial in the entire fucking Empire. The unreported, unknown child of the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy, the son of the man who was ruthlessly hunting down and trying to obliterate the entire Rebellion.

Luke Skywalker – the Hero of the Rebellion, who was, until recently, trusted almost implicitly by everyone who knew him, who was invited into top secret meetings, with access to top secret information, who was present at almost every recent location and battle that took place between the Rebellion and the Empire and who always managed to survive the most impossible odds.

That just couldn't be coincidence.

How could he be anything but a spy?

How could it have been anything except the right decision to send Skywalker away?

It had seemed so straight-forward. The problem, the threat had been revealed and Cesi hadn't been stupid enough to think he could kill Luke Skywalker, but he could help get rid of him and expose him to the Rebellion. The Empire wouldn't have what had to be their best damn spy and the Rebellion would be that much safer and secure.

Without Skywalker feeding the Empire their secrets, the Rebellion could survive.

But if that was true – if all of that was the truth… why was he second-guessing himself now?

Why was he going over that terrible, half-baked story in his head about Skywalker not having known the truth and being loyal and wondering if he'd somehow gotten it all wrong after all?

Why was he wondering if everything that had happened since they'd left Skywalker behind was his fault?

"…y-you okay, man?"

Cesi blinked, jolting out of his thoughts and coming back to himself. He quickly glanced over at Zach and felt his stomach twist with renewed fear and concern.

Zach looked awful.

A stiff breeze could knock him over at this point and Cesi thought that he had personally seen corpses in this Force damned place with better color than Zach currently had.

He couldn't lose Zach.

Not here.

Not like this.

Zach was the closest thing that he'd ever had to a brother. They had only been friends for a few years now, but it felt more like a lifetime than anything else. Zach was younger than he was by only a year or two and for some reason, had been annoyingly persistent in attempting to become his friend when Cesi had first joined the Rebellion, despite his repeated attempts to persuade him otherwise.

He'd caved once – just one time, after rejecting too many invitations for socializing or karaoke or other such shit – and gone with Zach to have a few drinks at a local bar and that had been it. They'd been friends ever since.

There wasn't anything that Cesi wouldn't do for him.

And now Zach was dying and there was nothing he could do to help him or even ease his pain.

The thought made his stomach twist with shame.

"I'm fine." Cesi said shortly, resisting the urge to bury his face in his hands. He'd always hated having concern being directed his way and he hated it even more so now when he definitely didn't deserve it. "Shut up and save your energy. Worry about yourself for once."

"You – you hit… the wall." Zach puffed out, ignoring him. His friend swallowed thickly and then lifted one hand to point vaguely in his direction. "Let me check… and see?"

Cesi gave Zach an incredulous look. "Did you not hear me tell you to "rest"?" He demanded.

"No."

"Force, you're such a stubborn bastard." Cesi complained, glancing back at the entryway once more before heaving a sigh and scooting over to sit a little closer to Zach.

"Dickhead."

"Asshat."

"Massive… jerk."

Cesi cracked a smile at that last one despite himself, shaking his head fondly. He set his blaster to the side and carefully shrugged out of his leather jacket. He placed it in his lap before grabbing his weapon again. There was no way in hell he would lower his guard down here again, even if just for a few minutes.

Beside him, Zach moved slowly in order to try and sit up a little straighter. Cesi felt as the back of his shirt was pushed up to the middle of his back and then Zach was pressing a disturbingly cold hand against his bare skin. Cesi winced at the pain and tenderness he felt and tried to concentrate on not breathing in too deeply.

"Son of a… bitch."

"Bad?"

"Yeah. Not… broken. Don't think." Zach coughed quietly, poking around a little more. "Just… bruised to h-hell."

"Thought it felt familiar." Cesi muttered, shrugging his shoulders to get Zach's fingers off of him. If nothing was broken, that was good enough for him right now. He tugged his shirt back into place, skin prickling at the thought of being so exposed. It was nothing that Zach hadn't seen before but the fact that he already knew never made it any easier. He never wanted anyone to see.

"Want a… stim?"

Cesi shook his head. "Keep it for yourself."

He felt more than saw Zach slump back against the mine cart. "I've had… too many – already." He forced out, teeth chattering again. Cesi turned to face him better, plucked his leather jacket out of his lap and positioned it so that it sat on top of Zach's chest and arms.

"And a shit load of good they've done you." Cesi snarked half-heartedly, trying to pretend that he hadn't seen the mottled skin peeking out from the cuffs of Zach's shirtsleeves. His heart hurt like someone had stabbed a knife through his chest and twisted it. "I'll take my chances and forego the expired meds."

"Generous of you."

Cesi hummed in agreement, feeling tears prick at his eyes anew. He scrubbed harshly at his face to get rid of them before scooting backwards in order to lean against the mine cart beside Zach, their shoulders just barely touching.

Force, there were so many things he should say.

But… even the thought of speaking them out loud threatened to undo him entirely. It felt too much like acknowledging defeat.

And he wasn't ready to do that.

Nevertheless, the silence between them felt strained and it wasn't long before he broke.

"Do you think… that I did this to us?" Cesi finally asked quietly, his voice wavering. He was sick with dread at what the answer might be. "Did I get Caleb killed by suggesting we make Skywalker leave?"

There was a long moment of silence.

"I don't know." Zach said honestly. "But I know that if… if he was the deterrent… then the blame falls on everyone. Not just you. We all… all – left him behind."

"He's the son of Vader."

"I know."

"I just wanted to do what was best for everyone." Cesi admitted desperately. "I knew there was something. I knew and… and my job is supposed to be to protect the Rebellion. I know I'm a dick sometimes but… I thought it was the right thing. And now," he shuddered, running a hand through his hair in agitation. "Now we're stuck in this shit fest and Caleb is dead and you – and you," Cesi couldn't bring himself to finish the thought, the words dying in his throat.

Saying them out loud would just make it true.

It hurt when Zach didn't even try to convince him otherwise.

"I'd do anything for you, you know that, right?" Cesi whispered.

"I know." Zach said, leaning a little more into him. "Stop tormenting… yourself. Just – help everyone get out."

Two blaster shots sounded through the cavern and Cesi immediately stiffened, feeling adrenaline instantly coursing through his system. He sat up straight, bumping Zach, and twisted to look over his shoulder in the direction that Wedge and Tycho had disappeared.

About thirty or forty seconds later, a third shot went off.

"Fuck." Cesi whispered under his breath, scrambling to his feet. He glanced at the doorway and the unmoving chain that he'd strung across the entrance. Was there more than one way into this room? It seemed to be huge, so it made sense that there would be. What if that damn monster had another way in?

What if it was already inside, just waiting at its leisure and watching them scramble about like rats?

The tiny hairs on the back of his neck stood up at the very thought and his stomach twisted uneasily.

He stood protectively in front of Zach and listened intently, trying hard not to breathe too loudly.

After a few seconds, there was a faint sound of something a good distance off but it lasted only a brief moment and then it became quiet once again.

No shouting.

No shots fired.

No Force-damned voice of a loved one haunting them from somewhere in the shadows.

Cesi didn't move an inch, holding his ground and keep his blaster trained steadily out in front of him. Maybe he couldn't kill the monster with a blaster in his hand, but he would be damned if he let it get to Zach before him.

It was maybe fifteen minutes later when something finally changed.

Footsteps broke the silence and a few seconds later, Cesi was relieved to see the familiar glow of a flashlight shining in their direction.

Wedge and Tycho were back.

As they drew close enough, Cesi could see that Tycho had, from the look of it, a DLT-19 heavy duty blaster rifle slung over his shoulder and Wedge seemed to have found an electrostaff.

Both of them were good weapons but the rifle – shit, that was a good find. It had a high rate of fire and could deal out heavy damage from long distances. Both the Empire and the Rebellion used them to eliminate exceptionally large groups of enemies.

If they were lucky, it might even have a better effect on the damn monster then their standard blasters did the next time it came snooping around.

"You guys okay?" he asked, keeping his voice low as they approached. "We heard shots being fired."

Wedge waved a hand. "Sorry. We had to open up a gate and it had a padlock on it."

"Was it for the weapons?"

Tycho shook his head. "No, we found those on our way back."

Wedge nodded, hefting the electrostaff up. "This still has a decent charge and the blaster rifle has a fresh cartridge in it." He said, gesturing to their new weapons. "And… and we found an emergency exit. It was behind the gate that we shot at. It's an elevator."

Cesi started, feeling his heart beat a little faster. Why the hell hadn't they led with that? Why were they just standing around when there might still be time – "What are we doing then? Let's get the fuck out of here – "

"It's password protected."

Cesi blinked.

"…what?"

"The exit." Tycho said quietly, watching as Wedge sighed into his hands. "It's password protected."

That was… that – Cesi glanced at Zach, feeling sick to his stomach. His head was lulling on his shoulder again and Cesi could only hope that he had fallen asleep and not passed out or… or….

"Who the fuck password protects a Force-damned emergency exit?" Cesi demanded instead.

"The Empire does, okay?" Wedge snapped, throwing his hands up in obvious frustration. "The Empire. It's reason number nine-hundred and twenty-seven for why it should all just fall and burn. They password protect their Force-damned emergency exits."

It wasn't fair.

It wasn't fair. First they'd gone too far and now the way out was blocked because the Empire believed in the institution of slavery.

What else could possibly go wrong?

After a long moment, Wedge released a heavy sigh and then glanced at him tiredly. "You any good at hacking into Imperial technology?"

Cesi frowned. "…I don't know." He admitted quietly. "I'll try. I might be able to but… it's not really my thing."

Wedge nodded once, almost as if he had expected the answer.

"How's Zach doing?" Tycho asked instead.

Cesi just shook his head.

As one, they turned to look at Zach, who was pale and obviously fading.

"Did you only find the one elevator? No other… I don't know, no other way out?" He asked desperately.

"We saw some other tunnels, yeah. But nothing that will get us out of here quick." Wedge admitted quietly. "And I don't… I don't think we should risk it. Zach can't walk and it takes two of us to help carry him now. If we can't figure out how to get the skip working then we don't have a fast way to the surface. That leaves one person to lead the way out and deal with that monster when it comes back around. It took us over a day just to get down here and it'll take us a lot longer to get out with us in the shape that we're in now."

There was nothing Cesi could say against the logic of that but it sucked all the same. It mean that they were stuck with the damn elevator and his own sub-par hacking skills.

"What if we went back and found Luke?" Tycho asked after a moment. "If this thing doesn't like him… wouldn't we be safer with him?"

Cesi blinked, casting a side-eye at Tycho, feeling surprised by his change in attitude. Clearly he wasn't the only one experiencing some second thoughts. Tycho had been just as pissed as he'd been to learn the truth and been more than eager to get away from Skywalker earlier.

"No," Wedge said after a few seconds, shaking his head slightly. "It's… the same thing as the other tunnel. Even for Luke, it's too dangerous to go backwards now."

And it would be stupid to bank on the idea that Luke would appear on his own.

They had all done their part in making sure that that wouldn't happen. Cesi, especially.

"Well, we aren't going to make any progress just standing around." Cesi blew out. "Come on. Show me the elevator and I'll see what I can do."

---

A silence had fallen between them, both Luke and Vader lost deep in their own musings as they navigated their way through the tunnel.

After the first few minutes, Luke had finally switched off his lightsaber and clipped it back on his belt. He didn't need it and his flashlight was more than enough to light the way for them.

He spent a little bit of time cautiously probing along the thread of light which represented their bond in the Force. Beyond occasionally monitoring it, Luke had never looked at it too closely before now. He hadn't known what would happen if he did and he'd feared that opening it up might allow his father to know where he was and put everyone in the Rebellion in danger.

Luke would never have forgiven himself if something like that had happened. But here… well, they were already in each other's company, so keeping his distance seemed rather moot.

It was fascinating to look at and it was far more than just some impersonal or random connection – it was both of them. A strand of each of their Force essence, their individual selves wrapped around each other like two strings intertwined to make one whole. It was everything that made them who they were. Thoughts, feelings, memories, life experiences – anything and everything at all that could possibly be shared. It was almost comparable to a hard drive on a computer.

Vader didn't seem to mind as Luke poked curiously at their bond, watching it thrum between them in his mind's eye as though it were the string of an instrument. If anything, he deliberately relaxed himself in what seemed like a silent invitation to continue and there was even a faint sense of amusement, as if he was enjoying watching Luke learn.

It made him feel a little self-conscious and more like a child than he'd felt in years but Luke continued experimenting with it anyways, wanting to understand how it worked. It seemed that he couldn't access anything personal that didn't "belong" to him. He could touch and feel and prod at Vader's side of things but beyond faint emotions, everything would remain private unless deliberately shared.

Distance didn't seem to matter either – the thread remained the same, no matter how far apart they were. It didn't stretch or become thinner or weaker. But it would change, Luke realized, experimenting by slowly closing himself off from the bond by degrees. His strand would dim when he backed off and grow brighter still the more open he chose to be.

And… there didn't seem to be any way to break it. Not that he really wanted to – the thought alone made him weirdly sick to his stomach. It just seemed… effortless. Natural. There were no links or connections or an ending or beginning to it. The Force bond just… was.

Huh.

Satisfied for now, Luke drew back a little and instinctively tried to reach out for the wider galaxy before abruptly remembering that it wasn't there for him to feel. He got only a few feet out from his person before bumping into the void that he now knew represented the monster inhabiting the mines.

If no access to the Force at all had been what he imagined being dead felt like, then being trapped in this small cage was like being buried alive in a coffin with a limited air supply.

He wanted to feel again – to connect with the Force that had always surrounded him, even when he'd been too blind to understand what it was. He didn't understand what this thing was or how it was possible for it to do something like this.

"So," Luke began hesitantly, glancing up at his father. "You said earlier that you would explain whatever the hell this block in the Force is?"

He really hoped his father was actually willing to explain it. The suffocating pressure of it was gone for now, but only because Vader was holding it back somehow. But the knowledge that the void was still there, that Luke could potentially be trapped in nothingness all over again, was grating on his nerves like nails scraping down along a chalkboard.

"I did say that."

"Alright, so what is it?" Luke insisted. "You said the Force isn't actually gone but until you got here, I couldn't feel anything. If the mimic is Force sensitive, then I don't understand how it can feel like nothing."

"It feels like nothing, as you say, because the creature in the mines is manipulating you." Vader said simply.

Luke blinked. "Pardon?"

"The Force exists in everything. It cannot be gone and as you undoubtedly know already, it does not feel like nothing. What we are experiencing now is a type of Force block."

"But you said it wasn't like the lizard."

"It is not. The Ysalamiri create a dead zone in the Force, neutralizing… or perhaps paralyzing midichlorians, and rendering them inaccessible for as long as one is within range of its influence."

Luke had no idea what the hell a midichlorian was supposed to be or how it was connected to the Force, but he nodded anyways, thinking that there was a good chance that he might at least get the basic gist of what his father was trying to explain.

"There are a number of ways to truly block one's access to the Force, however." Vader continued slowly. "Suppression drugs and certain metals that had been worked into a cuff or collar of some sort were perhaps the most common. But those were only outside agents employed by others. On their own, a powerful Force user can temporarily block another's Force abilities by locking them inside their own mind, creating a sort of mental cage. It is difficult to do, but the technique can be disrupted with a break in the attacker's concentration."

"And that's what the mimic is doing?"

"I believe so."

Luke was quiet for a few minutes, absorbing the information. He didn't like the sound or idea of Force suppression being possible. If the experience was anything like what he'd felt in the mines, then it was an experience he would happily pass up on. But… he pressed against the void again, and decided that the description of a mental cage seemed fitting.

"I guess that makes sense." Luke finally agreed. "But… why is it so strong? If it's just an animal – ?"

"What this creature appears to be doing is not overly complicated. I would hedge to guess that based on what you have told me, its use of the Force is, in fact, minimal, and that it has adapted its abilities for hunting purposes." Vader said, sounding thoughtful now. "If you only practice one or two skills over a lifetime, you will inevitably become quite proficient in them."

And that… also made sense.

"Has anyone ever used the mental cage thing on you before?" he asked quickly. "Is that why you know what this is?"

"Yes. Sidious has done it on occasion."

Luke blinked. "Sidious?"

Vader paused and glanced at him, surprise fluttering along their bond. "The Emperor. Palpatine." He elaborated slowly.

"He's a Force user?"

"Yes."

Luke gaped slightly, trying to understand that knowledge bombshell.

Where in the absolute hell had that come from?

He thought back to everything he'd ever heard or read about Palpatine both inside and outside of the Rebellion.

Did anyone know about that? Luke was confident that he'd never heard or even guessed that the dictator on the Coruscant throne was anything except a regular, non-Force sensitive person. Ben hadn't mentioned it and Yoda certainly hadn't either. Wouldn't they have known? On the edge of his thoughts, he could feel Vader stewing over something as well, but Luke was too distracted by his own thoughts to try and figure out what his father was upset by this time.

"How did you not know that the Emperor is a Force user?" Vader finally demanded, stopping to look at him incredulously.

"Why would I?" Luke shot back at him. "No one told me."

"Who is your current Jedi Master?"

"What?"

"Your Jedi Master. I know you have a new one. Who is it?"

Luke frowned, feeling wary now. "Why is that important?"

"Because I want to know which stupid fool is sending my son out into the galaxy with nothing but half-truths and sub-par training." His father said darkly, his growing ire evident in the Force.

Luke was careful to keep his thoughts close and thought briefly of Yoda. He was… or had been… a great Jedi Master and if Ben was to be believed, was a powerful and formidable opponent in battle. But he was… old. And perhaps a little addled in the head. Luke honestly wasn't certain that he could win in a fight against Vader anymore.

That was what Luke was for, after all. To be the weapon of the Jedi.

In any regards, he wasn't going to give either of them the chance to go up against each other. Not willingly, at least.

"I'm not going to tell you who took over my training." Luke said, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess you could pull the information out of my head if you want to but that would go a long way to ruining the rapport we have going on."

And… while it had only been a few hours, Luke was willing to bet that Vader wasn't actually willing to do that. He'd been cautious in all of his words and actions so far, as if he were being exceptionally mindful to keep the peace between them.

Luke felt Vader scowl at him for a long moment.

"What did Obi-Wan and the other moron tell you about the Emperor?" Vader demanded instead and Luke had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling smugly.

He coughed and drew himself up a little before taking a moment to think.

"Nothing. They… they wanted me to kill you." Luke admitted slowly, his mind racing as he tried to remember everything and anything that Ben and Yoda had ever told him. "But they never… they never really mentioned the Emperor. Neither Ben or, or… well, neither of them told me he could use the Force. I would have remembered that."

Vader swore loudly, uttering some of the foulest Huttese that Luke had ever heard. He was no stranger to cursing and proudly believed that he was more than capable of holding his own in a swearing match against even the roughest outer-rim pirate trash that decided to cross his path. But even coming from perhaps one of the roughest planets in the galaxy, Luke felt his eyes grow wide and his face redden in sheer mortification.

His father twisted and turned, stalking down the tunnel again and thinking dark thoughts.

It was probably a good thing Ben was already dead, Luke decided, following a few paces behind and pulling his thoughts close. If Vader had the opportunity to kill him now, Luke suspected that his death would not be nearly as quick or merciful as it had been.

"Is that why you wanted my help? Why you said that you thought I could kill him?" Luke asked, hoping to pull his father out of his dark ruminations.

It seemed to work. The dark cloud of anger dispersed a little and Vader briefly paused to give him a considering look. Luke caught up in a few steps and they began walking together again.

"Yes." Vader admitted after a moment, his thoughts still a little dark. "Sidious rightly believes that you are a threat to him. He foresaw it. Your strength and potential in the Force far surpasses his own."

"Does that mean that he's stronger than you?"

Luke couldn't imagine anyone being more powerful than his father. What would that even look like? Or feel like in the Force? What kind of monster was Palpatine if Darth Vader needed help to kill him?

"Not… in the way you are thinking." Vader said slowly. "My potential has always been greater than his. However… the injuries which put me in this suit have limited me and have given Sidious an advantage which I cannot overcome on my own. Otherwise, I might have killed him a long time ago."

"But why would he want me to turn then? If I were fully trained - if, hypothetically, I was trained in the Dark Side… wouldn't that just make me even more of a threat to him?" Luke asked, confused. If Luke was such a threat to him, why would the Emperor want him to have more power? Why take the risk?

"He is a Sith Lord." Vader said, sounding as if the answer should be perfectly obvious.

It wasn't.

"I… okay, I'm sorry but I have no idea what that means."

A garbled, staticky sound escaped Vader's vocoder and he paused in his steps again for a moment to drop his head back, staring up at the ceiling for a long moment as if praying to some deity for patience.

"Sorry!" Luke repeated, internally winching. Force, he hadn't gone into this conversation with the intention of impressing his father by any means… but it was really throwing into perspective how much he did not know.

Midichlorians, Sith Lords, Palpatine being a damn Force user - geez, he must look like an idiot.

"It is not you that I am frustrated with." Vader said shortly. "I just do not understand why you have not been taught these things already. I do not understand what Obi-Wan and your Jedi Master thought to accomplish by having you kill me and not him. Had you confronted Palpatine before now, they would have accomplished nothing except to have thrown you to the wolves."

Luke pursed his lips. He didn't know enough what Ben and Yoda's reasoning to be able to argue and it certainly seemed that aspects of his education were indeed woefully lacking. It was an uncomfortable realization, especially when he'd thought he had been well on his way to becoming a Jedi Knight.

"So, what's a Sith then?" Luke asked, just so he wouldn't have to dwell on those upsetting thoughts for very long. He would, later, once he'd gotten out of this damn place and had more than an hour or two of sleep in his system. But not right now. "And how does that translate to Palpatine wanting me to be more powerful?"

Vader hesitated and gave him another long, considering look.

"Sith and the tradition of the Sith have a long history." Vader said carefully. "But… in short, they are Dark Side users and by nature, they crave power. Sidious is threatened by your power but he also wants it for himself. If you fall to the Dark side and if he succeeds in making you his servant, then he will own your power, until such time you eventually turned on him."

"So… you're a Sith Lord." Luke clarified cautiously.

"Yes."

"Okay… but," he hesitated, trying to find the right words while making sense of what he'd been told. "If, again, hypothetically, I had wanted to learn the Dark Side - I could just find someone else to teach me. A different Master. I wouldn't have to be his."

"You wrongly assume that you would be given a choice. The Rule of Two dictates that there will only ever be two Sith at a time – a Master and an Apprentice. The Master is the keeper of all Sith knowledge, partly to protect it and partly to control the Apprentice and keep them in line for as long as they can. If and when the Apprentice wishes to take on a student of their own, they must first kill the Master and replace him. There is no one else to learn from." Vader said bluntly.

Luke scrunched his face, bewildered and a little unnerved by the brutal philosophy. It seemed like an exceptionally cruel and unforgiving cycle.

After a moment, Vader spoke again and this time, his voice was a little more gentle. "We are all either pawns or kings, my son. Sidious considers everything and everyone in this galaxy to be his. In his mind, you already belong to him. Whether you will or won't Fall is not a question he considers. He is simply biding his time."

Luke swallowed thickly. "Why would Ben or… well, why would they not tell me about all of this? About him?"

"I do not know." Vader said coldly, his Force presence darkening with anger once again.

Luke thought briefly of his experience in the cave on Dagobah. To the test that he had failed and the image of his face inside of Vader's mask.

You already belong to him. Whether you will or won't Fall is not a question he considers.

Did… did they not tell him because they thought that he was destined to Fall, no matter what? He glanced up at his father and thought of all the stories he'd heard of Anakin and how loved he had been by the people of the Republic.

A good man.

But one who was ultimately enticed by the Dark Side.

Did they think the son was destined to follow in the footsteps of the father?

Luke pursed his lips, feeling the now familiar sting of hurt prick at his heart once again.

"Well. The only person I belong to is myself." He muttered darkly. "And I have no intention of being a pawn. My destiny is my own. Palpatine can go to hell."

A fierce surge of pride flashed between them at his words, the depth of Vader's emotion momentarily catching Luke off guard.

He had always wanted to know what it would be like to have his father be proud of him. The circumstances now were different than he always imagined as a child... but his own warm rush of pleasure mixed with a little embarrassment was almost exactly what Luke had thought it would be.

"Your anger would serve you well." Vader said quietly, almost to himself. "You would be remarkable. No one would compare."

Luke hummed noncommittally, refraining from rolling his eyes. It wasn't about power for him but he also couldn't help but privately wonder what it would take to actually kill Palpatine. His mission had always been about killing Vader and the Rebellion's mission had always been about overthrowing the Empire.

Killing Palpatine had always been part of "the plan" - it went hand in hand with reclaiming the Republic, after all. But… it hadn't been his personal life goal beyond helping ensure that what needed to happen, happened.

Now though… now Luke knew that Palpatine considered him property to be claimed.

A servant who did not yet know his place.

Now it was personal. If Luke would never know peace until the Emperor was dead, then it was kill or be killed.

The rules of the Desert were simple and finite that way.

He glanced at his father and tried to imagine the power it took to bring someone like him to heel. The suit could only be part of the problem. There had to be more to it – more reasons why his father, who, by his own admittance, was more powerful than the Emperor, hadn't killed him by now.

A Master and an Apprentice, he thought quietly.

More like a Master and a Slave.

We are all either pawns or kings.

Luke imagined for a moment that his father was being weighed down by chains of a different sort then the ones the dead slaves in the cells had been. On Tatooine, the Masters used everything from starvation, beatings, transmitter chips, and threats against Free loved ones to keep their slaves in line. Luke couldn't imagine that slavery would be very different anywhere else in the galaxy.

What methods had been employed by the Master to ensure that the Apprentice, willing or not, had fallen into line? What did it take to keep him there?

What would it take to kill a Sith Master?

"I still think it's stupid." Luke said after a few minutes had gone by.

"What is?"

"The Sith. The Rule of Two. It's bantha shit." Luke repeated. "It's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

Vader twisted to look at him, scandalized. "What?"

"It's bantha shit." Luke repeated. "What about all the things the Sith Master would choose not to teach? What if something happened and both Sith died? There wouldn't be any more and everything would be lost. Hell, what if the apprentice wanted to teach someone without committing murder first - or in my case, patricide?"

Luke had no interest in Palpatine - or Sidious, or whatever the hell his name was, beyond killing him at this point. No matter what Vader said, Luke was confident that he couldn't be turned by someone who had enslaved his father.

But Vader… there was a good chance his father could do it. Luke could sense it in the Force that if he were going to be susceptible to anyone, it would be him. He still didn't know much about the ways of the Sith but given what he did know, it was still more than enough to convince him that it wasn't a path for him to follow.

"That is the way of the Sith. Should you Fall to Sidious, he will ensure that you kill me, as your first act of loyalty to him - "

"I don't care." Luke interrupted stiffly. "If I won't kill you for the Jedi, then I definitely won't do it for Palpatine. Even if I agreed to be trained, by you, you can't honestly say that you would want it to end with me killing you. Can you?"

There was a long pause and he felt his fathers thoughts blanch, almost as if he'd run straight into a wall that he hadn't seen and there was a strange flurry of complicated emotions racing between them that Luke couldn't even begin to know how to untangle.

"You are young. There is much you do not understand." Vader finally said vaguely. It wasn't an answer but it pissed him off anyways.

"And I would say that you're in a cult except that would imply there are at least three members." Luke shot back, bristling.

Vader's mood darkened immediately at his flippancy and Luke realized a moment too late that he'd crossed a line. He would almost swear that the temperature itself dropped. When he shivered and saw his breath fog the air in front of him, Luke realized that it actually had.

His father glared at him angrily, and for the second time today, the Force slowly took on a dark, poisonous air. Luke tensed, heart pounding a little and wondered, privately and briefly, if his father could be provoked into hurting him a second time. He swallowed and after few seconds of tension, Vader finally stepped in front of him and lengthened his stride.

Luke closed his eyes and exhaled a soft sigh of relief.

He bit the inside of his cheek and opened his eyes again, watching Vader put distance between them while he seethed in silent anger. He trailed behind him, slowing his own steps so as to offer his father more space and make himself less of a target in case his rage did get the better of him.

He hadn't really meant to upset his father and he definitely didn't mean to start a fight. But... the talk of slavery, of the dark side, and the Sith, and all the things his teachers had decided not to tell him had put him in a bad mood. The realization that his path with the Jedi and even with the Sith were both supposed to end with his father dying by his hand was just icing on the cake.

A few minutes passed by in cold silence and Luke was quietly surprised to realize that it bothered him.

Even if the conversation had been irritating, he'd still been enjoying his fathers company. He still didn't think he was wrong... but Luke didn't want to be at odds with him either. Vader hadn't done anything yet to warrant an attitude from him.

With a little hesitation, Luke brushed up against his father's Force presence, whispering silent apology.

Vader stiffened slightly and remained cold and distant, just long enough that Luke felt a pang of unease start to settle in his heart before the iciness between them slowly began to thaw. His fathers steps slowed and he paused, waiting for Luke to join him again. They resumed walking side by side, the only sound between them was the respirator.

"Can... can I ask one more question?"

There was what felt like the mental equivalent of an eyebrow being raised at him. There was no hint of encouragement but neither was there any sign that he should definitely not speak right now.

"Why now?" Luke asked hesitantly. "I heard from some Rebellion members about the… inquisitors? I think that's what they were called. Anyways, I heard that you trained those people. If you really wanted to kill Palpatine… you could have had help. So, why did you wait so long?"

His father was silent for a long moment, to the point where Luke thought that he might not get an answer.

"I had no reason to try and overthrow the Emperor until I learned of your existence." Vader finally said. "I began making plans the moment I knew you were my son. I knew that once Sidious learned of you, it would become your fate to either become his next Apprentice or die at his hand. And I assure you, neither of those options will be quick or merciful."

"...oh."

Luke wasn't certain what he'd expected to hear. But it hadn't been that.

He let the silence fall between them again, uncertain what to think or feel about the fact that Vader had ultimately decided to overthrow Palpatine in order to keep Luke safe from his master.

Considering everything that had happened between them and the truly short amount of time that they'd known each other, he couldn't understand why Vader would think him to be that important. Why would he risk so much for a child he didn't know and one who might not want to know him either?

He was just... Luke. He was no one important. He wasn't rich or exceptionally smart or talented and beyond being good with mechanics and having the Force, he wasn't anyone special either.

Just some kid from the outer rim who'd escaped Tatooine and gotten in way over his head.

If he was reading his emotions properly, then his father certainly hated the Emperor enough to want him dead a thousand times over… but he'd never taken the steps necessary to see the idea through.

Why was Luke the catalyst his father had needed in order to finally make a move against his master after over twenty years?

He thought back to their earlier conversation and remembered the depth of feeling that had accompanied his fathers passionate claim and the ring of the truth that had followed it in the Force.

You are my son. I have searched for you because you are important to me.

Luke had decided not to kill Vader after learning that they were family. Because, for some completely asinine reason that wouldn't make sense to anyone else, his father important to him. His reasoning was as simple and as uncomplicated as that. Luke hadn't needed to know him personally when he'd made that decision. Maybe Vader felt the same way. Maybe just the fact that Luke was his family was all the motivation he had needed.

Maybe the answer to his question was as simple and as uncomplicated as that.

"Thank you." Luke said quietly. "For answering."

Vader tilted his head down at him and after a moment, lifted a hand to gently squeeze his shoulder again. It didn't linger there for long but the silence that followed them after that was the easiest it had been yet.

---

Cesi and Tycho set Zach down carefully against the metal wall of the cage surrounding the elevator. Zach's head lulled to his shoulder and Wedge felt his own chest tighten at how labored his breathing seemed now even in comparison to just a few minutes ago.

"Why does this thing have power and nothing else does?" Cesi asked quietly as he approached the computer. He tapped the keypad impatiently to wake it up again and after a few seconds, the same message from before appeared.

"Honestly," Wedge said, glancing at Tycho. "We're not sure. But this is the active mining level – maybe the power system down this way is just in better shape than the rest of the mine. Or," he blinked, a thought occurring to him. "It is an emergency exit. Maybe it runs on a separate power source."

That made as much sense as anything did and Wedge hoped that that was the kind of thing the Empire would do, with it being so all-knowing and concerned for the people of the galaxy and all.

He wouldn't bank on it though. The chances of them getting lucky were a lot higher if he didn't.

"Alright." Cesi breathed slowly, rolling his shoulders out. "Let's see what we can do with this Imperial piece of shit."

Wedge watched for a few minutes as he began to pull up different boxes and screens but quickly grew tired of it. He moved to lean against the cage wall instead and tried to chase his exhaustion away by digging the heels of his hands into his eyes.

"Fucking hell." Cesi swore after a few more minutes had gone by. Wedge looked up and saw the other man blinking rapidly and pinching at the spaces between his eyes.

"You okay?"

Cesi nodded, gesturing blindly to the computer. "Fine – I'm fine." He said, breathing shallowly. "The light just – fuck." His hands raised to press at his temples. He rubbed his fingers into them for a few seconds before shaking his head and determinedly returning his eyes to the screen.

The color had drained from his face.

"You sure you're okay?" Wedge asked, feeling his stomach twist uneasily.

"Peachy."

Liar.

Wedge watched as Cesi clicked rapidly through a few pages of Imperial code that he'd somehow managed to pull up on the computer screen. His expression was pinched in pain and Wedge hesitantly glanced over in the direction of the main part of the cavern.

Everything was quiet and still. There were no disembodied voices speaking out from the darkness.

That didn't mean much down here but… but he desperately wanted to believe that, at least for a few minutes, they could be safe.

More than anything though, he wished that Luke would appear.

But Wedge had meant what he'd said when he'd told Cesi and Tycho both that it was too dangerous to backtrack, even to find Luke. They were finally where they needed to be and he wasn't making anyone go back into that damn passageway for anything.

Wedge was far past the point of caring about his pride and if it came down to it, he'd swallow any he had left if it meant that he could get himself and the others out of this place alive – but even the thought of approaching Luke again after everything that had happened and been said earlier and begging for his help made his stomach twist with disgust and shame.

Wedge didn't know how to do that.

And Luke certainly didn't deserve to be used like that.

How was he supposed to look his friend in the eye, after they had all turned on him, accused him of being a traitor to the Rebellion and forced him out of it, threatened to reveal his secret to the galaxy, and then somehow ask him for help?

Oh, hey Luke – so, you know how we all turned on you and told you to find your own way out? Yeah, well, turns out we were wrong and really need your help, so how about we let bygones be bygones and just pretend that whole episode never even happened?

Yeah, right.

Wedge knew Luke as a forgiving person but… he wasn't sure if there was a way back from what had happened between them earlier.

"This is some advanced shit." Cesi muttered quietly, pulling Wedge from his depressing thoughts. His eyes were dark and frustrated as he scanned through the coding, quickly reading through what looked like complete gibberish to Wedge. It honestly felt like hours but in reality it had was a few minutes before Cesi took a step back, running his hands through his hair. "I don't know how to bypass the password – but it… it looks like the whole damn system is set to shut down for twelve hours if the wrong one is entered in more than three times."

Wedge felt like someone sucker-punched him in the gut.

Twelve hours.

Twelve hours – they wouldn't last another twelve hours in this damn place.

There were so many reasons to hate the Empire but their password protecting an emergency exit felt like a crime so heinously disgusting that Wedge honestly felt that the only fair punishment for everyone involved with that ludicrous decision was a slow and painful death.

Maybe death by that desert monster Luke had mentioned once – the Sarlacc, he'd called it. He hadn't gone into detail but he'd said that death by the Sarlacc was supposed to be the most horrific death anyone could ever experience and he'd said it was such convincing solemnity that Wedge had believed him and still did.

"Well we're down to two attempts now. Doesn't give you a lot of room to play." Ty said with a sigh.

"No, it doesn't." Cesi agreed. "We need a key card, or better yet, an override code."

"Is an override code different from the main password?" Wedge asked.

"Yeah. Think of it as a master key. It should be able to open any door or lock down here. Usually only someone at the top level of authority will have one."

Where the hell were they supposed to find a key card?

No way was Wedge moving anyone out of this damn cavern and back into that passageway again. Not now, not when they were so damn close. They were exactly where they needed to be – but… what if they couldn't get out without one… if they didn't have a damn choice in the matter….

After a few minutes of silence, Wedge looked up, his mind clearing as something that seemed so obvious now that he was thinking about it, finally occurred to him.

"Did… did either of you see if any of the dead had Imp uniforms on down here?"

Cesi and Tycho glanced at each other. "Maybe… maybe one or two of them." Ty answered after a moment of thought. "I wasn't really looking closely though."

"You want us to check them for a card?" Cesi asked, his confusion giving way to sudden understanding.

Wedge nodded. "There's got to be one down here somewhere. If we can't hack the computer, then we need the alternative."

"Shit – let's go look." Cesi breathed, already turning and reaching for the blaster rifle. "Do you remember where the Imps you saw were?" he asked, directing his question at Tycho.

Ty nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

"I can stay with Zach – " Wedge never got the chance to finish.

The distant but loud sound of a chain rattling to the ground as it was wrenched from mounts on the wall echoed through the cavern. Wedge felt his blood run cold and for the first time, muffled sounding footsteps thumped audibly in his ears.

"Oh shit." He whispered.

Wedge looked at the others and saw the same fear that he felt reflecting back at him on their faces.

Shit shit shit.

They were out of time.

"Dowse the lights." He hissed, spinning on his feet and looking around their sparse surroundings. In a moment of clarity, Wedge remembered the bent metal rails and the sound of massive objects being thrown around in the darkness early on during their journey and descent into the mines. The metal cage around the elevator was effective enough against people – but it would be like tearing flimsy to the beast following them.

"We need to hide. We can't risk that thing destroying our way out." Wedge whispered quietly, heart pounding wildly in his chest. "We need to move someplace else. Divert its attention."

"Cesi… where are – you… Cesi?"

Cesi froze, his face whitening even further at the sound of a deep, foreboding voice sounding out from somewhere in the main cavern. It still sounded a little ways off. Swallowing thickly, he drew the bolt of the rifle back with a soft click and then pressed the palm of one hand hard against his temple.

"Hide where?" Tycho demanded frantically.

"There's the second level – a set of stairs, maybe a hundred yards that way." Wedge said quickly, pointing. "We could take the high ground. Maybe it'll give us an advantage."

"Be a – man." The words were being pronounced like an angry, drunken slur. "You worthless – piece of… shit. Come… come get… yours, boy. Be a – man, Cesi. Come get – yours."

"And then what?"

Cesi straightened his spine, his eyes cold and hard now. "We try and kill it." He said quietly. "Grab whatever you need – I'll watch the door."

Wedge turned, reaching for the electrostaff before a thought abruptly occurred to him.

Zach.

Wedge's eyes flew to his friend.

There was no way that they could move him with them. It would take too long and he was in too much pain to help in a fight now. He lifted his head, searching around the small space, looking for answer. His eyes fell on the elevator in the middle of the cage.

It wasn't set into the wall. There was a space behind it. It would be tight, but -

"Ty – help me move him." Wedge whispered, bending down and hooking his arms under Zach's armpits. Ty dropped his pack and jumped into action, grabbing his legs. They both ignored Zach's choked groan of pain. There was no time to be gentle. They moved quickly, circling around to the back part of the elevator where there was a small, tight space between it and the wall.

Sometimes being shorter in stature had its perks and Wedge was just barely able to finagle himself into the space, pulling Zach in after him. There were wires and other such things that cluttered the small area and dust floated into the air as it was disturbed. But it would work.

"Cesi - be... a man. Worthless... shit."

They tucked Zach into the space and Wedge was grateful that there was just enough room where they weren't contorting his body in any significantly painful way.

"Stay here and don't move." Wedge whispered, stomaching twisting as he grabbed the back of Zach's neck for the briefest moment and gave it a gentle squeeze. He pulled back, pausing just long enough to press Zach's blaster into his hand.

They met eyes for a brief moment and then he was scooting backwards out of the tight space and grabbing his backpack and the electrostaff once again.

It felt too much like leaving Zach behind and even as he flipped the elctrostaff charge to LETHAL, Wedge felt the nauseating urge to throw up.

This wasn't like how it was with Caleb.

Zach wasn't Caleb. Wedge wouldn't – he wouldn't do that again. They were going to be smarter this time and even if it killed him, he would make sure none of them were in a position for that to happen again. This was just to keep Zach safe.

Heart pounding the same rapid beat, he quickly made sure that both Cesi and Tycho were ready and approached the gate again.

"We're going up." Cesi repeated quietly.

"Second level." Wedge confirmed with a brief nod. "You two go first. I'll shut the gate. It's going to be loud."

It was as good of a plan as any.

If they were higher up, if they could stay out of reach then maybe they could last long enough to find a weak spot or convince the damn thing that they weren't worth the effort it took to catch. Anything at all – just to buy them some time.

All they needed was some time.

Time enough to get the hell out of here and back to the surface.

Closing his eyes, Wedge took a deep breath and then released it quickly, like blowing out the flame of a candle.

"Alright – go!" he ordered.

Wedge grabbed the edge of the sliding gate and pulled it shut as soon as Tycho and Cesi hit the stairs. It screeched loudly on the rails and hit the other side with a bang that rattled the metal cage and then he took off, sprinting after them.

He took the stairs two at a time, his heart pounding a wild beat in his chest. It felt he was a kid again, when he was the last one up at night and it was his responsibility to turn out all the lights before going to bed. The second the lights went out, he would imagine something chasing him up the stairs and through the house until he was able to find safety and refuge under his bed covers.

The only difference now was that this time, the monster was real and hiding under his sheets wouldn't save him or anyone else.

Cesi was waiting for him at the top of the stairs. The rifle he'd commandeered was raised and pressed firmly into his shoulder, ready to be fired. As soon as Wedge hit the second landing and side-stepped around Cesi, they both began to back away, before turning from the stairs and fleeing down the walkway.

Their footsteps echoed loud on the metal, pounding a beat that seemed to scream 'here we are, this way!' for anyone and everyone to hear.

The walkway followed along the entire length of the wall and, at least on this section, there didn't seem to be anything except the walkway. No step-off's, no alcoves, or workstations. Just a way to look down on people that the Empire considered less than them.

"…Cesi." The deep, foreboding voice of a drunk man echoed again from somewhere outside in the cavern. It was much closer now and Wedge thought he could even hear the sound of displaced rocks and gravel as it moved. "You worthless – piece of… shit. Where… where are you, Cesi? Come – come get… yours, boy. Be a – man. Come… get yours."

---

In their haste to get to higher ground, one of the others had left a flashlight or lantern on the floor nearby. There was a little bit of grey light reflecting on the metal of the skip, granting him just enough to be able to see his most immediate surroundings.

Zach blinked slowly, trying in vain to clear some of the blurriness out of his vision. It was almost constant now and as much pain as he was in… he was also starting to feel numb. Like his body was becoming something separate from him entirely.

He was dying. He knew it with perfect… almost peaceful certainty.

The others had gone. He could still hear them and their echoing footsteps as they ran along the upper walkway, trying to deal with a monster that even now, was taunting from the depths of darkness.

A monster that they didn't know how to kill.

"Cesi… where – are you… boy?"

It was going to kill them – all of them – if something didn't change.

Swallowing and shivering against a chill that seeped deep into his bones, Zach slowly looked up the back of the elevator and saw the dark shaft that was their only way to freedom. He stared at it for a long moment and heard the sound of blaster fire and shouting out in the cavern. It felt distant and fuzzy to his ears.

Force, he was tired. Tired and ready to be done with it all.

Zach dropped his head forwards, coughing weakly… and then paused, his eyes widening a little in sudden realization.

After a few seconds, he felt his heart begin to pound in his chest.

This elevator was running on an emergency generator or powerline. It had to be. If Zach had to guess, the main one had been shut down or destroyed when the factory and mines were abandoned, and that was why nothing else worked but this thing had power.

And only a few paces in front of him, on the wall just opposite of him, was the damn power box.

If the Imperials had been smart… then they would have designed this place to have the resources necessary to deal with a power outage. There would be more than one way to turn things back on. They would have set up a failsafe.

"Come on… lazy bastard." Zach groaned, using his hands and the wall behind him to push himself up on to his good knee. Pain spasmed through his stomach and his ruined leg ached with a pain unlike anything he had ever felt before. "Get off... your – damn ass."

His leg wasn't going to work. It was dead or near to it. With a choked cry of pain, he dropped forwards onto his arms and elbows and began to crawl forwards, dragging his bad leg behind him. Sweat dripped mercilessly down his face.

It was only a few feet away but it felt more like miles before he finally maneuvered his way out from the back of the elevator and across the short stretch of cold floor.

Zach got his good leg underneath him and sat up as much as he could. His vision swam and for a moment, Zach thought he might fall over and that would be it for him. Slowly, he tapped into his training began to practice tactical breathing. After a couple of reps, his vision cleared again. With shaky hands, he pried the panel open on the power box and exposed the inner wires.

He'd watched Caleb reconfigure Cimiento's powerline just yesterday afternoon and it had taken him some time to figure it out but it hadn't necessarily been hard. But whereas the outside source had been a part of the main system and was thus complicated… this one looked relatively simple.

And judging by the fading labels over each individual circuits and switches, it might just be enough to do what he wanted.

"Alright, Zach." He whispered to himself, taking a moment to try and dry his sweaty hands on his shirt. "Just… stay alive – for another… fifteen minutes."

Fifteen minutes.

This could be done in fifteen minutes.

He only hoped he would last that long.

---

They reached the end of the first stretch of the second level walkway and it ended in a sharp point before turning to the left and continuing along the upper wall. Wedge paused at the end before turning, looking left and then right, back the way that they had come from.

It was as good of a spot as any. It left them with two directions to run and they could stay close but still spread out. He stared down into the dark cavern and the most that he could see were the faint outlines of the mining machinery and equipment. Otherwise, it was almost totally dark.

"Cesi – where… are you – Cesi?"

The damn thing sounded much closer now and Wedge dared to think that he could even see a faint outline of something in the darkness below them.

"Spread out." Wedge whispered, steeling himself. "Ty, take left - twenty-five yards out. Cesi, you take right. Distract and flank. Wait for my signal."

Both of them moved slower this time, their padding footsteps more muffled than when they were running. Wedge swallowed and carefully leaned the electrostaff against the railing in front of him and drew his blaster out, switching the safety feature to FIRE and holding it at high ready in his dominant hand before pulling his flashlight out with his support hand. He waited until he was certain both Tycho and Cesi had had enough time to get into position and flicked the flashlight on and shone in down before.

He panned it slowly across the cavern, passing over machinery and corpses, half expected for that awful face to be leering out at him from somewhere below.

There was nothing.

Except... gravel - and shifting rocks under a massive moving weight.

Why was it making so much noise this time? It had been so silent last time – there had been no indication that the creature had been there at all until it had been too late for them to do anything except run.

Why alternate between total silence and making a noticeable amount of noise? Why would it abandon such an effective hunting technique?

Wedge panned back again, slower this time.

Nothing.

Except... were his eyes… blurry?

Wedge blinked rapidly a few times and scrubbed at his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket for good measure. It didn't work.

His eyes were blurry.

But it wasn't – it wasn't everything he was looking at. The metal grates beneath his feet were clear and normal. The railings of the safety guard, the visible pieces of machinery, hell even the damn walls – all of it looked completely normal. Except for one, massive and slowly moving space of air.

It looked like refraction - waves of heat on the horizon of a scorching hot summer day.

It was the creature. It had to be. He couldn't see it... but the area surrounding it was distorted and seemed to advance forwards in time with the crunching footsteps.

That was new. It seemed that it wasn't hiding as effectively from them as it had been earlier.

But why?

What was wrong with it?

Wedge shook himself. It didn't matter either way. The refracted, shimmery air was moving in his direction.

He flicked his flashlight left for a fraction of a second and then whistled sharply once.

Red blaster fire lit up the cavern from Tycho's direction and hit the moving air square on. The bolt seemed to bounce like they all had previously but there was a flicker of something and then it was gone again just as quickly. A low, angry reptilian hiss sounded below them, and the front end of the refracted air seemed twist slightly to the left. Wedge didn't hesitate to fire his own blaster and hit it twice in rapid succession, prompting another angry snarl.

It flickered into view again, for a few seconds longer than before, and Wedge watched as it lunged forward in anger before it slipped out of sight once more.

Wedge switched his flashlight off, drowning them in darkness again, and instantly Tycho's flashlight was on and he was firing his weapon again. Red flashes of light illuminated the cavern in brief little spurts as he drew its attention back to him.

Wait.

Red.

Color.

Wedge blinked and then blinked again.

What the… hell?

"Cesi." He whispered loudly. "Are you seeing color again?"

There was a short pause, and another shot rang out.

"Yeah. I can see it." Cesi breathed quietly from off to the right. "Stay focused, Captain. I got your back."

Wedge swallowed and nodded. Dear Force, he hoped the blaster rifle would have more of an effect. It was the best hope they had now.

He shot another round as Tycho's light went dark again and carefully flicked his light on. A frustrated snarl sounded below and he watched the refracted air twist in a circle and reorient itself once again. It didn't move slowly now as it came his way. Wedge shot it once more, carefully, in the space he thought was its head.

It flickered into view again but this time, it didn't fade out like before and Wedge felt his heart pound as he finally got his first good look at the creature.

It was massive.

Between ten and twelve feet long and Force, it was tall. It would easily tower over any one of them and it stood on four… no, six legs, a back set and two front ones, with the second sitting directly behind the first. There was an impressive set of spikes that followed along the ridge of its back, and it seemed to be covered in an impressive array of mutilating scars. But more than the height were the teeth. There were far too many for him to be able to count and if Wedge looked closely enough, he could see shreds of flesh - of Caleb's flesh - dangling in horrifying strips from the sides of its massive maw.

It glared up at him with dark, soulless eyes and watched him with a fearsome sort of intensity. Its spiked tail swished back and forth a little, reminding Wedge of a loth-cat getting ready to pounce.

"Cesi – where are… you – Cesi?"

Out of the corner of its eye, Wedge saw Cesi step forward at last, aiming the blaster rifle over the ledge and firing.

An angry screech of pain echoed through the cavern and the creature twisted in a rage, ramming its shoulder against an abandoned dozer as the blast pushed it backwards, knocking it a few inches to the side.

"Right here, bitch."

Its massive head spun and the creature hissed again as it locked eyes on Cesi. They almost seemed to narrow and if it hadn't been angry before, it definitely was now.

And it had picked its target.

"Open fire!" Wedge shouted, leaning further over the railing and firing. He focused mostly on the eyes, hoping one of his shots would blind it and give them that much more of an advantage. He barely registered Tycho's own shots, feeling his heart pound as the creature advanced forwards, glaring up at where he knew Cesi was also firing.

The creature moved quickly, determinedly advancing forwards hissing and snarling in pain with every blast that jolted it backwards.

Red blood glistened along its hide in the poor lighting – it was bleeding, Wedge realized. It wasn't slowing down but it was bleeding.

All too quickly, it pressed backwards onto its hindlegs, using its tail for better balancing and stood up to its full height.

"Son of a bitch – "

It grabbed at the walkway with its second pair of front legs and swiped at Cesi with the first, tearing the metal railings apart as if they were nothing and leaning further inwards –

Wedge felt a shudder and cried out in alarm as the walkway suddenly shifted underneath him. The metal supports under the creature began to bend and break, tilting downwards towards the ground. Cesi stumbled forwards towards the railing with a cry of alarm.

The creature lunged again, snapping at him with massive teeth and missing him by only a hairsbreadth.

Wedge holstered his blaster and snatched the electrostaff and took off towards them, sprinting - he wasn't going to make it in time. The walkway shifted again and he stumbled sideways into the back of the railing, clutching it for balance even as Cesi was thrown forwards once more, tripping over his feet. He wasn't going to be able to save himself from falling and the other man must have known that too because rather than falling, he lunged and, using the middle rung of the safety rail as a step, dived forwards and leapt over the monsters head and towards the ground below. He bent his legs and rolled with a grunt just as his feet made contact with the floor, the rifle clattering to the ground and disappearing into the dark.

The creature dropped back down and turned, lowering its head and hissing a low, reptilian hiss just as Cesi got back to his feet and began backing away, looking around desperately for his weapon –

"Cesi – you worthless… little – shit."

Wedge pushed off from the railing and raced down along the walkway, heading for the stairs -

Tycho was firing a steady stream of rounds from his position on the walkway now - Wedge could hear them and see them flashing out of the corner of his eye even as he flew down the stairs, skipping the last two entirely. He barely recognized when his boots hit dirt, racing towards the creature.

He couldn't lose anyone else – not again.

"CESI! MOVE!" Wedge roared, taking the creatures temporary distraction and planting himself firmly before jabbing the electrostaff into its back leg.

It crackled and sparked and the creature screamed as its leg gave way beneath it. Wedge danced out of the way as it turned, swiping at him with one of its front legs and snarl. He didn't give it time to lunge at him before he jumped forward and jabbed it again. He held the electrostaff against it for as long as he could handle the charge of hot energy.

He heard screaming and blaster fire and the sound of the rifle going off again before he felt the creature twist away and something hit him square across the chest and send him flying –

Wedge hit the dirt hard and gasped breathlessly as the air was knocked out of his lungs. Panic filled him as he lost track of time and his surroundings, too stunned to think. His vision slowly began to darken and he struggled desperately to draw in air, willing his lungs to expand.

BAM!

BAM!

BAM!

The rifle was firing, steady and consistent now, and that damn monster was screeching like a demon from hell and dear Force, he couldn't breathe –

"Wedge!"

Someone appeared in his line of sight and then was leaning over him and there were hands on his face and his chest.

Tycho.

"Wedge," he said urgently, eyes wide with panic. "Breathe, Wedge! Come on, buddy! You're okay, just breathe! Breathe!"

"Cesi – you… worthless shit."

BAM!

Wedge flinched and sucked in air completely on accident.

It burned and he felt several sharp, shooting pains in his chest that would have had him screaming in pain.

"There you go, come on Wedge." Tycho was slapping his cheek and Wedge raised a hand to try and make him stop. He coughed weakly and felt the same awful pain that could only be broken ribs even as he began to suck in shallow gasps of air.

BAM!

"Cesi – " Wedge whispered, struggling to get his feet underneath him again the second his vision had cleared enough. "Help… help him." He ordered, bracing his hands on the ground. "Go!"

Tycho squeezed his shoulder once before taking off and disappearing back into the fight.

He had to help them. He couldn't let anyone else die – not again.

Blaster fire sounded again and the sound of it made his head spin. Wedge forced himself to look up and he saw Cesi running for cover now as the creature lunged at him, reaching for his heels with one of its long arms while Tycho valiantly tried to cover his retreat.

Its claws snagged Cesi by the boot and sent him stumbling forwards, splaying him on his stomach with a cry of alarm. He twisted to his back, trying to aim the rifle and ward it off but he was too slow and Cesi howled in agony as the creature planted itself over his body and dug its claws into the flesh of his shoulder and chest.

Tycho stumbled backwards, dropping his weapon and crying out in pain grabbing at his arm the same way Wedge had grabbed at his when it had been Caleb –

He pulled himself to his feet, trying not to stumble as a wave of dizziness threatened to knock him back down.

Where was the damn electrostaff? Where did he drop it? Where?!

He couldn't remember which direction it had went

He patted his belt, remembering his blaster and it was worthless but it was all that he had. He unholstered it and took off, ignoring the burn in his chest as he raced past Tycho and circled around so he could see the monsters face clearly before taking aim.

Wedge fired, hitting the beast in the space between its eyes – and then again and again – but it only growled, hissing lowly as it dropped its head and opened its maw wide, preparing to rip Cesi apart –

---

After another twenty minutes or so, the tunnel finally leveled out and after a few minutes of straight walking, they came across a sign made of a thin metal that had been firmly bolted into one of the wooden posts that supported the passageway walls.

Luke almost couldn't believe it.

An actual Force-damned sign.

ACTIVE WORK ZONE AHEAD

PROCEED WITH CAUTION

Father had been right.

They were close.

He quickened his steps, squinting through the darkness for a hint of whatever it was that they were looking for. A doorway, a cavern, something that would get them out of here.

After twenty or thirty yards, he saw it.

There was a wide entryway, almost twice the width of the ones that Luke had become accustomed to walking past in the passageway that he'd traveled through with the others and on the right-hand side of the wall was another thin metal sign that read

HAULAGE LEVEL ONE

Emergency Exit, South Side

Luke felt an exhausted grin split across his face.

Zach had been right after all. There were emergency exits down here.

They'd found it.

Finally.

"Thank the Force." He breathed, running his hand through his hair. He could practically taste the fresh air and feel the warmth of the sun on his skin already. If he ever had to be underground again, it would be far too soon. Luke had been made for the skies.

But now that they were here, it also meant that the clock to his deciding what to do was officially ticking.

If he was going to run again, then he needed to do it soon.

Luke just wasn't sure if he wanted to.

He didn't have a plan or path or even somewhere to go after all this was over.

He had no allies beyond a small handful of friends who might remain loyal to him. Only the clothes on his back and an entire galaxy out to get him for one reason or another.

But Palpatine needed to die.

Neither Luke nor his father or even the galaxy would ever be free as long as he lived.

He didn't know what kind of monster Palpatine was – didn't know what sort of power or skill it would take to kill a Sith Master. He wasn't even certain if what his father said about Luke having enough power to kill him was true or not.

But if both of them had the same goal… it made sense for them to do it together, right?

Damn him for thinking it, but Luke liked his father.

It was odd to think about in those terms… but it was true. Even after only a few hours, the temptation to stay with his father was strong. Luke meant what he'd said – he had no intention of joining him in the Empire or succumbing to the Dark side of the Force and he would run if it was necessary. But the pull to stay where he was wanted, especially after all that had happened in the last twelve hours or so, was very tempting.

He'd felt the same temptation on Bespin even amidst the horror of learning the truth – it was partly why he'd jumped off the gantry in the first place. There had even been times in the weeks following the experience where he had doubted his ability to be able to turn Vader down a second time.

Luke hadn't been expecting to encounter him again so soon – hadn't expected to need to make this decision now and under less-than-ideal circumstances.

He could still set out on his own – he could find his own path outside of the Rebellion and the Jedi… but no small part of him wondered if it would really be so awful if he did that while staying by his father's side.

His father wanted him. Cared about him enough to try and defy Palpatine. He wasn't holding back answers when Luke asked and he might even be willing to treat him as an equal.

Luke stiffened, coming to an abrupt halt as he was pulled out of his thoughts by the loud sound of metal being bent under incredible stress from somewhere in the massive cavern. There were cries of alarm and a low and familiar reptilian hiss of the mimic.

"Cesi - you worthless… little - shit."

It wasn't super close but it wasn't very far either – on the other side, perhaps? Somewhere behind the machinery…or perhaps it was an echo of some sort and the acoustics in here were deceptive.

Only seconds later, a furious array of blaster fire followed the bending of metal and there were gray flashes of light lighting up the inside of the cavern.

Vader was at his side in an instant – a steady, powerful presence standing firm at his shoulder. Luke felt him stretching out into the Force in tandem with him and felt when they oth simultaneously hit the wall of their Force block.

It felt… thicker. Or maybe their bubble had shrunk somehow? Luke didn't have time to think about it too deeply before -

"CESI! MOVE!"

"That's Wedge," Luke whispered, stepping a little further forward. His palms felt sweaty and he readjusted his grip on his lightsaber.

"Captain Antilles?" Vader confirmed quietly, a steady presence at his shoulder.

He nodded. "And the others, I think. They must have found a different way in. Tycho, Cesi, Caleb – "

There was a furious scream of pain that could have only come from the mimic and Luke was stepping forward and unclipping his lightsaber before he consciously decided that he was going to try and help only to be stopped when Vader threw out an arm to prevent him from doing so.

He tried to duck underneath it, but his father sidestepped in front of him, effectively blocking his path.

"Do not act rashly, my son." Vader warned. "And leave them to their fates. They brought it on themselves, and they deserve nothing from you."

Luke froze and in an instant, he Saw with almost perfect, serene clarity in the Force, in a way that he hadn't even imagined was possible.

He could easily become his father. The vision on Dagobah had many meanings and many interpretations, all of them right and all of them wrong equally. They were dependent on the future – on the path he decided to take.

"Wedge!"

Anakin had fallen to the Dark. Luke didn't know why but even if he could look past it, he remembered all of the terrible things that his father had done with his pain and rage – all of the hurt and betrayal that he could sense they shared in common with each other.

Ben and Yoda were right in the sense that Luke could end up exactly the same as him.

BAM!

BAM!

BAM!

But he also remembered his reoccurring thought over the last few weeks that he could be different from the person that his father had become. That the fears his Jedi Masters and the Rebellion shared about him didn't have to be true.

Leave them to their fates.

Luke couldn't do that.

No matter what they had done or threatened to do to him – if Luke abandoned them now, if he lied to himself and pretended that they were nothing, then there was no point in going out into the greater galaxy and pretending that he wanted to do something that mattered.

Even now, Luke knew deep down that he had no interest in being a person who turned away from those who needed his help.

"It's not about what they deserve." Luke said, standing up a little taller. "It's about who I'm going to be."

His father didn't move an inch and Luke felt his irritation skyrocket and sent a sharp get out of my way feeling along their bond.

"And if I said no?" Vader demanded.

Luke narrowed his eyes at him. "Then I guess you and I are done."

He didn't want to go back to the way that things had been between them.

But he wasn't going to be used by anyone and especially not by his father. If Vader was going to stand in his way and try to dictate the way Luke lived his life, then he was going to run, and he would never look back.

He didn't bother trying to hide his thoughts. He just let them run freely between them and he felt Vader grow still as he heard them.

"I… I can't just leave them to die." Luke continued emphatically. Distantly, he couldn't help but wonder if his forceful expression of emotion was as much for him as it was to try and sway his father. "I won't. No matter what they did… that's not who I want to be. So don't make me choose. Please, Father."

Luke could love his father but he sure as hell wasn't going to become him. If this was what drove them apart… then so be it.

Vader stared at him for what felt like a long time but in reality, it was probably only a few seconds. He could feel the complicated stream of emotions emanating along their bond, a mixture of longing, anger, fear, and fierce protection.

"If you insist on providing assistance, then I will help you." Vader finally said, relaxing his stance a little as he seemed to come to his own decision. Luke felt his own heart flutter with hope even as he sensed his fathers distaste for the very idea of what they were going to do. "But you cannot help others by placing yourself at a disadvantage. If action is necessary, then have a plan or move with caution. Blindly rushing into unknowns is always a fools errand."

There was another loud cry of alarm and the flashes of gray light continued to illuminate the cavern walls every few seconds, faster and more consistent than before.

"Alright." Luke agreed breathlessly. "What do you have in mind?"

---

Wedge watched as the creature suddenly froze, its mouth opened wide just an inch or so from Cesi's face. Strands of flesh and saliva dangled from its jowls and then it abruptly released its hold on Cesi, lifting its head and turning around completely to face the darkest part of the mine.

It began to growl a deep, angry chuffing sound from deep in its throat. Its massive, spiked tail swished from side to side and thin, scaly plating around its neck and the back of its skull suddenly flared outwards.

Distantly, in an almost detached sort of way, it reminded Wedge of an animal documentary he'd watched as a kid and how some predator species would fluff themselves up in an attempt to look bigger and more threatening when confronted with another predator.

There was a tense moment of almost total and complete silence and it seemed as if everything and everyone was frozen in place.

And then, in the midst of the darkness, just along the far wall, a bright green lightsaber came to life with a low and familiar hum.

Luke.

Wedge felt his heart leap into his chest, and he was just barely able to make out Luke's outline in the glow behind his lightsaber. He advanced forwards slowly, taking calm, confident steps.

"Wedge – " Cesi gasped, reaching for him. Wedge blinked and then rushed to his friend, side-stepping the creature which didn't seem to care or notice that he was right there. Tycho appeared just beside him and together they dragged Cesi away, trying to put as much distance between them and creature as they could.

The dozer was standing nearby and they ducked behind it for cover, sitting Cesi against one of the massive tires. He was bleeding from several holes in his shoulder and cussing up a quiet storm as he put pressure on the wounds with his other hand.

"Where's the rifle?" Wedge whispered, looking out around the dozer again. The creature was still standing still, its black eyes locked on Luke, hissing and chuffing angrily.

"I dropped it – "

"We have to help Luke, we can't just sit here – "

Wedge froze as another unexpected sound suddenly registered to his ears. He recognized the moment when the others heard it too because they stilled and grew silent.

It was the familiar, awful sound of Darth Vader's respirator.

Wedge flexed his fingers, shaking his head to try and chase away the instinctual terror that sound evoked.

It was just the creature, he reminded himself fiercely.

"Ignore it." He whispered to the others.

Just the creature… except… it didn't sound like it was coming from the monster. It seemed… more distant, somehow.

Wedge stepped out from behind the dozer, looking for the rifle in the glow of discarded flashlights and Luke's lightsaber.

There.

He spotted it, lying abandoned in the dirt a good twenty yards off, just to the right of where the creature was still standing. Its spiked tail swished back and forth, and Wedge breathed shallowly a few times before wrapping an arm around his ribs, prepping himself for a sprint.

Before he could move though, there was another hiss and hum as a second lightsaber was ignited.

A red lightsaber joined the green one and then Wedge could make out two figures moving in perfect tandem with each other, separated by maybe fifteen feet of distance. They advanced forwards together like silent, inhumanly graceful wraiths in the darkness.

Darth Vader was here.

---

A/N With all the sincerity of my heart, I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm pretty thrilled with how this one turned out but I'm always nervous about writing actions scenes. :) You'll have to let me know what you think! Thank you for reading and please don't kill me for the cliffhanger!

I hope to see you all again with chapter 7!