Leading the Sith Master along the path Vader wanted him to go would be very tricky. He would have to misinform the Emperor without lying outright; or else he would immediately sense the lie. Then the old man would not stop at anything to find out the truth. Palpatine would also want more than the Dark Lord's word about the identity of the pilot. Hmm...it looked like the Force was with me. I had let the other pilot go, whose fighter was only disabled, not destroyed. Lord Vader began to form a plan. I will have to find out who that pilot was and then falsify some documents. Everyone outside the Rebellion will believe that this was the pilot who had blown up the Death Star. High Command will keep it a secret that that isn't true in order to protect one of their most needed members. As survivor of Alderaan, she would pull a lot of fresh people into the Rebellion and be a figurehead to them. He was sure that there would be no problem from this side. For all I care, High Command can crack heads open about why in the sevens hells he gave out false information. There is no way they would find out on their own. It would be too far fetched for them that Princess Leia Organa is my daughter. She will be safe until I can get a hold on her, he concluded. As soon as he recovered from the punishment his Master would undoubtedly throw at him, he would send out two of his most trusted agents to accomplish just that. And the Emperor himself would it make unknowingly easy for him. It was the simple way Palpatine handled occurring problems. Vader had caused it; he would have to solve it, of course on his own. Still, any further thoughts about Leia had to be delayed as long as the "meeting" with his Master was not over. It would do him no good to still have her in his mind at that time. Vader took a deep breath to center him in the Force and in meditation for the rest of his journey. ******************************** Luke gazed at the rather unnerving scenario around him. It was cold and wet and the fog was shifting through the swamp-vegetation. That fog, the cause of the interference, had gotten stronger the closer he had come to the planet's surface. The end result was that his X-Wing had crashed into the murky swamp. Not a few minutes after the crash, the nervous Artoo had managed to fall into the muck. He had then been swallowed and spit out by some monstrous creature, which was living in the hideous liquid. After Luke had managed to clean Artoo a bit, he had gotten everything he could use out of his sinking fighter. Then he had set up a small but chaotic looking camp and had plugged Artoo into an energy-source to recharge his power cells. Now he was sitting on a log, slowly munching on a tasteless ration bar and pondering his options. It's depressing. I can't think of a way to get my X-Wing out of that swamp-hole. At least without some technical help. But Artoo hadn't gotten any technological readings, not even settlements. Luke had thought that it was because of the interference. That didn't seemed to be the reason, now that he was on the surface. Artoo has been right from the start about this muddy planet. I should have listened to him. This can't be a place where a Jedi Master would take refuge, Luke chided himself while the fog around him became even thicker. Perhaps there isn't even a sentient being here? Yes, there was much of life around. I haven't felt the Force this strong and easily before, but sentient beings? I think not! He was, however, still feeling uneasy about his surroundings. Somehow it felt like he had been here before. For most of his life, he'd known nothing but the desert climate of Tatooine Cautiously he reached out into the force like Ben had shown him and immediately felt the sensation of being watched.
