S'more story cumin right up!

I'd like to thank you all for reading and my school for giving me a long Christmas break, thereby enabling me to waste more of my time than ever before. All in favor of me getting a life, please manifest. Are there any opposed? Enjoy! ******** *********************** **********

Han Solo had never been much of one for propriety, and since joining the Rebellion and marrying a princess, thereby becoming somewhat respectable, his habits of promptness hadn't improved. So, when he walked into a meeting a few minutes late, he didn't think very much of his tardiness until he saw the faces of the five people seated around the glossy conference table, their eyes on him as he entered. Solo frowned, wondering what was wrong. He looked questioningly at Leia, who was seated at the far end of the table, hopefully to receive a clue as to what was going on. She didn't look up at him.

General Madine pushed his chair back and got to his feet, offering Han a pained smile, an expression which only deepened the lines around his eyes and mouth. "We're glad you could finally make it, General Solo."

Han detected the faintest hint of impatience in the other's tone and forcibly pushed down his irritation. "Yeah, I'm sorry I'm late--we had some problems getting the compressors to work again. Lando's down there now, trying to.." He trailed off, feeling their eyes still fixed on him. Was he really that late?

"Please have a seat, General," Mon Mothma said evenly.

Wordlessly, Han sat down. An uncomfortable nagging feeling clawed at the pit of his stomach. Something seemed seriously wrong. "What's going on?" He asked, glancing again at Leia. Her face was the same color as her starched white jumpsuit She did not meet his eyes.

Madine cleared his throat. "General Solo, just how well did you know Luke Skywalker after his interesting.incident on Bespin?"

Han frowned. *What?* What was this all about? "Huh?" he asked, a little nonplussed. "Run that by me again?"

Madine's patience was obviously wearing thin. He sighed, turning with his pocket light pointer to the blank projection table. "How well did you know Luke Skywalker after Bespin?" he repeated.

Solo spread his hands, glancing down at table's reflection of the room. Why were they suddenly bringing this up? Luke had been dead for six months. Was this why Leia looked so tired and strained--these people had the nerve to revive the tragedy of her brother's death for her? Han suddenly felt his irritation level rise again. "Look--I don't know what the big idea is here, but--"

"General, please just answer the question," Mon Mothma cut in quietly.

Han sighed and shook his head. "I was in carbonite for six months after Bespin," he answered. "Luke changed a lot in that time, I guess. But I suppose facing down someone like Darth Vader would do that to a person. After that," he shrugged, feeling disconcerted the way their eyes never strayed from his face. "There wasn't much time before the battle at Endor." he trailed off uncomfortably. "Why. what's going on?"

Madine cleared his throat, tapping his pointer against his hand. "A couple of hours ago, we received a message from an indisputable source placed rather high in Imperial hierarchy. The source intercepted and relayed to us an encoded communiqué sent from Darth Vader to the Emperor himself."

Han shifted uncomfortably, the same uneasy sensation crawling up his spine. Why did he suddenly have a very bad feeling about this?

Madine touched a button on the projection table and words scrolled up on the screen. Solo assumed this was the message. He squinted, leaning forward in his chair. He couldn't help but notice that the others still hadn't moved or made a sound. *Whatever's going on here, they already know.* The message was short. He read it, and then in disbelief read it again.

EN ROUTE TO THE FOURTH PLANET OF THE DERRA SYSTEM. GOING THERE TO MEET SKYWALKER IMMEDIATELY. WILL AWAIT YOUR ORDERS.

Han felt a numbing chill sweep through him as the rest of the room waited in silence. "What--where did this come from?" He stammered hoarsely, his gaze sweeping the room too fast to focus on any one of them. "Is this some kind of a sick joke or something?"

"The information concerning the message is classified," Mon Mothma answered him evenly as if she were discussing dinner. "But we can assure you that it's genuine."

Han felt the hairs of the back of his neck stand on end. "I mean, they're not talking about Luke--are they?" *And just how many other people in the galaxy by the name of Skywalker would be mentioned in a secret communication between Vader and Palpatine?* a small voice retorted. *Who else could it be?*

Solo shook his head, feeling like he was floating in a dream. "But," he stammered again, "this is impossible. There must have been a mistake somewhere. Luke's dead."

Madine casually tapped the light pointer against the palm of his hand. "Given the contents of this message, I would seriously ask you to consider otherwise."

Han shook his head. "How? Luke's been dead for six months. I SAW his body in that shuttle crashed on Endor. Now you've captured a random snatch of message and he's suddenly alive?"

Madine cleared his throat. "Actually, there have arisen some doubts concerning the identity of the man who was found in that shuttle."

"What are you talking about?"

Madine focused his hard gaze on Solo. "I'm talking about the fact that the body found in the crashed ship was a decoy intended to lead us to believe that Luke Skywalker was dead. But now, given the contents of this message," he nodded to the projector. "We have considerable reason to doubt that he was killed on Endor."

"What do you mean, reason to doubt?" Han demanded. "Does no one know for sure if that was Luke or not? Med crews didn't bother to do DNA tests--"

"Given the number of casualties and injured we had at Endor, it was almost impossible for the medical teams to cover it all," Rieeken cut in quietly. "A good thirty percent of our dead and missing were never found and identified. Doing tests on one more body that had already been partially identified must have been just one more thing that was overlooked." He met Han's eyes briefly and then looked away. "No, no one is certain whether or not that was Luke."

Madine nodded. "And now this communiqué is as good as proof--"

"Couldn't this easily be a trap?" Han asked. "That your source might've gotten this message a little too easily because Vader wanted him to have it and now they're just camped out on Derra or whatever that planet is, waiting for the fleet to show up?"

Ackbar bobbed his head, large eyes flickering. "This kind of subtlety is hardly Vader's style," he pointed out. "And the contents of the message hardly something that would bring in the entire fleet. It's genuine."

Solo's head was reeling. The mention of the possibility of his friend being alive should have made him ecstatic, but he could not allow himself to hope. The looks the others exchanged only heightened his foreboding.

"We, however, didn't have you come here just to establish the fact that Skywalker is alive," Madine said. "I am more concerned with the context in which the commander is mentioned in this message. And we thought that you, as a good friend of his, perhaps could help us come to some conclusions."

Han glanced over at Leia again and saw her staring rigidly at the center of the glossy tabletop, her face very white. Rieekan, seated next to her, reached up and patted her hand kindly. Had they already peppered her with the same questions about Luke? Han wondered. She looked sick. Han himself was beginning to feel a little sick. Had Luke really been alive for the past six months and they had not known? The kid had been abandoned to the clutches of Palpatine and Vader while his friends had been oblivious to his plight.

"Okay," he answered cautiously, facing Madine again. "Go ahead."

"Well, I think the first question concerns Skywalker's whereabouts for the last six months." Madine began, pacing casually, still tapping the pointer against his hand. "The commander took an unauthorized leave of absence in the middle of a battle. According to reports, he deliberately sought out Darth Vader and surrendered. Hours later, the Death Star was destroyed and Skywalker purported to be dead." He raised his eyebrows, accusation practically leaching from his voice. "Where did he go, I wonder."

Han felt his anger rise inside him again. "You would flat out accuse him of turning traitor on the Rebellion."

"I am merely stating the facts," Madine said quietly.

Solo shook his head in angry disbelief. "That he might have been a prisoner of the Empire for the last six months does not concern you."

"This message," Madine pointed out, "does not imply that Skywalker is a prisoner of any sort."

Han snorted. "And you're able to judge by three sentences exactly what his situation is?"

"It sounds to me as if Skywalker himself does not want to be found by the Alliance," Madine went on, unfazed. "Why else would he deliberately lead us to believe that he was dead?"

Han spread his hands again, tired of wading through these riddles. "This is ridiculous. If he didn't want to be found, surely it must be for a good reason."

"Such as joining the Empire?" Madine suggested. "Like turning against one's beliefs for the money or power that the Emperor offered to him? He wouldn't be the first. I believe it's happened to Jedi before." He refolded his light pointer. "One is unfortunately like the next. It's probably best that the Emperor wiped the rest out years ago."

If Han wouldn't be facing an immediate court-martial for his action, he would have slugged Madine in the face. As it was, he was impressed by his own self-control as he bit his lip to keep from insulting five generations of Madine's ancestry out loud.

"General," Mon Mothma's voice cut in quietly, reprovingly. "I believe that is quite enough. You are finished, I believe."

Madine nodded curtly and took his seat.

Han flattened his palms against the tabletop, angrily studying the faces of the others in the room. Leia stared back at him, her dark brown eyes reflecting his emotions. Whatever the others could believe of Luke, she did not accuse him.

"I can't believe these things you are charging him with," Han told them. "He has given the Alliance so much, and in turn, the Rebellion turns its back on him when he is possibly in most need of its help." He got to his feet, disgusted with this meeting. "Until you have proof, no one has any right to accuse him of these things."

"And where would you suggest we get more proof?" Asked Madine icily. "The evidence speaks for itself."

Han shook his head. "Somebody has to find out what's really going on here."

"Are you volunteering for the job, General?" Mon Mothma asked pointedly.

"Yes I'm volunteering for the job," Han answered. This was Luke they were talking about here. If he was alive, what were they doing wasting time discussing it in a meeting? "How fast can I have my ship outfitted and refueled?"

"A crew can have it done within the hour," Rieekan said.

"Fine."

"So you'll be leaving immediately?"

"Yes," Han nodded. He took the comment as a dismissal. He wasn't about to stay here any longer than he needed to. The others also rose to their feet, Leia shooting him a questioning look.

"Good luck, general," Mon Mothma said, but Han was already turning to leave.

*****

"What did you know about this?"

Leia shook her head. "Only what they could tell me in the few minutes before you arrived. I had no idea."

Solo tossed his parka and an extra blaster into a compact travel bag sitting open on the bed. "I don't know what to think. You know?" He looked at her, seated tiredly on the corner of the bed. "It's taken me this long to adjust to the fact that he's gone. Now he's not only alive, but an enemy to boot. I can't buy that."

"No," Leia murmured, her gaze fixed on the floor. "That's not the Luke we knew."

"But?" Han asked, feeling suspicion creep up on him as he saw the haunted look return to her eyes. "Come on, sweetheart, talk to me."

She looked up, her eyes flickering to his and back to the floor. Her shoulders were slumped and tense. "Well, it's just.I'm afraid.of what might have happened to him in that time."

She licked her lips and swallowed. "I mean--we don't really know what the Emperor.or the Force is capable of."

Had Madine gotten to her? Solo walked around to face her. "Leia, your brother is strong and more stubborn than he has a right to be. He'd pull through. Wouldn't he?"

Her brows knit over her chocolate brown eyes, clouded and troubled as she regarded him again. "Do you know the nightmares I've had over these past months? Sometimes it was though I could just see his face or feel him calling out to me. I thought I was hallucinating and imagining things because I missed him." She shook her head, swiping at the sudden tears that sprang to her eyes. "I don't know. I really don't know."

Solo reached for her hand. "Well, we're going to find out," he said quietly.

She nodded.

Han kissed her hand and then shut the travel bag, picking it up. "The ship should be ready to go if you are."

Leia nodded again, not answering.

***************

Chewie was waiting on the boarding ramp of the Falcon, his interrogative roar greeting them as they entered the hangar.

Solo entered the ship, brushing past his copilot to the cockpit where he began flipping switches. Chewie barked demandingly. There had been a number of people fussing over the ship just minutes ago, and he had debated whether or not to dismember them. He wanted to know what was going on.

Sighing, squeezing past the wookiee to the control panel, Han answered. "Luke is alive."

Chewie's next roar was deafening. Han grimaced. He did not have time to answer questions right now. "We're leaving now to find him. He's supposedly on Derra IV. The trip shouldn't be too long."

His copilot barked something and Solo shook his head. "Not this time pal. You've already promised to be part of a diplomatic convoy to Anroth. Believe me, I'd love to have you along, but I also think bringing a wookiee defeats the purpose of trying to keep a low profile."

Chewie growled. "No, I'm not changing my mind and I don't have time to argue with you." Another bark. "Yes, it means we're leaving now."

The familiar whine of the ship began building up around them and Chewie knew he should take his hint and leave before his friend threw him out. But still, he was unhappy about it.

"Get details from General Madine," Han told the wookiee's retreating back. "I'm sure he'd love to fill you in." *And Madine can hope he doesn't get his arms ripped off. *

***************************

*****

"Luke is gone." Aram Kelson smoothed back his thinning gray hair with a quiet sigh, eyeing Mara who was seated across the small table. "He left two nights ago, right after the fight."

"The fight?" Mara echoed. Her eyes flicked around the homely, old-fashioned kitchen they were in. The man's wife stood at the doorway watching Mara with a suspicious expression that seemed natural to her features. Next to her stood a small boy--their nephew--who could not be more than seven years old. They watched her warily. Mara knew they distrusted her--could tell from the moment she appeared at their door.

Kelson nodded heavily, brow furrowed into a concerned frown. "A half-dozen members of a gang stormed the shop while Luke was working. They're well- known and avoided in Kraull for a reason--there are some vicious people that affiliate with them. I don't know how Luke managed to get on their bad side, but." he trailed off. "All of them were armed. There was a brief firefight and somehow he held them all off. They took little Benjamin--"

"They were going to shoot me!" the boy piped up with the excitement of a child with a story to tell. The stricken look of his aunt and uncle told the actual gravity of the situation.

"Yes," Kelson nodded, still frowning, his eyes on Mara. "I still don't understand how he did it, but by the time I got there, all six of those men were out cold on the floor. He stunned them all."

"Luke saved me," the little boy said again, hurriedly shushed by his aunt.

Well that explained the tremendous disturbance she had felt in the Force, Mara reasoned. It made sense--it sounded like something Skywalker would do.

"Do you have any idea where he is now?" she asked. "It's extremely important that I find him."

Finding the Jedi, she had thought, would be the easy part. She had not figured into her plans extra time to search for him. Already it had taken her four hours to get this far--locating the house where Luke had been staying--only to meet with a dead end.

Aram Kelson shook his head. "He did not breathe a word to anyone of his plans to go. He left only a datapad saying that an emergency forced him to leave. But that seemed a little out of character for him." He eyed Mara again. "I worry that he is in some sort of trouble."

Mara nodded, but did not reply. "Is that all you know of his whereabouts?"

Kelson nodded regretfully. "Yes. I'm sorry we can't be of more help."

Mara was getting to her feet. "No, it's okay. Thank you."

"Is there anything else we can do?"

"No," Mara said quietly, shaking her head. "I don't think there is. Thank you for your help."

*****

She pulled away from the small dwelling in her black Moquet speeder, trying to sort things out in her mind, all too well aware that the more time it took to search for Skywalker, the closer Palpatine and Vader would come to capturing him. And she was stranded without a clue where to even start looking.

*Of course he would have gone,* she told herself. *Why didn't you think of that? He's not stupid. He would have known they were coming for him. *

The question was where could he be? Without a lot of money or transportation, a person wouldn't be able to get very far. And there was nothing outside the city of Kraull that wasn't a three week's walk in any direction.

*Then he's got to be still in the city somewhere.* The problem with that solution was that Kraull was a pretty big town--full of seedy holes that offered the ideal place to get lost for a little while.

Mara exhaled slowly, eyeing the blue sky as though she expected it to drop down on her at any moment. She did not know how long it would take Vader to get here, but she knew they were coming and she was beginning to feel a little desperate. If she was not careful, this could turn into a horrible mess. *I don't have a couple of days, Skywalker--barely even a couple of hours--so where are you?* she wondered silently.

Nothing but her own turbulent thoughts answered her question. Mara gritted her teeth and stared straight ahead. There was nothing left to do but just start looking.

***************8

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