AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you've read this story previously on the Luke/Vader Writers Website, you'll notice the chapter entitled "Talent Night" is missing. I decided it didn't contain enough pertinant information and so removed it.
Chapter XXII - The Emperor's Letter
"We'll miss you, Trapper!" Darcy said sadly, embracing him tightly.
"Take care of yourself," Sparky told him, ruffling his hair.
Once the Elite had all said goodbye to Trapper, Melissa took his hand and herded him toward the door. "I forget how wild you and your friends could be," she said with a gentle smile.
Austin hugged his son tightly, though Trapper was half-asleep and barely returned the embrace. "Bye, Mini-V. See you Christmas." To Melissa he said "His things are in the rental car. Hope I didn't forget anything."
"Don't worry about it," she replied. "This is his home, too."
He looked sheepishly at his feet. "I really wish we could've worked things out, Melissa. I know I wasn't as good a husband as I could've been."
"Austin, we're on opposite ends of the spectrum. I'm a workaholic, you're a Stargeek. I doubt we could have worked anything out."
"True. But I did love you at one time."
She ruffled Trapper's hair. "And I loved you at one time. And we both got something valuable out of our time together. We got our son."
Austin gave a bittersweet smile. "Well, I won't hold you up anymore. Don't want you to miss your flight."
"Goodbye. Don't forget to call."
"I won't."
As he watched Melissa and Trapper climb into their car and drive away, he felt his heart break a little more.
***
Vader snarled wordlessly as he pawed through Rachel's blankets for the fifth time, though he knew he wouldn't find her there. All the signs pointed to abduction -- the shattered window, the overturned bedside table, and most notably the fact that her precious Mori had been left behind in the scuffle. But part of him was unwilling to accept this. Part of him hoped she would poke her head out of a cubbyhole and reveal herself so he could take her to her parents for a well-deserved spanking.
At last he abandoned the search and hurried toward Conrad and Diana's room. Not Rachel! Not now! Her parents couldn't afford to lose another child. And neither could he.
Over the past month and a half he had grown to care for Rachel very deeply. In her he had been able to experience the joys of tending to a child, something he had missed in Luke and Leia. And though she was not his daughter, her disappearance tore cruelly at his heart.
/Why didn't I sense the intruder?/ he wondered. For a moment he considered... but no. Of what use would an Earth child be to the Emperor? Then he reconsidered the idea. She was strong in the Force. She was young -- just under the acceptable age for trainees to be admitted into the old Jedi Order. Was the Emperor seeking another apprentice?
The bedroom door was locked. He telekinetically unlocked it and flung it open. Conrad and Diana fumbled into sitting positions as he flicked on the light.
"It's four in the morning," grumbled Conrad. "This had better be important."
"Rachel has been kidnapped," Vader said bluntly.
With those words, the nightmare began.
***
Austin groped for the bedside phone, squinting to make out the time on his alarm clock. Who on Earth would be calling him at four A.M.?
"Hnnnngh?" he asked.
"Is this Mr. Austin Powers?"
"Mmm-hmm."
"Mr. Powers, this is the Star City Police Department. We'd like you to come down to the station."
It took his foggy brain a few minutes to process the information. "This isn't about the cop I cut off on Shale Avenue yesterday, is it?"
"No sir, it regards your son."
He shot out of bed, fully awake now. "Is he hurt? Was he in an accident?"
"We don't know, sir. From what we can figure out, someone followed your ex-wife's car to within a mile of the Denver airport and shot out the left rear tire. She pulled over to fix it and was ambushed. She was beaten pretty badly and is in the hospital in critical condition at the moment."
"Trapper! What about Trapper?!"
"Your son, I'm afraid, was missing at the scene."
Austin sagged to his knees with an inarticulate cry of anguish.
"Mr. Powers? Are you all right?"
"I'll be right down," he informed her.
***
The waitress wasn't particularly impressed by these customers' costumes, elaborate though they were. She'd lived in this town for twenty years and had seen more authentic- looking gear.
If she had known she was serving the table of Mon Mothma and Admiral Piett, she probably still wouldn't have acted very excited.
"Welcome to the Leapfrog Diner," she said flatly. "What'll it be?"
Piett beamed at his table companion. "We'll have two of your daily specials. Is that all right, my love?" He winked flirtatiously at his companion.
She giggled. "Whatever you say, dear. You know what I like."
He chuckled fondly before turning to the waitress. "It's our anniversary today."
"You guys came to the Leapfrog for your anniversary?!" an incredulous scouttrooper demanded from a nearby table.
"Shut up," his clonetrooper table companion hissed. "You took your prom date here, Casanova."
"Two specials," the waitress noted, jotting down the order. "To drink?"
"Water," Mothma replied.
"What do you recommend?" asked Piett.
"The bartender makes a mean Screwdriver," the clonetrooper advised.
"I'll have that," Piett replied, even though he had no idea what was in it.
She retrieved their menus before heading for the kitchen.
Mothma laughed. "I never thought I'd be allowing an Imperial to treat me to lunch," she said.
"The problem will be paying for it," Piett replied. "I doubt this world takes Imperial credits."
"Don't be so sure," she said, pointing at a gaggle of gold-bandoliered stormtroopers vacating a table. "Did you see those costumes? These people are puzzling. They know so much that they shouldn't know."
"Yes," agreed Piett. "But at any rate, they're not our concern. We have other missions to accomplish."
"Your drinks," the waitress announced dully, placing two glasses on the table. "Cheers."
"Are you certain about this?" asked Mothma. "Simply because Vader wishes to join the Rebellion doesn't mean you must turn your coat too."
"I follow Darth Vader," Piett said firmly. "He may be eccentric, yes, and even cruel, but he has a sense of honor. The same cannot be said of the Emperor." He took a long draught from his glass. "I have fifty men who have sworn the same as I, Mothma. We follow Vader, be he Rebel or Imperial."
She sipped her own drink. I'm afraid Vader will not be a Rebel long. He is a criminal."
"A criminal?"
"Yes." Her eyes flashed. "Guilty of crimes against humanity. He killed over ten thousand Jedi Knights, Masters, and Padawans, virtually exterminating the Order. Well over three thousand of his victims were children." She let her comments sink in. "Once we find him, he is to be put on trial."
He stared at her a moment, then nodded grimly. "I can understand the necessity of that, Mothma. But that does not change my mind. I am still joining the Alliance."
"Welcome aboard, Piett."
"Two catfish platters with French fries for the happy couple," their waitress said, setting a plate before each of them. "Happy anniversary and don't fight over the toilet seat issue." She departed.
"So we must find Leia and Han," Piett mused, sampling a piece of fish. "How long have they been missing?"
"Almost a month," Mothma replied. "Until I got Vader's message I feared they had been captured. I'm still not certain that he didn't harm them."
"I might suggest..." began Piett.
A stormtrooper approached the table, dropped a datapad in front of Piett, and left.
"Who was that?" asked Mothma.
"One of the fifty," replied Piett. "I told them to stay aboard the ship..." His voice trailed off as he read.
"What is it?" she asked.
"It's a message to Lord Vader," Piett replied. After a few minutes of tinkering with the datapad he sighed heavily. "It's password-locked. Apparently Vader will be able to open it. There is an attached message, however."
"Care to share it?"
He read. "'Piett, urgent. Emperor on Executor. Not pleased with your absence. Demands delivery of message to Vader. Suspicious amount of security. TK-382 reports seeing children in Imperial entourage. Haste recommended.'"
"Children? Why would the Emperor have children with him?"
"I don't know," Piett confessed. "But it's never happened before. I don't like the sound of it."
Mothma stood and pushed her chair in. "Excuse me, Piett. I must visit the refresher. Keep that datapad safe. We'll have an Alliance technician try to crack the password." She departed.
Piett pushed his plate aside, suddenly not hungry. What in the galaxy was going on?
"You're not from around here, are you?"
He jerked, then relaxed. It was only one of the many Vader impersonators he and Mothma had seen. This one casually sat in Mothma's chair and folded his arms, regarding Piett expectantly.
"I'm... from out of town," Piett answered vaguely.
"What I mean is, you're Admiral Piett," the false Vader corrected.
He stared at the impostor blankly. "And if I was, what would it mean to you, sir?"
"A lot, Admiral Piett." He extended an arm over the table. "Darth Polowski, Sith Warrior of the Sons of the Sith."
Piett cautiously accepted the proffered hand. "You've got me. I'm Piett. Pleasure to meet you."
"Pleasure's all ours," Polowski replied as two more men approached -- one in black clothing with a frightening red and black tattooed face and a crown of short horns, the other a boy barely into his teens in Jedi-esque attire, only black and trimmed in scarlet. "My comrades Darth Ramirez, Sith Master, and his pupil Darth Anderson, Sith Apprentice."
"Good to meet you," Piett replied, nodding. "What do you want?"
Polowski leaned forward slightly. "You seek Lord Darth Vader?"
"Yes," he replied tentatively. "Why?"
"We can take you to him," Ramirez said, an amused smile pricking the corners of his lips.
"You can? I mean, you know where he is?"
"Much has been going on in this town, Ramirez explained. "Most aren't aware of it, but the Sons of the Sith see no use in being complacent."
"It's the signs of the times," added Anderson, wincing when his youthful voice broke. "It's surely our time..."
"Anderson, did I give you permission to speak?" asked Ramirez mildly, arching an eyebrow.
The boy gulped. "No, Master."
"I will forgive you this time." To Piett he said "A good number of people saw Vader wielding a lightsaber over a month ago at a party. I didn't see it myself, and accounts vary, but we have reason to believe the story is true, and that Vader continues to reside at the site of the party -- the home of one Amelia Osmond, though she loans the home to her grandsons Jason and Patrick."
"That's good news," Piett noted with considerable relief. "When Mothma gets back I'll inform her..."
"Inform Mothma?" Polowski laughed. "She wants to hang Vader, from the conversation we overheard. By the time Vader's in her clutches and you've hacked into that message, those children -- whoever they are -- could be seriously harmed or even dead."
"Yes -- but I'm a member of the Alliance now -- and I must obey..."
"The note said 'haste recommended,'" Ramirez interrupted. "Not 'wait until Mothma deigns to read this' or 'if it fits into the Rebellion's schedule,' but 'haste recommended.' You can do a lot more good by following that note's suggestion and seeing Vader gets that message than by licking the soles of Mothma's pretty white boots."
After a moment's indecision, Piett stood. "Take me to Vader."
Polowski left a few Earth bills on the table to pay Piett's tab. "Come with us, sir. It's not very far."
***
Mothma stared at the vacant table, berating herself for being so trusting. She had thought Piett was loyal to their cause. Now he had gone -- and taken that datapad with him. Whatever valuable information had been in that message was lost.
She tapped a code into her comm unit, signaling for an Alliance transport. It was time for the Rebellion to intervene directly.
She left the Leapfrog so quickly she never noticed the message hastily scrawled in Aurebesh on a napkin. The waitress whisked away the note as she cleared off the table.
***
The police had assured Austin and the Churches that they would seriously investigate this alarming event. Stranger abductions were almost unheard of in Star City, but with help from the Denver police force they would surely find Trapper and Rachel very soon. The parents had replied that they had faith in the police force, that they could be slightly at ease now.
They knew better. For all their good intentions, the officers were no match against the Emperor.
After the police had gathered evidence and left, everyone retreated to the Osmonds' home. Almost all of them were still in pajamas, except for Vader and Fett, both in customary armor; Liz, who slept in the nude and was wearing a bathrobe; and Liberty, who had fallen asleep in her Vader armor. No one spoke or even laughed, a rarity for this crowd.
"Maybe the Alliance can help," Amethyst suggested at last.
"How?" demanded Jason flatly. "Even they aren't that stupid. Why would they risk losing troops for the sake of a couple of Earth kids?"
"Oh, be optimistic for once, Eeyore," Emily chided.
"I can try contacting Mon Mothma on the Falcon's communicator," Leia offered. "But Jason's right. Our resources are stretched awfully thin, and we don't have many ships or soldiers to spare for such a mission."
"Why Rachel and Trapper, though?" asked Mike. "What would he want with them? They're just children."
"A best-case scenario would be that they're simply being held hostage, and we will soon receive a list of demands," Vader replied. "The worst... he is seeking a new apprentice, and the children are young enough to be easily manipulated."
Diana sobbed and collapsed against Conrad.
Someone rapped on the door.
"We'll get it," Jason said, and he and Patrick departed.
"This is my fault," Luke murmured. "I should have sensed it coming..."
"Don't bludgeon yourself to death over every event you feel you should have foreseen, Luke," Vader advised. "You'll beat yourself to death in a day. No one, not even a Jedi, can predict everything."
Shouting and scuffling drew everyone's attention to the living room doorway, where the Osmonds were dragging in a bewildered-looking Admiral Piett.
"Look who decided to show," Jason noted, keeping a tight grip on his captive's arm. "One of Palpy's stooges."
"I'm no stooge!" growled Piett, trying to pull away. "I'm a member of the Rebel Alliance on an important mission!"
"And I'm a sexy blue Twi'leck Jedi," Liberty said sarcastically.
"I'm serious!" Piett cried. "Ask Mon Mothma! I spoke with her just this half-hour past!"
Vader eyed him coolly. "How did you find us?"
"An organization known as the Sons of the Sith," Piett replied. "I assumed they were affiliated with you somehow, my lord."
"That stoned-up crazy cult?" asked Zack. "If they know you're here..."
"No one takes the Sons of the Sith very seriously," Austin assured him.
"And why are you here?" Vader continued.
"I bear a message from the Emperor."
That brought instant silence.
"He speaks the truth," Vader announced. "Release him."
The Osmonds let him go so abruptly he landed on his face on the carpet. Darcy helped him to his feet, and he handed the datapad to Vader. He dialed in the security code, and immediately everyone began to crowd around him, straining for a look.
"Back off!" shouted Sparky. "Give him some space!"
Reluctantly they drew away.
Vader studied the screen closely as he read the message, then re-read it. His hands trembled as he passed the unit to Conrad.
"Austin, Conrad, Diana, you need to read this," he said gravely, then left the room.
"Where is he going?" demanded Fett.
"Who cares?" replied Liz. "What's it say?"
Diana and Austin read over Conrad's shoulders as he dictated the contents of the datapad in a shaky voice. In a matter of minutes, the worlds of all three of the parents came crashing down on them.
"Former Apprentice, if you haven't deducted this already, my men have absconded with young Trapper Powers and Rachel Church. It was my hope that one or both of them would display some aptitude in the Force. The boy proved to be a disappointment, and I was obliged to destroy him.
"Vader, you cannot know how perfectly suited for apprenticeship Rachel is. Not only is the Force strong with her, but she is old enough to understand the nature of her power yet young enough to be molded into an ideal acolyte. I do not doubt that it was the will of the Force that drew you and the girl together.
"If you wish Rachel to be returned to her parents, I demand young Skywalker in exchange. Once your son is in Imperial custody, the girl will be sent home. If you decline... well, her training officially commences in twenty-four hours.
"I am looking forward to completing your training, young Skywalker.
"Emperor Palpatine."
Chapter XXII - The Emperor's Letter
"We'll miss you, Trapper!" Darcy said sadly, embracing him tightly.
"Take care of yourself," Sparky told him, ruffling his hair.
Once the Elite had all said goodbye to Trapper, Melissa took his hand and herded him toward the door. "I forget how wild you and your friends could be," she said with a gentle smile.
Austin hugged his son tightly, though Trapper was half-asleep and barely returned the embrace. "Bye, Mini-V. See you Christmas." To Melissa he said "His things are in the rental car. Hope I didn't forget anything."
"Don't worry about it," she replied. "This is his home, too."
He looked sheepishly at his feet. "I really wish we could've worked things out, Melissa. I know I wasn't as good a husband as I could've been."
"Austin, we're on opposite ends of the spectrum. I'm a workaholic, you're a Stargeek. I doubt we could have worked anything out."
"True. But I did love you at one time."
She ruffled Trapper's hair. "And I loved you at one time. And we both got something valuable out of our time together. We got our son."
Austin gave a bittersweet smile. "Well, I won't hold you up anymore. Don't want you to miss your flight."
"Goodbye. Don't forget to call."
"I won't."
As he watched Melissa and Trapper climb into their car and drive away, he felt his heart break a little more.
***
Vader snarled wordlessly as he pawed through Rachel's blankets for the fifth time, though he knew he wouldn't find her there. All the signs pointed to abduction -- the shattered window, the overturned bedside table, and most notably the fact that her precious Mori had been left behind in the scuffle. But part of him was unwilling to accept this. Part of him hoped she would poke her head out of a cubbyhole and reveal herself so he could take her to her parents for a well-deserved spanking.
At last he abandoned the search and hurried toward Conrad and Diana's room. Not Rachel! Not now! Her parents couldn't afford to lose another child. And neither could he.
Over the past month and a half he had grown to care for Rachel very deeply. In her he had been able to experience the joys of tending to a child, something he had missed in Luke and Leia. And though she was not his daughter, her disappearance tore cruelly at his heart.
/Why didn't I sense the intruder?/ he wondered. For a moment he considered... but no. Of what use would an Earth child be to the Emperor? Then he reconsidered the idea. She was strong in the Force. She was young -- just under the acceptable age for trainees to be admitted into the old Jedi Order. Was the Emperor seeking another apprentice?
The bedroom door was locked. He telekinetically unlocked it and flung it open. Conrad and Diana fumbled into sitting positions as he flicked on the light.
"It's four in the morning," grumbled Conrad. "This had better be important."
"Rachel has been kidnapped," Vader said bluntly.
With those words, the nightmare began.
***
Austin groped for the bedside phone, squinting to make out the time on his alarm clock. Who on Earth would be calling him at four A.M.?
"Hnnnngh?" he asked.
"Is this Mr. Austin Powers?"
"Mmm-hmm."
"Mr. Powers, this is the Star City Police Department. We'd like you to come down to the station."
It took his foggy brain a few minutes to process the information. "This isn't about the cop I cut off on Shale Avenue yesterday, is it?"
"No sir, it regards your son."
He shot out of bed, fully awake now. "Is he hurt? Was he in an accident?"
"We don't know, sir. From what we can figure out, someone followed your ex-wife's car to within a mile of the Denver airport and shot out the left rear tire. She pulled over to fix it and was ambushed. She was beaten pretty badly and is in the hospital in critical condition at the moment."
"Trapper! What about Trapper?!"
"Your son, I'm afraid, was missing at the scene."
Austin sagged to his knees with an inarticulate cry of anguish.
"Mr. Powers? Are you all right?"
"I'll be right down," he informed her.
***
The waitress wasn't particularly impressed by these customers' costumes, elaborate though they were. She'd lived in this town for twenty years and had seen more authentic- looking gear.
If she had known she was serving the table of Mon Mothma and Admiral Piett, she probably still wouldn't have acted very excited.
"Welcome to the Leapfrog Diner," she said flatly. "What'll it be?"
Piett beamed at his table companion. "We'll have two of your daily specials. Is that all right, my love?" He winked flirtatiously at his companion.
She giggled. "Whatever you say, dear. You know what I like."
He chuckled fondly before turning to the waitress. "It's our anniversary today."
"You guys came to the Leapfrog for your anniversary?!" an incredulous scouttrooper demanded from a nearby table.
"Shut up," his clonetrooper table companion hissed. "You took your prom date here, Casanova."
"Two specials," the waitress noted, jotting down the order. "To drink?"
"Water," Mothma replied.
"What do you recommend?" asked Piett.
"The bartender makes a mean Screwdriver," the clonetrooper advised.
"I'll have that," Piett replied, even though he had no idea what was in it.
She retrieved their menus before heading for the kitchen.
Mothma laughed. "I never thought I'd be allowing an Imperial to treat me to lunch," she said.
"The problem will be paying for it," Piett replied. "I doubt this world takes Imperial credits."
"Don't be so sure," she said, pointing at a gaggle of gold-bandoliered stormtroopers vacating a table. "Did you see those costumes? These people are puzzling. They know so much that they shouldn't know."
"Yes," agreed Piett. "But at any rate, they're not our concern. We have other missions to accomplish."
"Your drinks," the waitress announced dully, placing two glasses on the table. "Cheers."
"Are you certain about this?" asked Mothma. "Simply because Vader wishes to join the Rebellion doesn't mean you must turn your coat too."
"I follow Darth Vader," Piett said firmly. "He may be eccentric, yes, and even cruel, but he has a sense of honor. The same cannot be said of the Emperor." He took a long draught from his glass. "I have fifty men who have sworn the same as I, Mothma. We follow Vader, be he Rebel or Imperial."
She sipped her own drink. I'm afraid Vader will not be a Rebel long. He is a criminal."
"A criminal?"
"Yes." Her eyes flashed. "Guilty of crimes against humanity. He killed over ten thousand Jedi Knights, Masters, and Padawans, virtually exterminating the Order. Well over three thousand of his victims were children." She let her comments sink in. "Once we find him, he is to be put on trial."
He stared at her a moment, then nodded grimly. "I can understand the necessity of that, Mothma. But that does not change my mind. I am still joining the Alliance."
"Welcome aboard, Piett."
"Two catfish platters with French fries for the happy couple," their waitress said, setting a plate before each of them. "Happy anniversary and don't fight over the toilet seat issue." She departed.
"So we must find Leia and Han," Piett mused, sampling a piece of fish. "How long have they been missing?"
"Almost a month," Mothma replied. "Until I got Vader's message I feared they had been captured. I'm still not certain that he didn't harm them."
"I might suggest..." began Piett.
A stormtrooper approached the table, dropped a datapad in front of Piett, and left.
"Who was that?" asked Mothma.
"One of the fifty," replied Piett. "I told them to stay aboard the ship..." His voice trailed off as he read.
"What is it?" she asked.
"It's a message to Lord Vader," Piett replied. After a few minutes of tinkering with the datapad he sighed heavily. "It's password-locked. Apparently Vader will be able to open it. There is an attached message, however."
"Care to share it?"
He read. "'Piett, urgent. Emperor on Executor. Not pleased with your absence. Demands delivery of message to Vader. Suspicious amount of security. TK-382 reports seeing children in Imperial entourage. Haste recommended.'"
"Children? Why would the Emperor have children with him?"
"I don't know," Piett confessed. "But it's never happened before. I don't like the sound of it."
Mothma stood and pushed her chair in. "Excuse me, Piett. I must visit the refresher. Keep that datapad safe. We'll have an Alliance technician try to crack the password." She departed.
Piett pushed his plate aside, suddenly not hungry. What in the galaxy was going on?
"You're not from around here, are you?"
He jerked, then relaxed. It was only one of the many Vader impersonators he and Mothma had seen. This one casually sat in Mothma's chair and folded his arms, regarding Piett expectantly.
"I'm... from out of town," Piett answered vaguely.
"What I mean is, you're Admiral Piett," the false Vader corrected.
He stared at the impostor blankly. "And if I was, what would it mean to you, sir?"
"A lot, Admiral Piett." He extended an arm over the table. "Darth Polowski, Sith Warrior of the Sons of the Sith."
Piett cautiously accepted the proffered hand. "You've got me. I'm Piett. Pleasure to meet you."
"Pleasure's all ours," Polowski replied as two more men approached -- one in black clothing with a frightening red and black tattooed face and a crown of short horns, the other a boy barely into his teens in Jedi-esque attire, only black and trimmed in scarlet. "My comrades Darth Ramirez, Sith Master, and his pupil Darth Anderson, Sith Apprentice."
"Good to meet you," Piett replied, nodding. "What do you want?"
Polowski leaned forward slightly. "You seek Lord Darth Vader?"
"Yes," he replied tentatively. "Why?"
"We can take you to him," Ramirez said, an amused smile pricking the corners of his lips.
"You can? I mean, you know where he is?"
"Much has been going on in this town, Ramirez explained. "Most aren't aware of it, but the Sons of the Sith see no use in being complacent."
"It's the signs of the times," added Anderson, wincing when his youthful voice broke. "It's surely our time..."
"Anderson, did I give you permission to speak?" asked Ramirez mildly, arching an eyebrow.
The boy gulped. "No, Master."
"I will forgive you this time." To Piett he said "A good number of people saw Vader wielding a lightsaber over a month ago at a party. I didn't see it myself, and accounts vary, but we have reason to believe the story is true, and that Vader continues to reside at the site of the party -- the home of one Amelia Osmond, though she loans the home to her grandsons Jason and Patrick."
"That's good news," Piett noted with considerable relief. "When Mothma gets back I'll inform her..."
"Inform Mothma?" Polowski laughed. "She wants to hang Vader, from the conversation we overheard. By the time Vader's in her clutches and you've hacked into that message, those children -- whoever they are -- could be seriously harmed or even dead."
"Yes -- but I'm a member of the Alliance now -- and I must obey..."
"The note said 'haste recommended,'" Ramirez interrupted. "Not 'wait until Mothma deigns to read this' or 'if it fits into the Rebellion's schedule,' but 'haste recommended.' You can do a lot more good by following that note's suggestion and seeing Vader gets that message than by licking the soles of Mothma's pretty white boots."
After a moment's indecision, Piett stood. "Take me to Vader."
Polowski left a few Earth bills on the table to pay Piett's tab. "Come with us, sir. It's not very far."
***
Mothma stared at the vacant table, berating herself for being so trusting. She had thought Piett was loyal to their cause. Now he had gone -- and taken that datapad with him. Whatever valuable information had been in that message was lost.
She tapped a code into her comm unit, signaling for an Alliance transport. It was time for the Rebellion to intervene directly.
She left the Leapfrog so quickly she never noticed the message hastily scrawled in Aurebesh on a napkin. The waitress whisked away the note as she cleared off the table.
***
The police had assured Austin and the Churches that they would seriously investigate this alarming event. Stranger abductions were almost unheard of in Star City, but with help from the Denver police force they would surely find Trapper and Rachel very soon. The parents had replied that they had faith in the police force, that they could be slightly at ease now.
They knew better. For all their good intentions, the officers were no match against the Emperor.
After the police had gathered evidence and left, everyone retreated to the Osmonds' home. Almost all of them were still in pajamas, except for Vader and Fett, both in customary armor; Liz, who slept in the nude and was wearing a bathrobe; and Liberty, who had fallen asleep in her Vader armor. No one spoke or even laughed, a rarity for this crowd.
"Maybe the Alliance can help," Amethyst suggested at last.
"How?" demanded Jason flatly. "Even they aren't that stupid. Why would they risk losing troops for the sake of a couple of Earth kids?"
"Oh, be optimistic for once, Eeyore," Emily chided.
"I can try contacting Mon Mothma on the Falcon's communicator," Leia offered. "But Jason's right. Our resources are stretched awfully thin, and we don't have many ships or soldiers to spare for such a mission."
"Why Rachel and Trapper, though?" asked Mike. "What would he want with them? They're just children."
"A best-case scenario would be that they're simply being held hostage, and we will soon receive a list of demands," Vader replied. "The worst... he is seeking a new apprentice, and the children are young enough to be easily manipulated."
Diana sobbed and collapsed against Conrad.
Someone rapped on the door.
"We'll get it," Jason said, and he and Patrick departed.
"This is my fault," Luke murmured. "I should have sensed it coming..."
"Don't bludgeon yourself to death over every event you feel you should have foreseen, Luke," Vader advised. "You'll beat yourself to death in a day. No one, not even a Jedi, can predict everything."
Shouting and scuffling drew everyone's attention to the living room doorway, where the Osmonds were dragging in a bewildered-looking Admiral Piett.
"Look who decided to show," Jason noted, keeping a tight grip on his captive's arm. "One of Palpy's stooges."
"I'm no stooge!" growled Piett, trying to pull away. "I'm a member of the Rebel Alliance on an important mission!"
"And I'm a sexy blue Twi'leck Jedi," Liberty said sarcastically.
"I'm serious!" Piett cried. "Ask Mon Mothma! I spoke with her just this half-hour past!"
Vader eyed him coolly. "How did you find us?"
"An organization known as the Sons of the Sith," Piett replied. "I assumed they were affiliated with you somehow, my lord."
"That stoned-up crazy cult?" asked Zack. "If they know you're here..."
"No one takes the Sons of the Sith very seriously," Austin assured him.
"And why are you here?" Vader continued.
"I bear a message from the Emperor."
That brought instant silence.
"He speaks the truth," Vader announced. "Release him."
The Osmonds let him go so abruptly he landed on his face on the carpet. Darcy helped him to his feet, and he handed the datapad to Vader. He dialed in the security code, and immediately everyone began to crowd around him, straining for a look.
"Back off!" shouted Sparky. "Give him some space!"
Reluctantly they drew away.
Vader studied the screen closely as he read the message, then re-read it. His hands trembled as he passed the unit to Conrad.
"Austin, Conrad, Diana, you need to read this," he said gravely, then left the room.
"Where is he going?" demanded Fett.
"Who cares?" replied Liz. "What's it say?"
Diana and Austin read over Conrad's shoulders as he dictated the contents of the datapad in a shaky voice. In a matter of minutes, the worlds of all three of the parents came crashing down on them.
"Former Apprentice, if you haven't deducted this already, my men have absconded with young Trapper Powers and Rachel Church. It was my hope that one or both of them would display some aptitude in the Force. The boy proved to be a disappointment, and I was obliged to destroy him.
"Vader, you cannot know how perfectly suited for apprenticeship Rachel is. Not only is the Force strong with her, but she is old enough to understand the nature of her power yet young enough to be molded into an ideal acolyte. I do not doubt that it was the will of the Force that drew you and the girl together.
"If you wish Rachel to be returned to her parents, I demand young Skywalker in exchange. Once your son is in Imperial custody, the girl will be sent home. If you decline... well, her training officially commences in twenty-four hours.
"I am looking forward to completing your training, young Skywalker.
"Emperor Palpatine."