Chapter 12
Chaos reigned in the Massassi Temple. While tower gunners climbed to the top of the ruins to man the heavy cannons installed there, other personnel poured into the transports. X-wings circled the base like birds of prey, keeping an eye out for enemy ships. Heavy equipment and anything that could not be quickly packed was left for the mynocks. Technicians worked feverishly to retrieve vital information from what computers and droids could not be taken, then erase the files and memories of those machines. An urgent energy permeated the halls and dominated the thoughts and actions of everyone.
Almost everyone.
Han Solo found himself staring blankly at a readout screen on the Falcon's controls. Vader had installed it, but Han had never used a readout this new before. If only Vader had had time to explain the cursed gadget to him.
Stang, why did the guy have to go and get himself arrested? If he had only consented to being taken into hiding, he wouldn't be in this mess. Maybe Han should have slugged him over the head and dragged his unconscious carcass to Ord Mantell or someplace else obscure, anything to protect him from capture. Some bodyguard he'd been.
Chewie whuffed.
"No, I'm not fine," Han replied shortly.
Chewie growled a reply.
"Do you think he's guilty?"
The Wookie shook his head.
"At least two of us think not." He started the Falcon up. "We'd better check out now if we want to beat the rush."
Chewie barked.
"What?"
He repeated himself.
"Oh no! Not another rescue mission! The last one almost got us killed!"
A snarled rebuttal.
"Of course I believe he's innocent! But I only stick my neck out so far! Taking him into hiding, fine, but I'm not breaking into another cell block without payment!"
Chewie snarled.
"All right, all right, things I do to keep you happy, hairball." He drew his blaster. "We'll go do a jailbreak."
All but the most vital personnel had been sent to the transports. High Command's transport was the first to depart, entering hyperspace seconds before the first bombs were dropped. Explosions shook the control room as Leia and a handful of technicians cleaned out the last of the computers.
"Finished!" a Falleen tech exclaimed at long last, shutting the system down.
"To the transport," Leia ordered. "Last one out, tell the gunners to abort and disconnect the power."
She filed out with the tech officers. The halls went dark as the power was shut down. Emergency glowrods flickered on, giving the halls an eerie yellow glow.
"Ouch!"
She turned to find the source of that yelp. In the semi-darkness, two people had collided.
"Who's there?"
"Watch where you're going, dust mop!" she heard Han snapped.
Chewie bellowed.
"Han! Chewie!" Leia pulled a glowrod from the wall and made her way toward them. "What are you doing here? I thought all ships were told to take off."
"We're here to help evacuate the base," he replied, taking the glowrod from her.
"It's a little late for that," she replied.
"Well, I bet no one bothered to evacuate the cell blocks."
"They were among the first areas cleared out…"
"Well, no harm in checking, is there?"
"Han, why are you doing this?" she demanded. "Darth Vader killed Ghede and has been supplying the Empire with information for the past two months! He's a spy and a murderer!"
"I don't buy that poodoo, Princess. Someone's set the guy up, and I have a mind to find out who. Besides, I haven't been released from my assignment yet. I'm still his bodyguard, and I intend to make good on my job."
"Han, he's a Sith Lord…"
"Oh, save it for later, your Worship," he snapped. "I know you don't like Vader, but that's no reason to let him get pounded to ash. C'mon Chewie!"
They ducked down a side passage.
Leia's first impulse was to run after them, but it was hopeless. No one could stop Han when he had his mind set on something. But why was he so adamant about saving Vader? Did he intend to free him and whisk him away to some backwater world to hide?
She couldn't let that happen. She was determined to make sure Vader stood trial for his crimes. Acting fast, she removed a second glowrod and ran down a second hallway. This was a shortcut to the cell blocks; hopefully she could either cut them off or get to the cell block before Han…
/Leia./
Though that voice was mellow and soothing, it nearly made her jump out of her skin.
/Don't think of Vader as a monster, Leia. That monster you fear so much is dead./
/Who are you?/
/Don't be afraid, Leia. I'm a friend of your father./
/My father?/
/Your father. I am Obi-wan Kenobi./
She held her breath. /General Kenobi?/ She had given up all hope of ever meeting the aged soldier again after his death on the Death Star.
/Just Obi-wan, my child./ A mental chuckle. /I always found the title of General amusing for a keeper of galactic peace./
/But why are you here? Why are you talking to me?/
/Because you are allowing Vader to hold you prisoner again, Leia. But this is not a prison of walls or locks. It's a prison of anger and fear. Vader isn't your jailer, child. You are. You allow your feelings against him to enslave you./
/I can't forgive him!/ she cried mentally. /He hurt me, he destroyed my world…/
/Very wrong, Leia. Tarkin gave the order, not him./
/But he forced me to watch… he stood by and did nothing…/
/Oh, Leia./ The love and almost fatherly concern behind that thought threatened to sweep her away. /How do you think Vader became who he was before the Battle of Yavin? He wasn't born that way. He had a great deal of negative emotions to overcome, but he refused to let them go. He let them control him, chain him, until he was twisted into a Sith Lord. Fear only leads to anger, anger to hate, and hate to suffering. Let go of your fear, my child, before it destroys you./
She fell to her knees with a sob. Stars, was she no better than Vader? How could she have let herself descend down the same path he'd trod? Obi-wan was right – her hatred was only confining her, ruling her. She couldn't let that happen. She had to let go of her fear and anger, just as Luke had told her to do. And though it would be hard to do, she would forgive Vader. She had to. Her soul depended on it.
Subdued, she stood and continued down the hall, with a different purpose in mind.
"Sithspit!" Han hissed, kicking the doorway of the fifth empty cell they'd opened. "Don't they keep a list of which prisoners are in what cell?"
Chewie was trying to punch in the code for the next cell door, but his paws were too large to manage the buttons. Han moved in next to him and entered the code.
At least he'd found out why no one had bothered to make sure Vader was aboard a transport. After a little arm-twisting by Chewie, the guards confessed to accepting a bribe in exchange for "forgetting" to evacuate the cells. As Vader was the only prisoner on this block, it was obvious that whoever had framed him was responsible for this, too. The problem was, none of the guards had seen the briber face to face, having only communicated with him/her/it through written messages.
To Han, that was just more proof that Vader had been framed. The true murderer obviously knew a trial would prove Vader innocent and so was arranging for the man to be killed before his court-martial.
The door slid open.
Han stared a moment, puzzled. There was no one in here, but it wasn't exactly empty either.
Chewie rumbled.
"Doesn't smell right to me, either," he replied, stepping inside. Someone had been using this room for something, all right – a supply sack lay in one corner, and a holocomm unit sat in the center of the cell. On the floor next to it was a thick scarf with the Imperial insignia on it.
/The murder weapon/ he realized, kicking it aside. /The murderer's our friendly neighborhood Imp spy./
He took a second to investigate the bag. Unzipping it, he upended it and allowed its contents to spill out. Clothes mostly, plus a few disks, a small book, a set of boots… and an Imperial ID card.
His stomach gave a heave when he saw the face on the card.
Vader sat in a corner of his cell, knees drawn to his chest, head buried in his folded arms. Dimly he felt the wall and floor shiver slightly as if struck by a small earthquake, but that failed to grab his interest. The Alliance's accusation dominated his thoughts, shrouding him in a depression he hadn't felt since first awakening in the medical bay after his TIE's crash.
The worst of this entire situation, he decided, was that he would probably never know exactly who framed him. It could have been anyone – Princess Leia, a disgruntled soldier, the family member of a Rebel he'd killed, even one of the Rogues. But as the Alliance didn't seem very interested in finding out who the real culprit was, they would most likely go free, while he would be tried and quite probably convicted for Ghede's murder.
There was a hiss as the door opened. He didn't bother to look up. It was most likely some guards here to take him to his trial…
"Vader."
That was the Princess! His head came up sharply. Was she here to taunt him? Kill him now and have her vengeance? Grill him for details on Ghede's death, details he couldn't provide?
"Is the Alliance ready to try me?" was all he asked.
"No," she replied, stepping into the cell. She hadn't any weapons or guards, yet she didn't seem afraid of him anymore. That puzzled him. A few days ago she had practically fled at the sight of him.
"I've come to release you," she went on. "The base is under attack. We have to evacuate as soon as possible. Come with me."
Still skeptical, he remained where he was. "Why do you want to help me? Luke told me you hated me and that I… I…"
"Tortured me," she replied. "Yes, I figured he would tell you. But I've decided to drop my pack of rocks."
"Drop your what?"
She smiled unexpectedly. "Sorry. Something Luke told me." The smile faded. "I realize that my feelings toward you are my own problem, not anyone else's. And I shouldn't let them come in the way of justice… or of my own life. I forgive you, Darth Vader, for all you've done to me. The question is, will you forgive me for being so quick to accuse?"
It was as if a great weight had come off his back. His heart rose. "Of course, your Highness."
"Now let's go. We don't have much time…"
"Darth!" exclaimed Han, bursting into the cell. "Boy, am I glad to see you!"
"Han!" he replied. "Chewie! What are you doing here?"
"We're here to break you out. But it looks like that's been taken care of."
"We're wasting time," Leia told him. "We've got to get to the last transport or we'll be stranded here and either be captured or killed."
"Hold on, Princess," Han told her. "Something's come up."
"What could be more important than escaping death?" asked Vader.
"How about the identity of Ghede's killer?"
That got their attention in a hurry.
"I found the spot where our friend the spy's been doing their business. They left this." He held up a heavy scarf.
Leia sucked in her breath. "The spy killed Ghede."
"It gets worse. They also left an ID card." He handed it to Vader. "It's a member of Rogue Squadron."
He felt the blood drain from his face. "Good stars!"
A dozen X-wings hung over the temple in a loose V formation, Luke at the head. Facing them were approximately fifty TIEs in various battle formations. Strangely enough, after dropping several bombs around the base to see what they could scare up, the Imperial ships hadn't pressed the attack. Maybe they were hoping the Alliance would strike first. Or they were awaiting a signal of some sort. Either way, Luke kept the squadron on their toes.
"They outnumber us, sir," Janson noted balefully.
"Thanks for the input, Mr. Obvious," muttered Hobbie.
"Hobbie, enough," Luke cautioned gently.
Janson did have a point. In the Battle of Yavin they had lost so many fighters, and there hadn't been enough time or resources to acquire more ships or train enough new pilots to build the ranks up to their former state. But hopefully the squadron's training – as well as the fact that X-wings had the added advantage of shields – would make up for their small numbers. And it wasn't as if the transports were totally unprotected – each had their own guns, as well as an escort of two Y-wings per craft, though the Y-wing pilots had received only rudimentary training.
"Commander?" Squib said in a tiny voice.
"Yes, Squib?"
"I have to tell you something."
"Can it wait until the rendezvous?"
"No."
"Got air sickness, buddy?" asked Mela kindly.
"No, it's about… about Ghede."
He had everyone's attention now.
"You know who killed him?" asked Luke, managing to hide his anxiousness to hear the answer.
"Th-the Imperial sp-p-py killed G-ghede."
The silence could be cut with a vibroblade. Everyone waited with bated breath for the rest of Squib's answer.
"I s-s-saw the spy g-go into th-th-the cell b-b-block. The spy is…"
Flame enveloped Squib's X-wing, and it plummeted into the trees.
"SQUIB!" Luke screamed.
"What the stang happened?!" demanded Wedge.
Bekme, in the fighter that had been behind Squib, was screaming hysterically. "Oh stars! Oh stars! I'm so sorry!" she cried, close to tears. "I don't know how that happened! My weapons just freaked out on me!"
Luke felt strangely uneasy at Bekme's reaction. Something was wrong…
"Bekme, that was no accident," he told her firmly.
"It was!" she insisted. "I didn't even touch the trigger! Vader must have rigged my controls…"
"You should have noticed any tampering during the preflight checks," Luke countered. "And if you had found evidence of such tampering, you should have reported it to me immediately."
Dead silence.
"Bekme, talk to me," he ordered. "What really happened?"
Nothing.
"You!" shouted Wedge, aghast. "You did it all! You killed Ghede! You blamed it on Darth so he could take the heat and not you! You framed him!"
"Why, Bekme?" asked Ar'ya.
"Ghede and Squib walked in on me," she said quietly. "They saw my secret. I couldn't let the Commander blow my cover. And he couldn't be bullied into staying quiet like Squib could. I had to shut him up somehow."
Luke felt as if the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. "You've been an Imperial agent all this time, not Vader," he whispered, crushed. "You betrayed us all."
"I always said Queen Amidala would have been disgusted by the state of the galaxy today," she replied evenly. "She would have been horrified that a faction would actually seek to take over the galaxy by force. She fought the Seperatists during the Clone Wars, and she would have fought the Rebellion today."
"So you wormed your way in here to break it up from the inside?" demanded Wedge angrily.
"It was not my choice," Bekme shot back. "Women, even high-ranking ones, aren't liked in the Empire, so I usually get the dangerous assignments like this. I was sent by the Emperor himself."
His heart fell somewhere around his ankles. "I thought I could call you a friend, Bekme."
"I'm sorry, Luke," she said with honest regret. "I truly loved you, even if you were the galaxy's most wanted man. But I'm an Imperial officer. Duty must always come first. That's why I had to kill Ghede and make Squib swear to not breathe a word when they walked into the cell where I was sending the message. I think Ghede suspected me from the beginning. He certainly kept a rather close watch on me."
"Why blame Darth, though?" asked Zev. "He didn't do anything to you!"
"Do you think only the Rebellion has cause to fear the Emperor's right-hand man?" she retorted. "He's a monster! Ever since I was a little girl, seeing him on holobroadcasts gave me nightmares! When Luke dragged his body into the base, I was terrified out of my wits. But when I found out he had amnesia, I knew I could work it to my advantage."
"So you worked it to make him look like the guilty party," Dekham realized.
"Next to a member of the Alliance's elite squadron, who was going to believe a former Sith?" she replied.
Shocked silence reigned as Bekme's fighter broke out of formation and began to head toward the Imperial ranks. Wedge was the first to recover from his shock and fire, but she dodged the strike.
"Shoot her down, Luke!" urged Gavin. "You're the best shot among us!"
Luke tried to tighten his grip on the trigger, but he couldn't. She was a spy… but she was still the woman he had given his heart to. How could he destroy her?
"Olie to Imperial Fleet, fire on my command." To Luke she said, "If you surrender now, Luke, I can arrange for you to have a lenient sentence."
He drew himself up straight. Anger began to replace his disbelief. Did she really expect him to give up so easily? She should know better, having been among true Rogues for so long.
"That's Commander Skywalker to you, Bekme," he replied coldly. "Fight to the end, Rogues!"
"And that's Madam Grand Admiral Olie to you, Commander," she hissed. "Wipe them out, men. All of them except Skywalker. We want him live."
"Of all the…" snarled Leia as she, Han, Chewie, and Vader charged for the Falcon. "If I get my hands on that tramp…"
"Now don't get worked up, Princess," Han told her between breaths. "We'll get there in plenty of time to save your boyfriend."
"He's not my boyfriend!" she retorted.
"Why did it have to be Bekme?" asked Vader. "Luke loves her! He'll never be able to strike her down, even if she is the enemy!"
At last they reached the hangar. The shield doors were wide open, offering them a view of the skies outside – and the battle.
Leia's heart lurched. Rogue Squadron was outnumbered five to one. One X-wing had already been shot down, and it blazed in ruins on the jungle floor. Somehow, however, she knew it wasn't Luke's. But the rest of the ships were in dire trouble.
"We'll get to the Falcon and help Luke out…" began Han. "Hey!"
Vader had taken off, heading for the other end of the hangar.
"Where are you going?" Leia called.
"Two ships are better than one," he replied, disappearing behind a heap of ship parts.
There was the deep thrum of a starfighter's engine powering up, and a shining N-1 class Naboo starfighter roared out of the hangar, gleaming a bright flaming red in the sunlight.
"Well, that explains the red stains," Leia remarked, feeling guilty all over again.
"We don't have time for I-told-you-sos, Princess," Han told her. "Can you shoot or fly?"
"Both," she replied. "But I'm a better shot than I am a pilot."
"Good. You and I'll man the guns, Chewie will fly. Let's help Luke and Vader hold off those TIEs until the transports can take off!"
Chaos reigned in the Massassi Temple. While tower gunners climbed to the top of the ruins to man the heavy cannons installed there, other personnel poured into the transports. X-wings circled the base like birds of prey, keeping an eye out for enemy ships. Heavy equipment and anything that could not be quickly packed was left for the mynocks. Technicians worked feverishly to retrieve vital information from what computers and droids could not be taken, then erase the files and memories of those machines. An urgent energy permeated the halls and dominated the thoughts and actions of everyone.
Almost everyone.
Han Solo found himself staring blankly at a readout screen on the Falcon's controls. Vader had installed it, but Han had never used a readout this new before. If only Vader had had time to explain the cursed gadget to him.
Stang, why did the guy have to go and get himself arrested? If he had only consented to being taken into hiding, he wouldn't be in this mess. Maybe Han should have slugged him over the head and dragged his unconscious carcass to Ord Mantell or someplace else obscure, anything to protect him from capture. Some bodyguard he'd been.
Chewie whuffed.
"No, I'm not fine," Han replied shortly.
Chewie growled a reply.
"Do you think he's guilty?"
The Wookie shook his head.
"At least two of us think not." He started the Falcon up. "We'd better check out now if we want to beat the rush."
Chewie barked.
"What?"
He repeated himself.
"Oh no! Not another rescue mission! The last one almost got us killed!"
A snarled rebuttal.
"Of course I believe he's innocent! But I only stick my neck out so far! Taking him into hiding, fine, but I'm not breaking into another cell block without payment!"
Chewie snarled.
"All right, all right, things I do to keep you happy, hairball." He drew his blaster. "We'll go do a jailbreak."
All but the most vital personnel had been sent to the transports. High Command's transport was the first to depart, entering hyperspace seconds before the first bombs were dropped. Explosions shook the control room as Leia and a handful of technicians cleaned out the last of the computers.
"Finished!" a Falleen tech exclaimed at long last, shutting the system down.
"To the transport," Leia ordered. "Last one out, tell the gunners to abort and disconnect the power."
She filed out with the tech officers. The halls went dark as the power was shut down. Emergency glowrods flickered on, giving the halls an eerie yellow glow.
"Ouch!"
She turned to find the source of that yelp. In the semi-darkness, two people had collided.
"Who's there?"
"Watch where you're going, dust mop!" she heard Han snapped.
Chewie bellowed.
"Han! Chewie!" Leia pulled a glowrod from the wall and made her way toward them. "What are you doing here? I thought all ships were told to take off."
"We're here to help evacuate the base," he replied, taking the glowrod from her.
"It's a little late for that," she replied.
"Well, I bet no one bothered to evacuate the cell blocks."
"They were among the first areas cleared out…"
"Well, no harm in checking, is there?"
"Han, why are you doing this?" she demanded. "Darth Vader killed Ghede and has been supplying the Empire with information for the past two months! He's a spy and a murderer!"
"I don't buy that poodoo, Princess. Someone's set the guy up, and I have a mind to find out who. Besides, I haven't been released from my assignment yet. I'm still his bodyguard, and I intend to make good on my job."
"Han, he's a Sith Lord…"
"Oh, save it for later, your Worship," he snapped. "I know you don't like Vader, but that's no reason to let him get pounded to ash. C'mon Chewie!"
They ducked down a side passage.
Leia's first impulse was to run after them, but it was hopeless. No one could stop Han when he had his mind set on something. But why was he so adamant about saving Vader? Did he intend to free him and whisk him away to some backwater world to hide?
She couldn't let that happen. She was determined to make sure Vader stood trial for his crimes. Acting fast, she removed a second glowrod and ran down a second hallway. This was a shortcut to the cell blocks; hopefully she could either cut them off or get to the cell block before Han…
/Leia./
Though that voice was mellow and soothing, it nearly made her jump out of her skin.
/Don't think of Vader as a monster, Leia. That monster you fear so much is dead./
/Who are you?/
/Don't be afraid, Leia. I'm a friend of your father./
/My father?/
/Your father. I am Obi-wan Kenobi./
She held her breath. /General Kenobi?/ She had given up all hope of ever meeting the aged soldier again after his death on the Death Star.
/Just Obi-wan, my child./ A mental chuckle. /I always found the title of General amusing for a keeper of galactic peace./
/But why are you here? Why are you talking to me?/
/Because you are allowing Vader to hold you prisoner again, Leia. But this is not a prison of walls or locks. It's a prison of anger and fear. Vader isn't your jailer, child. You are. You allow your feelings against him to enslave you./
/I can't forgive him!/ she cried mentally. /He hurt me, he destroyed my world…/
/Very wrong, Leia. Tarkin gave the order, not him./
/But he forced me to watch… he stood by and did nothing…/
/Oh, Leia./ The love and almost fatherly concern behind that thought threatened to sweep her away. /How do you think Vader became who he was before the Battle of Yavin? He wasn't born that way. He had a great deal of negative emotions to overcome, but he refused to let them go. He let them control him, chain him, until he was twisted into a Sith Lord. Fear only leads to anger, anger to hate, and hate to suffering. Let go of your fear, my child, before it destroys you./
She fell to her knees with a sob. Stars, was she no better than Vader? How could she have let herself descend down the same path he'd trod? Obi-wan was right – her hatred was only confining her, ruling her. She couldn't let that happen. She had to let go of her fear and anger, just as Luke had told her to do. And though it would be hard to do, she would forgive Vader. She had to. Her soul depended on it.
Subdued, she stood and continued down the hall, with a different purpose in mind.
"Sithspit!" Han hissed, kicking the doorway of the fifth empty cell they'd opened. "Don't they keep a list of which prisoners are in what cell?"
Chewie was trying to punch in the code for the next cell door, but his paws were too large to manage the buttons. Han moved in next to him and entered the code.
At least he'd found out why no one had bothered to make sure Vader was aboard a transport. After a little arm-twisting by Chewie, the guards confessed to accepting a bribe in exchange for "forgetting" to evacuate the cells. As Vader was the only prisoner on this block, it was obvious that whoever had framed him was responsible for this, too. The problem was, none of the guards had seen the briber face to face, having only communicated with him/her/it through written messages.
To Han, that was just more proof that Vader had been framed. The true murderer obviously knew a trial would prove Vader innocent and so was arranging for the man to be killed before his court-martial.
The door slid open.
Han stared a moment, puzzled. There was no one in here, but it wasn't exactly empty either.
Chewie rumbled.
"Doesn't smell right to me, either," he replied, stepping inside. Someone had been using this room for something, all right – a supply sack lay in one corner, and a holocomm unit sat in the center of the cell. On the floor next to it was a thick scarf with the Imperial insignia on it.
/The murder weapon/ he realized, kicking it aside. /The murderer's our friendly neighborhood Imp spy./
He took a second to investigate the bag. Unzipping it, he upended it and allowed its contents to spill out. Clothes mostly, plus a few disks, a small book, a set of boots… and an Imperial ID card.
His stomach gave a heave when he saw the face on the card.
Vader sat in a corner of his cell, knees drawn to his chest, head buried in his folded arms. Dimly he felt the wall and floor shiver slightly as if struck by a small earthquake, but that failed to grab his interest. The Alliance's accusation dominated his thoughts, shrouding him in a depression he hadn't felt since first awakening in the medical bay after his TIE's crash.
The worst of this entire situation, he decided, was that he would probably never know exactly who framed him. It could have been anyone – Princess Leia, a disgruntled soldier, the family member of a Rebel he'd killed, even one of the Rogues. But as the Alliance didn't seem very interested in finding out who the real culprit was, they would most likely go free, while he would be tried and quite probably convicted for Ghede's murder.
There was a hiss as the door opened. He didn't bother to look up. It was most likely some guards here to take him to his trial…
"Vader."
That was the Princess! His head came up sharply. Was she here to taunt him? Kill him now and have her vengeance? Grill him for details on Ghede's death, details he couldn't provide?
"Is the Alliance ready to try me?" was all he asked.
"No," she replied, stepping into the cell. She hadn't any weapons or guards, yet she didn't seem afraid of him anymore. That puzzled him. A few days ago she had practically fled at the sight of him.
"I've come to release you," she went on. "The base is under attack. We have to evacuate as soon as possible. Come with me."
Still skeptical, he remained where he was. "Why do you want to help me? Luke told me you hated me and that I… I…"
"Tortured me," she replied. "Yes, I figured he would tell you. But I've decided to drop my pack of rocks."
"Drop your what?"
She smiled unexpectedly. "Sorry. Something Luke told me." The smile faded. "I realize that my feelings toward you are my own problem, not anyone else's. And I shouldn't let them come in the way of justice… or of my own life. I forgive you, Darth Vader, for all you've done to me. The question is, will you forgive me for being so quick to accuse?"
It was as if a great weight had come off his back. His heart rose. "Of course, your Highness."
"Now let's go. We don't have much time…"
"Darth!" exclaimed Han, bursting into the cell. "Boy, am I glad to see you!"
"Han!" he replied. "Chewie! What are you doing here?"
"We're here to break you out. But it looks like that's been taken care of."
"We're wasting time," Leia told him. "We've got to get to the last transport or we'll be stranded here and either be captured or killed."
"Hold on, Princess," Han told her. "Something's come up."
"What could be more important than escaping death?" asked Vader.
"How about the identity of Ghede's killer?"
That got their attention in a hurry.
"I found the spot where our friend the spy's been doing their business. They left this." He held up a heavy scarf.
Leia sucked in her breath. "The spy killed Ghede."
"It gets worse. They also left an ID card." He handed it to Vader. "It's a member of Rogue Squadron."
He felt the blood drain from his face. "Good stars!"
A dozen X-wings hung over the temple in a loose V formation, Luke at the head. Facing them were approximately fifty TIEs in various battle formations. Strangely enough, after dropping several bombs around the base to see what they could scare up, the Imperial ships hadn't pressed the attack. Maybe they were hoping the Alliance would strike first. Or they were awaiting a signal of some sort. Either way, Luke kept the squadron on their toes.
"They outnumber us, sir," Janson noted balefully.
"Thanks for the input, Mr. Obvious," muttered Hobbie.
"Hobbie, enough," Luke cautioned gently.
Janson did have a point. In the Battle of Yavin they had lost so many fighters, and there hadn't been enough time or resources to acquire more ships or train enough new pilots to build the ranks up to their former state. But hopefully the squadron's training – as well as the fact that X-wings had the added advantage of shields – would make up for their small numbers. And it wasn't as if the transports were totally unprotected – each had their own guns, as well as an escort of two Y-wings per craft, though the Y-wing pilots had received only rudimentary training.
"Commander?" Squib said in a tiny voice.
"Yes, Squib?"
"I have to tell you something."
"Can it wait until the rendezvous?"
"No."
"Got air sickness, buddy?" asked Mela kindly.
"No, it's about… about Ghede."
He had everyone's attention now.
"You know who killed him?" asked Luke, managing to hide his anxiousness to hear the answer.
"Th-the Imperial sp-p-py killed G-ghede."
The silence could be cut with a vibroblade. Everyone waited with bated breath for the rest of Squib's answer.
"I s-s-saw the spy g-go into th-th-the cell b-b-block. The spy is…"
Flame enveloped Squib's X-wing, and it plummeted into the trees.
"SQUIB!" Luke screamed.
"What the stang happened?!" demanded Wedge.
Bekme, in the fighter that had been behind Squib, was screaming hysterically. "Oh stars! Oh stars! I'm so sorry!" she cried, close to tears. "I don't know how that happened! My weapons just freaked out on me!"
Luke felt strangely uneasy at Bekme's reaction. Something was wrong…
"Bekme, that was no accident," he told her firmly.
"It was!" she insisted. "I didn't even touch the trigger! Vader must have rigged my controls…"
"You should have noticed any tampering during the preflight checks," Luke countered. "And if you had found evidence of such tampering, you should have reported it to me immediately."
Dead silence.
"Bekme, talk to me," he ordered. "What really happened?"
Nothing.
"You!" shouted Wedge, aghast. "You did it all! You killed Ghede! You blamed it on Darth so he could take the heat and not you! You framed him!"
"Why, Bekme?" asked Ar'ya.
"Ghede and Squib walked in on me," she said quietly. "They saw my secret. I couldn't let the Commander blow my cover. And he couldn't be bullied into staying quiet like Squib could. I had to shut him up somehow."
Luke felt as if the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. "You've been an Imperial agent all this time, not Vader," he whispered, crushed. "You betrayed us all."
"I always said Queen Amidala would have been disgusted by the state of the galaxy today," she replied evenly. "She would have been horrified that a faction would actually seek to take over the galaxy by force. She fought the Seperatists during the Clone Wars, and she would have fought the Rebellion today."
"So you wormed your way in here to break it up from the inside?" demanded Wedge angrily.
"It was not my choice," Bekme shot back. "Women, even high-ranking ones, aren't liked in the Empire, so I usually get the dangerous assignments like this. I was sent by the Emperor himself."
His heart fell somewhere around his ankles. "I thought I could call you a friend, Bekme."
"I'm sorry, Luke," she said with honest regret. "I truly loved you, even if you were the galaxy's most wanted man. But I'm an Imperial officer. Duty must always come first. That's why I had to kill Ghede and make Squib swear to not breathe a word when they walked into the cell where I was sending the message. I think Ghede suspected me from the beginning. He certainly kept a rather close watch on me."
"Why blame Darth, though?" asked Zev. "He didn't do anything to you!"
"Do you think only the Rebellion has cause to fear the Emperor's right-hand man?" she retorted. "He's a monster! Ever since I was a little girl, seeing him on holobroadcasts gave me nightmares! When Luke dragged his body into the base, I was terrified out of my wits. But when I found out he had amnesia, I knew I could work it to my advantage."
"So you worked it to make him look like the guilty party," Dekham realized.
"Next to a member of the Alliance's elite squadron, who was going to believe a former Sith?" she replied.
Shocked silence reigned as Bekme's fighter broke out of formation and began to head toward the Imperial ranks. Wedge was the first to recover from his shock and fire, but she dodged the strike.
"Shoot her down, Luke!" urged Gavin. "You're the best shot among us!"
Luke tried to tighten his grip on the trigger, but he couldn't. She was a spy… but she was still the woman he had given his heart to. How could he destroy her?
"Olie to Imperial Fleet, fire on my command." To Luke she said, "If you surrender now, Luke, I can arrange for you to have a lenient sentence."
He drew himself up straight. Anger began to replace his disbelief. Did she really expect him to give up so easily? She should know better, having been among true Rogues for so long.
"That's Commander Skywalker to you, Bekme," he replied coldly. "Fight to the end, Rogues!"
"And that's Madam Grand Admiral Olie to you, Commander," she hissed. "Wipe them out, men. All of them except Skywalker. We want him live."
"Of all the…" snarled Leia as she, Han, Chewie, and Vader charged for the Falcon. "If I get my hands on that tramp…"
"Now don't get worked up, Princess," Han told her between breaths. "We'll get there in plenty of time to save your boyfriend."
"He's not my boyfriend!" she retorted.
"Why did it have to be Bekme?" asked Vader. "Luke loves her! He'll never be able to strike her down, even if she is the enemy!"
At last they reached the hangar. The shield doors were wide open, offering them a view of the skies outside – and the battle.
Leia's heart lurched. Rogue Squadron was outnumbered five to one. One X-wing had already been shot down, and it blazed in ruins on the jungle floor. Somehow, however, she knew it wasn't Luke's. But the rest of the ships were in dire trouble.
"We'll get to the Falcon and help Luke out…" began Han. "Hey!"
Vader had taken off, heading for the other end of the hangar.
"Where are you going?" Leia called.
"Two ships are better than one," he replied, disappearing behind a heap of ship parts.
There was the deep thrum of a starfighter's engine powering up, and a shining N-1 class Naboo starfighter roared out of the hangar, gleaming a bright flaming red in the sunlight.
"Well, that explains the red stains," Leia remarked, feeling guilty all over again.
"We don't have time for I-told-you-sos, Princess," Han told her. "Can you shoot or fly?"
"Both," she replied. "But I'm a better shot than I am a pilot."
"Good. You and I'll man the guns, Chewie will fly. Let's help Luke and Vader hold off those TIEs until the transports can take off!"