Chapter 6 – Confrontation With Viaan
The captain's body lay where it fell for three entire ship days. Only when it had really began to stink up the bridge did Viaan allow the crew to remove the distorted corpse. So incensed at his blatant disregard of her orders, she wanted his death to be keenly remembered by the remaining crew. If any sort of autopsy had been performed on the body, they would have found the captain's innards strewn about within his shell in a violent, haphazard manner. Such was Lady Viaan's rage. But of course, no autopsy was ever performed on any victim of the Empire, let alone her.
Even Viaan's unnamed child had stopped coming to the bridge. Initially, the callow youth found the corpse an interesting spectacle. But his young, keen physical senses found the aroma unappealing after a while, and he avoided the area after the first day or so. Of that, the crew were silently thankful. The undisciplined child would often run rampant around the bridge otherwise. And they were powerless and too frightened to stop him. On one occasion, weeks ago, he had even managed to disengage the deflector grid for the port side of the hull, just as a micro meteorite had crossed their path. The resultant hull breach nearly killed a small repair crew doing routine maintenance in the area.
The Compliance now lay in space dock, undergoing extensive repairs after the Omega's assault. The new Captain Jencil, having pleased the Dark Lady in ways unmentionable in this story, resulting in his promotion, overlooked the repairs in a keen, if slightly timid manner. He knew first hand what Viaan's wrath could wrought. Even little misdemeanours in her private suite often left extensive scars across his body. To fail her in any other way was unthinkable.
Luckily for him, the crew knew all too well of his intimacy with the Dark Lady, and would be loath to do anything but their utmost to please him, and in turn, her. Discipline through fear. A standard technique used extensively throughout the Empire. Even if the fear was not his own to wield, it was just as effective.
Deep within the ship, the Dark Lady Viaan terminated her communiqué with the Emperor. He was not pleased with her report. Not at all. In the time it had taken Compliance to limp home, he had received many reports of the destruction of Bolraan and capture of the Death Star Omega by the seemingly now competent Rebellion. Her delay in reporting to him about her own failure of acquiring the Force object, had only incensed him more. His anger had stretched across the light years, and if she had been in his true, physical presence, and not just a holographic image, she feared she may not be breathing at this moment.
It had shaken her that he was still so powerful. His seeming idleness had not been from a lack of power, after all. Only his body was dying, not his will or true power: the use of the Force.
And worse still was that he had stripped her of the Death Star Fleet, taking direct control of it himself. It was a mighty blow to her power and ego. He had left her with one task alone: retrieve the object they had detected. The one that rippled the very Force itself. Fail in this, and she would rue the day he had found her.
And so her resolve was strengthened. She needed that object, whatever it was, for herself. She would need its power to finally defeat her master, and take what was rightfully hers: the Empire. No longer would she be 'Vader's Pup', or the 'Emperor's Consort.' She would be the first Empress of the new age! A mighty and powerful Queen that none could match, nor dare try. For if they did, mighty would be her retribution.
Tarkin's death, and that of the late captain of the Compliance would pale in comparison to her new ways. It would be a terrible, and beautiful reign. Power controlled with deft skill. Mighty plans of conquest, spanning across the neighbouring independent sectors and closer galaxies. A bright, and horrible future for all that stood with her, or opposed her.
And finally, when even her power had waned, her son would take control. And he would rule for a thousand years. Or so the dreams told her.
She shook a little as she found herself slumped against a corridor wall, not far from her suite on the Compliance. No-one was present to witness her moment of weakness. She straightened up, and proceeded to her cabin. She had plans to make. She must find this object and retrieve it as soon as possible. She knew a small, old style ship carried the object. It was the key. If she could find that ship, the object would be there, too.
She started scanning records of old ships, trying to find a match with the ship they had scanned at Bolraan.
The hunt was on.
(-O-)
In the weeks following the spectral visitation by Yoda and Old Ben Kenobi, Biggs and Charii had expected to see the two Jedi pop up at any point during the day or night. It left them on edge and irritable. But as time progressed and the two ghosts did not reappear, they began to relax. The crops had finally matured enough to harvest, and that took all their time and energy over an exhaustive few days. By the time that was complete, they had resumed their new life with neither mentioning that night. But neither of them forgot it, either.
Months passed with no great excitement. George guided them in their new rural lifestyle, and Biggs discovered some of his desert knowledge could come in handy even on a swamp world like Dagobah after all. Their life was hard, yet comforting. Biggs and Charii had each other, and their love grew. Even George stopped rolling his photoreceptors every time they kissed and hugged in the field or cabin.
Biggs allowed his beard to grow, looking the part of an early settler. His famous moustache was now lost in the tangle of dark hair on his face. Charii found the hair appealing, even though Biggs thought it made him look more like his father.
One day, on a whim, they decided to go exploring. Having never ventured more than a few miles in any direction while hunting - wildlife was so abundant, they didn't need to travel far to find it - they thought a good look around wouldn't hurt. Leaving George to guard their farm, they set off into the least dense looking part of the jungle to their east. With a vibroblade - lengthened with some clever work by Charii and George - and an old fashioned metal blade fashioned from some scrap metal in the rear of the Hope Remains, they set forth, hacking into the foliage.
For hours and hours they cut their way deeper and deeper into the jungle. Sweat poured down their faces, such was the humidity and their exertion. But apart from an occasional creek or stream, the view never changed: jungle and swamp; thick and nearly impenetrable. Biggs was close to giving up, and Charii was beginning to look more than exhausted.
Just as he was about to ask her if she was okay, a blur of motion came from beside him. Suddenly, Charii was engulfed in a swarm of living branches. Each was easily as thick as a man's thigh, and rippling with unplantlike muscles. They wrapped about the helpless woman, cutting off her cries for help - and her air. Her purple skin and hair was gone from sight in an instant, leaving Biggs standing there in shock.
But only for a moment. He flicked on the vibroblade and dived into the jungle, cutting anything green and wriggling. Sap and other juices sprayed in all directions, nearly chocking Biggs as one gush spewed into his open mouth. It tasted foul, and yet it gave him some satisfaction, as an eerie bellow from deep below him followed it. He'd injured the creature, whatever it was.
He kept up his furious hacking until he at last laid eyes on his beloved Charii, now unconscious in the wilting grip of the tree-creature. Biggs chopped several more branch-arms until it dropped the woman, leaving them in a small, but smelly clearing. The creature's sap-blood was overpowering.
Picking her up bodily, Biggs took Charii from the clearing, back to their path and laid her down gently. The stench was still strong, but he could at least breath without the thought of retching.
"Are you all right, Charii?" asked Biggs.
Opening her eyes, she took a moment to catch her breath and answered, "Yes, yes, it took me by surprise, is all. And now I'm just so tired..." But she held her right side tightly with one hand, just above the hip, which her companion noticed.
"You're hurt. Let me take a look." And Biggs bent down to look at her side closely, lifting up her shirt, revealing a swelling from the side of her waist.
Charii smiled, brushing his hands away. "Biggs, I love you, but we have different physiologies. I doubt you could do much good." She pulled her shirt back into place. "Let's turn back, please. I can scan myself in the ship when we return. I'm sure it's nothing."
Biggs pondered her for a moment, then agreed. "Of course. But let me know what it is. Stars knows what the creature is, or what poisonous excretions it has. You might have caught some weird bug. We really don't know much about this planet... or its inhabitants."
They turned back, and found the return journey far easier. The path they'd cleared remained fairly open and they made good progress. In fact, they eventually made it back to their cabin in less than half the time it had taken to reach their furthest point. Charii headed to the ship while Biggs checked in with George.
(-O-)
The Lady Viaan smashed her hand down in frustration. For all her searching, and that of the many bureaucrats she'd enlisted, she could find no reference to the craft she'd seen at Bolraan. For all the so-called efficiencies in the Empire, there was a distinct lack of records now that so many worlds had been 'removed'.
She'd found a few similar craft, and had investigated each, but none matched her recollection and the brief scans made by the Compliance. It was immensely frustrating. And her crew were suffering from her sporadic outbursts.
Rubbing her temples, she considered summoning Jencil to her chambers as a form of distraction. He was quite gifted, she'd found. After his initial nerves had been broken, he was more daring with her. He was now almost satisfying.
She stood up and approached the comm panel, about to call the bridge, when something weird happened. It was like a silence in the Force. No, not a silence. The closest it came was a collective holding of breath, but on an immense scale. She concentrated, wondering what was happening.
"Mother? Can you hear me?" her son called. But he was not in the room with her! In fact, he was currently locked in his cabin after killing another crew member – she couldn't remember who. What was she hearing? Then it dawned on her that it was not his voice but his thoughts.
Was it happening at last? A thrill of excitement raced through Viaan.
"Ma-am? Where are you? I'm... frightened. Something's happening to me!"
It really was happening! He was finally awakening!
Viaan concentrated her mind, and tried to reply. She had never had this ability herself, but if she could hear him in her mind, surely he could hear her? "My son? If you hear me, it is all right."
"Yes, ma-ma!" He paused and said, "I see things clearly now."
"My son, it is as I have dreamed. You were always destined for greatness. I will come to you now." And Viaan walked quickly to the door.
"Mother... I know where your object is."
Viaan almost tripped over herself, a triumphant look on her gaunt face.
"Excellent, my son. Excellent."
(-O-)
In the evening of their return, Charii was quietly sobbing to herself in the dimly lit interior of the Hope. The med scanner she had used lay at her feet as she sat and wept softly. It flashed a dim green colour.
Without warning, Biggs popped his head through the hatchway, smiling at Charii. "Everything okay?" he asked her.
She discreetly wiped away her tears by pretending to straighten her hair. "Yes, Biggs. I'm perfectly fine. Just a bruise. Nothing to worry about," she lied. Picking up the med scanner, she cleared its display and switched it off, dropping it into its holding nook on the wall.
Biggs tried to get a glance of the display, but was too slow. "Okay, Charii. I'll take your word for it. But seriously, if there is something wrong, you have to tell me." And he gave her his most serious look.
Charii just broke into laughter and grabbed his hand, leading him from the Hope Remains into the darkening light outside. "Trust me," she said. "It's nothing for you to worry about... for now."
But the chill in the wind cut the conversation off short. Something was wrong.
Biggs yelled to the nearby droid, "George! Scan the area. Tell me if you find anything unusual."
The droid obeyed quietly, turning in a slow arc as his sensors penetrated the surrounding foliage. After a minute or so, he spoke. "I detect abundant life, Sir. As usual. But nothing out of the - " And he went silent. Dead.
"Oh, Stars," said Charii, quietly. "What's going on?"
In reply, Biggs said quietly, "Fire up the ship. We have to leave."
But before Charii could even open her mouth, a figure stepped before them from seemingly nowhere.
"I think not, Mr. Darklighter," said the figure. A female voice. She was middle aged, strong and somehow familiar to both of them. They stared hard at the woman. Her gaunt figure was draped in dark greys, and about her neck was a high collar, partly obscuring her dark, grey-streaked and slicked back hair.
It dawned on them who she was, a woman they'd never met before, but had seen on that hologram back on Dantooine, and now twenty years older, like Jobe. They said her name almost simultaneously, "Princess Leia!"
At the sound of that name, the woman visibly cringed, momentarily breaking the spell of her appearance which they didn't even realise they were under.
She calmed instantly. "No. Not any longer. I destroyed that weak-willed woman years ago. I am now Lady Viaan. Dark Mistress of the Force. But for the short remaining minutes of your pathetic little lives, you may call me Mistress Vader."
She strode towards them in their stunned silence. "You have something I want." Her eyes were fixed on Charii.
(-O-)
"She's here," stated the elderly looking ghost of Ben Kenobi. "I didn't expect her to come so soon."
The smaller green Yoda nodded his head sadly. "Grown powerful has Vader's daughter. Unpredictable she has become, too. We cannot win this battle and neither can Darklighter or the Callite girl. But we must help them as best we can."
But he hesitated a moment as he detected something else in the Force: a newly awakened disciple of the Dark Force; someone powerful and young.
"I feel it too, Master Yoda," commented Ben when he saw Yoda pause. "Something we hadn't anticipated. Another power to reckon with. Young and powerful. Much like poor Luke. But dark. Evil." He paused himself before continuing. "It couldn't be, could it?"
Yoda nodded again. "Yes, it is. Her child. Their child." He visibly shivered, realising the worst. "Hurry we must. Come, come." And he vanished into the night.
(-O-)
As Viaan - formerly Princess Leia - approached her, Charii felt a twisting in her stomach. The unknown pain, though not terribly powerful at first, was enough to unbalance her and she fell to her knees. But it soon increased in magnitude, the pain rising and Charii's fear of the damage being inflicted within her shocking her even more.
Viaan's extended arm twisted and probed before her. With each wave of her arm, a wave of pain swept through Charii's body.
Biggs could only look on helplessly, unable to move. His eyes were locked on Charii and the odd hand movements of the Dark Lady. He knew deep down that Viaan was using her evil powers to torture Charii, and cursed her vehemently.
As Viaan walked forward and probed, she paused a moment and a small smile crossed her lips. "Delicious," she said to herself. Her hand made a crushing motion. Charii screamed. Her hand moved slightly to one side, and she smiled again. Once more she made a tight fist. And Charii cried in anguish and fell face down into the loam.
At that very moment, Viaan stopped in her tracks. She gained a faraway look and stood motionless, her current purpose forgotten. Her concentration broke as her son contacted her from the ship above in orbit, "Mother..."
Biggs took the opportunity to whip out his vibroblade and hurtle it full force at the Dark Lady. The blade span through the air, active and humming as it sliced its way towards Viaan. Without batting an eyelid, Viaan deflected the blade and let it drop harmlessly onto the loam.
"Take another step, Darklighter, and I'll rip your purple friend in half," she stated calmly, still not focussing an anything visible. To herself she said quietly, "My son... what is it? Mother's busy."
And in her mind a reply came, "Yes ma-ma, I know. I know everything."
Viaan grinned at her seemingly arrogant son. But she suspected it was more than just arrogance. Afterall, he had found this hidden planet easily enough where she had failed. "Very good my child, I will rejoin you shortly."
Her son replied in her mind, "You have company: two dead Jedi. Can I help?" He sounded very keen to try out his new powers.
Before Viaan could reply, Yoda and Obi-wan Kenobi appeared before her, Biggs and Charii. The two Jedi held up their spectral hands, warding off the Dark Lady and her paralysing powers. Biggs grabbed Charii and dragged her backwards from the encounter.
Viaan lost her faraway look and stared menacingly at the two ghosts. "You!?" she cried incredulously. "Your time has ended! Be gone before I smite what little remains of you two!" she threatened. But Yoda and Ben stood silently, watching her - distracting her. She almost hissed when she said, "I said GO, little ghosts. I'm far more powerful than you could ever have dreamed and can easily destroy you."
Yoda finally spoke, "Then why are we still here, Leia? If so powerful you are, why not just 'destroy' us? Why waste words?"
She scoffed, "Leia? As I already told your pathetic friends, she is long gone from this body." Viaan laughed, dismissing the attempt to distract her. "My dear little goblin, I want to know what is so important you would delay your eternal rest to protect it." She pointed a finger towards the fleeing couple and a bolt of purple energy raced passed Yoda and Ben. The two Jedi attempted to deflect its path, but Viaan was not lying about her power and the bolt met its target, destroying it. The Hope Remains disintegrated into a million tiny particles before Biggs and Charii's disbelieving eyes. "It wouldn't be these two, would it? Or, more likely, something they possess? Yes, yes, that object. Naturally. It must be even more powerful than I thought."
She sent another blast at the two ghosts. It passed harmlessly though them, but it also faded their appearance for a few seconds. Ben dropped his arms in alarm and Yoda gripped his ethereal cane tighter.
"Enough of these games," muttered Viaan. She raised her hand to send a bigger, more final bolt of energy at the two Jedi. From behind her a huge weight crashed down upon her head - sudden and totally unexpected. She collapsed to the loam in a crumpled heap. The bolt of energy flared and died beneath her and a silence suddenly came down upon the group.
As Viaan collapsed to the ground, her son's voice screamed in her head, "NO!!!"
The farming droid, George, stood over Viaan's body, his metal hands before him. "What have I done?" he asked himself. "Have I killed a human?" During the distraction Yoda and Ben had provided, Viaan had lapsed her block on him. And unbidden he had attacked the threat to his masters, disobeying much of his inbuilt, low level programming on human preservation. It was inconceivable that he had done such a thing. And yet he had.
Yoda approached the huge droid and spoke to him quietly, "No, she is not dead. But you have done something contrary to your programming. No harvester droids could attack anyone under any circumstances. And yet you have. Curious."
Ben stood next to him, "The Force is mysterious, working in ways unpredictable."
Yoda looked up at Ben. "You're sounding like me." But before Ben could reply, Biggs and Charii were there with their own needs. "We have little time. LK-30, please remove Charii's artifact and give it to young Darklighter. The Emperor's daughter will awaken shortly. Or worse still her son may come down."
"Her son?" said Biggs on impulse.
"Yes, her son," answered Yoda. "A powerful and uncontrollable adept of the Dark Side of the Force. Abomination, he is. The child of two, strong in the Force; two that should never have mated." He visibly shivered. "If we do not act soon, he will destroy us all. And more."
George extracted the small spherical unit from its hiding place in his chest, happy to do something normal. He handed it to Biggs and Yoda and Ben both placed their hands into the unit.
Ben explained, "We are activating the unit's final task. It will send you back to where this started. It will be our last task as well, as it drains much of our very life force into itself. So we must say farewell." The two ghosts began to fade quickly.
"What do you mean?" pleaded Charii, recovered enough to be able to speak.
Ben said, "No time to explain in detail, child. But when the ancient Jedi constructed this object, it cost him his remaining physical life, and that of several other Jedi. He foresaw a terrible future... and a bright one, should he take you two from your original paths and give you time. Time to-" But Ben faded from sight. Charii gasped.
Yoda still remained, though fading fast, and he quickly tried to finish. "I also had these visions. Charii, remember my words. Trust them. We gave you time. Time you wouldn't have had otherwise. And I think we may have been right..." He reached out a hand to Charii, placing it briefly on her abdomen.
Charii felt a warmth spread within her, where before agony had dominated. Peace settled on her, and she smiled at Yoda. But he soon stumbled, his hand falling to his side. And he, too, quickly faded from sight.
Biggs and Charii stood in the darkness, dumbfounded.
Turning to Charii, he asked her, "What did he do? Heal you?" And she nodded quietly in reply.
From overhead they heard the rush of powerful engines approaching. A huge Imperial transport was coming straight towards them. Even buffeted by the strong winds in the upper atmosphere, it was too big to be so easily dissuaded.
Charii grabbed Biggs and the object in his hands. "Let's go, Biggs."
But Biggs didn't twist the object. Instead, he waved to George, summoning the droid. "I think we owe you this much, my friend George." And the huge droid stepped towards them. He put his hand out and they each clasped it and the object.
"Thank you... Sir," said George awkwardly.
With that, Biggs twisted the object's top in the reverse direction, and everything around them changed.
(-O-)