CHAPTER FOUR

Estrie Talamaur tore down the corridors of the rebel base towards her small personal starship. Once she reached the cockpit, she fell heavily into the pilot's seat and slapped the comm. unit.

"Ajax, Xack, we're going to step up our schedule."

"Why's that, love?" a thick voice returned through the comm.

Estrie's eyes narrowed, "I just have a feeling that our window is closing."

Vader sat on a stack of crates by the Falcon, his eyes absorbing the datapad he held. His feet were propped up on an empty fuel canister.

"Hey, Luke."

He glanced up to find Han and Leia approaching him. Han was sauntering and smirking and Leia looked a shade too red, indicating that they'd most likely had another argument, and the smuggler had won.

"What'cha reading?" Han asked when Vader looked up at him.

"Oh, some fleet reports," Vader replied nonchalantly.

Leia sat next to him on a crate, "Oh? I thought you were briefed on all the current reports?"

"Oh, just refreshing my memory."

Leia nodded and smiled. She thought it was great how dedicated Luke was to the Alliance. Vader held back a smirk as he caught the thought wafting off from the former princess.

"Look, Luke," Han pulled a crate over for himself and sat in front of Vader. "We've been thinking that maybe you should take a break from the action until this stuff with His-Dark-Lordship has settled down."

Vader frowned, "Excuse me?"

"Vader," Han said bluntly.

Vader tried to look sheepish, thinking that was probably something Luke would do.

"Luke," Leia leaned forward and rested her hand on Vader's knee, "Are you sure you're okay? Ever since you came back from..."

"I'm fine. Don't worry."

"Then do you agree that you should lay low for awhile?" Han prodded.

Vader shrugged and continued to read the datapad, "Sure, if it'll make you feel better."

Han and Leia exchanged frowns. Vader felt the change in mood and looked up suddenly. He'd screwed up. Luke wouldn't give in that easily.

"But," he began slowly, hoping to rectify the slip, "I don't agree. I don't think I'm at any more risk than either of you."

Leia put her hands on her hips, "He has been hunting you for the past couple years, Luke, or have you forgotten?"

Vader shrugged, going back to his datapad; he didn't have much time left to collect intelligence from the Rebel ranks.

"Hey, Skywalker!"

Vader suppressed a sigh and looked up again; did his son really have to put up with this constant aggravation?

Estrie was a few hundred yards down the hangar bay, waving her hand for him to come to her. He groaned and shook his head at her.

"My hyperdrive is acting up and I need to make an ammunition run. Can you please help me get her going?"

Vader rolled his eyes and jammed the report in his pocket as Han yelled back, "Yeah, we can help you with that Es', be right there."

She waved back, "Thanks!"

Vader trudged down the hangar towards Estrie's ship. Han had gone back to the Falcon to get his Wookiee friend Chewbacca, and had left Vader to brave Estrie alone. It wasn't that he couldn't deal with her, it was that he didn't have time to; Luke and his flagship would be arriving soon and he'd be getting out of this rebel rat hole, but before he went, he wanted to gather a few... interesting facts. He curled his fingers around the datapad and clenched his teeth. How did Luke ever get anything done with all of these "favors" he was constantly dragged into performing?

The Sith Lord incognito traipsed up the ramp of Estrie's ship, Tala's Shadow. The small starship sat innocently in an unlit corner of the Rebel hangar, perched on its landing gear like a delicate bird.

Vader said nothing as he climbed the ramp and entered the ship; he went straight to the hatch where he knew he'd find the Tala's Shadow's hyperdrive access panel. He popped the hatch open with ease and crouched, inspecting the machinery. His eyes narrowed.

The hyperdrive was in perfect condition.

He stood just as footsteps sounded behind him in the dark; he turned and saw Estrie step partially out of the shadows.

"The hyperdrive seems fine..." Vader began.

"I know," she smiled and came closer, revealing her right hand in the dim light; raised and pointing a blaster at his chest.

She smiled wickedly at him, "You think it's cute to humiliate me? Well, we'll see how cute you think you are when I collect the bounty Vader has on your scrawny neck."

Vader was at a loss of words for a moment. Unable to act scared before this sorry excuse for a woman, he opted to simply mutter, "Oh, this shall be interesting."

Luke fought not to tremble as someone behind him announced that they'd soon be coming out of hyperspace. He stood before the huge viewport on the bridge of the Executor. Piett had told him how the Dark Lord always stood here, looking out at the stars, waiting for the moment when he would spring into action. As Luke stood there, his hands locked behind his back, staring out at the star lines, he couldn't help but wonder if his father had stood in this very place thinking about him. What had he thought if he had? About dominating the galaxy or finding his lost son?

Luke had to forget his train of thought as Piett stepped next to him and the star lines collapsed into points of light, and a planet loomed before them.

"We have incoming," one of the officers behind Luke immediately announced.

"We're being hailed," another voice said.

Piett glanced at Luke, but Luke was already spinning on his heel and ordering that the line be opened.

"A bounty hunter named Talamaur, Milord. Says she has a bounty of yours."

"Bring her aboard," Luke snapped, and started for the lift, subtly gesturing for Piett to follow. There was no way he'd ever make it to the landing bay on his own.