He didn't have time to finish as a pilot from Red Squadron ran into the room, breathing heavily and pale-faced. "Mon Mothma!" he gasped. "AT-ATs on the horizon!"
Mothma paled. "Carry out an evacuation immediately," she snapped to members of the High Command. "Skywalker, I'll deal with you when we reach Mustafar," she snapped. "Solo, you too."
Without a word, the two friends left the audience chamber and Han grabbed Luke's shoulder. "You're not going to Mustafar, are you?" he asked shrewdly.
Luke stared at him for a second before shaking his head. "No," he admitted. "I'm going to Dagobah. I have to become a Jedi."
Han's gaze clouded over. "Kid…"
"What?"
"Yodi, or whatever his name is, he's dead," said Han slowly. "I dunno who sent you there, but…"
"He's not, Han," said Luke heavily. "He's been in hiding. Obi-Wan told me."
Han raised his eyebrows and stared at his friend for a few moments. "Luke…?"
"A ghost," Luke said shortly. "It happens when a Jedi dies, I guess."
"Luke, you were… delirious," said Han gently. "You probably just invented it in your mind. I think you should come with me on the Falcon. Let someone else pilot your X-Wing."
"No," said the Jedi-in-training stubbornly. "I didn't invent it. I've got to go to Dagobah, Han. It's the only way I can become a Jedi and save my father."
"What if he don't wanna be saved?" Han questioned, crossing his arms. "You don't know that he thinks he needs savin.'"
Luke's eyes narrowed. "I'm going to, whether he thinks he needs to be or not," he said firmly. He gaze softened and he touched a hand to Han's shoulder. "Don't worry about me," he said lightly. "I've got to do this."
Han sighed. "Fine. I'll tell the High Command when we get to Mustafar."
Luke grinned. "Thanks."
"Captain Solo told me you're not going with the rest of us."
Luke looked up from his room as he hastily packed his few belongings. Whatever else he had was on the Falcon. "I'm not, Terzé," he acknowledged the armored man in the doorway. "Jedi business."
"Jedi, or Sith?" Terzé asked lightly.
Luke's eyes narrowed. "Jedi."
"Do you know the difference?"
Luke felt a prickle of discomfort from the man's questioning. Who was he, and how did even he know the difference between the two? "Yes," he said shortly.
Terzé crossed his arms. "You will be the last Jedi," he said slowly. "Good luck."
Luke didn't have time to ask what he meant as the man sidestepped past the jamb and returned to the corridor, presumably to help Lady Amidala with her things. Furrowing his brow, he slung the bag over his shoulder and walked out of the room, heading for his X-Wing.
Several pilots were already in the air and shouting instructions. Half of the full complement was to escort the shuttles through hyperspace, and the other half was supposed to try and combat the massive AT-ATs, or at least, try to stop them from reaching the base before it was completely evacuated. Luke jumped in his starship and powered up, snapping on his helmet as he did so. "Rogue 2, in position," he called over the comm.
"Rogue 2, you're to come with me," Wedge Antilles' voice instructed. "Let's go!"
Soon, Luke and five others X-Wings had left the base, not needing any directions as to the location of the AT-ATs. Luke cast the Force over the Millennium Falcon, making sure that Han and Chewie were aboard and safe, and grinned when he heard Han's startled swear. I Damn, the kid's dad sure comes with a bang. /I
Returning his attention to the lumbering, four-legged machines, Luke made sure his father wasn't aboard any of them and then set to the task.
With Wedge acting as his wingman, Luke swooped in and took out the first AT-AT's shield generator on the underside. Immediately, two more X-Wings attacked the engines and the AT-AT partially exploded. Luke grimly shut out the death cries of those aboard and brought his X-Wing up, unused to atmospheric flying.
"Nice shot, Rogue 2," said one of the pilots appreciatively. "Let's go to the next one before they take out the power generators."
"Does anyone know how they got here so quick?" another pilot questioned. "We were careful to hide our tracks."
Luke brushed back a stab of guilt and focused on evading the shots of the next AT-AT. He banked hard left as one of the shots managed to hit his shields and pulled up, allowing one of the other pilots—Terzé, he realized, from his Force-signature—to make an accurate shot at the shield-generator.
Terzé pulled up again to slide back into position to Luke's left, and he recognized the maneuver from standard TIE formulations. More proof of their earlier training. Thinking back on his training as a TIE fighter pilot, Luke was hit with an idea. "Rogue 3," he said, calling Terzé's number. "Let's give 'em a little of their own medicine. Anyone know Split V-Formation?" he questioned, naming the maneuver he had in mind.
He heard a soft laugh over the comm that came from Terzé. "Good thinking, Rogue 2. Rogue 6, 7, 4, 9, pull back." Terzé proceeded to explain the formation to the rest of the group and then called for himself and Luke to lead the split teams.
They eased the X-Wings into position and powered their thrusters toward the remaining two AT-ATs, veering off into two separate V-formations with three pilots each. Luke's group rose into the air and spread out, diving low to hit the AT-AT. Terzé's group banked right and tore around, heading for the next one.
"Rogue Squadron, get out of there!" General Rieekan's voice said. "The last shuttle has jumped into hyperspace!"
"Yes, General," said Luke, pulling up, wincing as his left wingman's ship blew up as the last few shots of the AT-AT hit him. "Let's go, Rogue Squadron."
They slipped back into a unified V and rose swiftly. Setting his plan into action, Luke called over the comm, "Go ahead, Rogue Squadron. I'm having trouble getting my hyperdrive online," he lied.
"Don't wait too long," one of the pilots advised. "I've just heard that it's the I Executor /I up there. If you get caught, you'll be in some deep trouble."
"Thanks for the warning," said Luke as the other X-Wings climbed into space and disappeared. "Artoo?" he questioned, and read the quick reply from his astromech. "Set course of Dagobah," he instructed, feeling a little nervous. "That's where we've got to go."
"What do you mean, he's not coming with us?" Leia asked in complete disbelief.
Han turned away uncomfortably. "He says he's got to go become a Jedi," he told her.
"And you I let /I him?" Leia said incredulously. "Han, Luke's one of our best pilots, and he was the one to send us to Mustafar! What if you just let him go back his father? What if you just helped him betray the Alliance?"
Han's eyes narrowed. "You know just as good as I do that Luke's no traitor, Your Worshipfulness, he said angrily. "He's tryin' to help the Alliance, not trap it!"
"Then why wouldn't he come with us?" Leia retorted. "It looks just a bit suspicious, don't you think?"
Han crossed his arms. "I told you, he went to take lessons from Yoda," he said icily. "He says the Jedi is still alive."
"Impossible," Leia responded. "Darth Vader took care of that." A flash of disgust and anger passed through her eyes that Han ignored.
"Well, I'll take Luke's word over yours," Han said angrily. "Seeing as he's the Jedi and you're not."
"You're Force-blind," Leia replied furiously. "He probably pulled a mind-trick on you!"
Han gritted his teeth. "Luke wouldn't do that. I know the kid a little better than you, Your Highnessless," he spat. "And if you think he's gonna go and betray us, then you obviously don't know him as good as you claim." With that, he spun around and returned to the cockpit, slamming in a few codes on the door Leia didn't need to test to know that she was locked out. She sank into a chair, feeling guilty for her actions. Han was right that he knew Luke well, but still… The 'what-ifs' echoed in her mind, making her nervous. With a sigh, she curled up into a ball.
The base had been evacuated. Vader stepped through the remains of the building in disgust. His son wasn't here, he had recovered, but he had realized his actions soon enough to warn the Rebels. He had then disappeared into hyperspace. Vader clenched his fists. They had soundly defeated the Rebels here, and his master would be pleased, but something still bothered him. Palpatine's attitude of late had been almost patronizing, as though he was continually testing his apprentice. Vader harshly shoved the idea that his master knew what he had done to save his son to the back of his mind. If that were the case, then he would have been punished long ago.
The question was now, where had the Rebels gone? They didn't have the time to set up another base. This one was supposed to have been their sanctuary, and only Luke's cry for help had notified Vader of its location. They had left several ships and medical equipment behind, no doubt in a rush to leave, which meant that they were probably lacking in resources.
Where would they go? Deciding to try and figure out this puzzle aboard his ship in meditation, Vader turned to the officer at his side, who was shaking with cold. "Find any survivors," he ordered. "Bring them to detention cells after insuring survival."
"Yes, my lord," said the man, retaining enough dignity not to chatter. With that, Vader whipped around and strode back to his shuttle.
"Are we there, Artoo?" Luke asked after stirring himself from the fitful sleep. Even if able to complete a long-distance hyperspace trip, his X-Wing was not the most comfortable mode of transportation. He stretched out his arms in the limited space and waited for the droid to reply. "Good," he said when the droid told him that they would reach Dagobah shortly. "Take us out of hyperspace when you're ready, Artoo."
Luke settled back to calm his nervousness. What would happen? What would the Jedi Master teach him? What would he look like? A darker thought entered his mind: What if Yoda refused to train him because of his father? Knowing that his presence would alert any respectable Force-sensitive once he reached the planet, Luke added another layer to his shields and carefully reigned in his emotions and repressed his fear and apprehension. Those, he was sure, were not ones to which a Jedi should be subject.
Soon after, he felt the ship shudder as it exited hyperspace as he took the controls, setting himself to land on the planet. Artoo had informed him that the world was completely uninhabited, and once again, Luke wondered why the Jedi Master had chosen such a remote place to live. He eased the starship into the atmosphere of the planet and began to orbit, feeling for a Force-sensitive presence to land near.
He felt a burst of light from close by and immediately brought the X-Wing around, sure that it had been a manifestation of the Force. He piloted the ship deeper into the atmosphere and noted with dismay that it was night on this side of the planet. He reached out with the Force to guide him as he attempted to land through the heavy fog and expertly maneuvered the controls into the small clearing that the Force told him existed. Finally, he felt the X-Wing set down and he began the power-down sequence and shut off the life-support system on his flight suit. Once again quelling his nervousness, he opened the cockpit and jumped out, using the Force to soften his landing. On the other side, Artoo joined him on the ground and promptly broadcasted something to the ship, which responded by turning on several lights.
"Thanks, Artoo," Luke said quietly, turning to view his surroundings. He seemed to have landed on the only visible solid ground—he was completely encircled by marshlands and large trees with hanging vines. Gingerly, he removed his flight suit and called his lightsaber to his hand from the cockpit, hooking it onto his belt. He stretched out with the Force, and was amazed at the amount of energy that surrounded the place. It was as if the very land pulsed with it. He noticed a rock next to the ship and sat down, calling a survival pack from his ship next, when he tensed.
Someone was near.
He was careful not to show his awareness of his observer, and resumed unpacking the survival pack. Was it Yoda?
He felt the presence draw nearer, and to his dismay, he was unable to tell the intruder's intentions. Waiting until whoever it was had drawn close, he suddenly whipped around, drawing his lightsaber and holding it at an angle, when it was jerked from his hand and sent flying to the ground.
Now sure that he was being attacked, Luke called the weapon back to his hand and held it ready, back slowly to the side. His assailant was near, he could tell—
"Attack, you would, before asking questions," said a voice suddenly in the darkness.
Luke turned slowly to see a green-skinned, pointed-ear creature as high as his knee sitting on the rock he had used to catalog the contents of his survival pack. Through his surprise, Luke managed to discover that the creature was extremely Force-strong, and he realized with a start that this was Yoda.
He dropped to a knee. "My apologies, Master Jedi," he said quickly. "I thought you were attacking me."
Yoda observed him for a second. "Come to ask me to train you, you have," he said finally.
Luke's heart leapt in his mouth. "Yes, Master Yoda," he acknowledged.
"Why?"
He was thrown off by the question. "I wish… to become a Jedi, Master," he said furrowing his brow in confusion. "Like my father."
"A Jedi your father is no longer," said Yoda, and Luke detected a note of sadness. "A Sith he has become. An enemy of the Jedi Order, he is. Corrupted by the Dark Side."
"He can come back," said Luke forcefully. "He will. I know it."
"Much Darkness there is in you, young Skywalker," said Yoda shrewdly. "Much anger. Much fear."
Luke swallowed his nervousness. "I have rejected it, Master Jedi."
"Calls to you, it does. No return there can be from the Dark Side," said Yoda firmly. "Killed, you have."
Guilt burst in Luke's heart. "I have returned," he said firmly. "I have no desire to join the Dark Side."
"Train you, I will not," Yoda said finally. "Too strong are your emotions."
"Master Yoda," said a new voice, and Luke turned sharply to see Obi-Wan sitting on a log.
"Obi-Wan!" he said in surprise, and his father's former master smiled sadly at him.
"Master, he must be trained," Obi-Wan said firmly. "He is our last chance. He is all there is left. He is the only one who can defeat the Dark Side."
"Defeat the Dark Side?" Yoda said skeptically. "Resides in him the Dark Side does, Obi-Wan."
"We must believe he has returned," Obi-Wan persisted. "He will be the last of the Jedi."
"My father is a Jedi," Luke interjected stubbornly. "He I will /I come back."
Both Jedi Masters turned to him. "Your father is gone, Luke," said Obi-Wan firmly. "You must let him go. He belongs to the Dark Side."
"No," Luke said, carefully keeping his anger in check. "I don't accept that. There is good in him."
"A great Jedi, Vader once was," said Yoda softly. "Become the greatest of all, he could have. Turned his back on the Order, he did. Killed the Jedi, he did. Killed the younglings. Betrayed himself, he did. Because of his fear. The same fear, you have."
Luke was silent for a moment. "He didn't think you trusted him," he said finally. "He thought his only option was to turn. I know better. I won't fail, and he will return, whatever you say." Both Jedi said nothing for a while. "I I am /I a servant of the light," said Luke at last. "I won't turn. But I must be trained, Master Yoda."
"He is right, mostly," Obi-Wan seconded. "And he is all we have left."
Yoda thought for a while. "Train him I will," he said finally. "Learn to control his emotions, he must."
Luke beamed. "Thank you, Master Yoda."
Yoda turned to him. "Come with me, Padawan," he said finally. "A test."
"Stay behind for now, Artoo," Luke told the droid, who replied in a series of angry beeps and whistles. Yoda waited patiently, and Luke soon turned his attention back to the diminutive Jedi Master. "I'm ready, Master Yoda," he said respectfully.
The small Jedi nodded once and turned, hobbling down from the stone and walking past the X-Wing, clutching a small walking stick in hand. Luke followed him into the darkness, using the Force to tell him where to step. He suddenly saw lights blinking up ahead and upon further inspection, realized that he saw a tiny hut in the distance. He started to head towards it, but a quick rap on the knees with Yoda's walking stick stopped him. "Not there," the Jedi said firmly. He turned towards the opposite way. "In there you must go," he told Luke.
Luke turned where the Jedi Master pointed, and then felt it—the deep, dark feeling of immeasurable power, of cold and anger—
He swallowed. "The Dark Side."
"Strong with the Dark Side of the Force, that cave is," said the Jedi Master. "Defeat it you must, if you will be trained."
Luke stayed put for a moment, and then walked towards it purposefully, a hand on the hilt of his lightsaber.
"Need a weapon, you do not," said Yoda.
Luke turned towards him. "I think I'll keep it," he said uneasily, and turned back, stepping inside the dark, peculiar cave a moment later. The Darkness threatened to overcome him, but Luke stubbornly pushed it away, calling instead on the feeling he had experienced when Yoda had accepted him as a student.
He froze, suddenly, as he heard footsteps in the cave. He looked up, using the Force to help his vision, and saw with some surprise his father and the Emperor walk towards him. "Kill him, Lord Vader," the Emperor croaked.
Luke knew it was an illusion, and made no move to do anything. He knew his father wouldn't hurt him, even at the command of the Emperor. He had proven that already.
He jumped back in shock when his father ignited his lightsaber, and said, "As you wish, my master."
Luke's eyes widened. "Father, what are you doing?" he asked nervously.
The Dark Lord made no response, and Luke stumbled backwards. "Father, stop it! You promised!"
"My promises are nothing against the command of the Emperor," said Vader darkly.
I This is not my father /I , Luke thought to himself. The Dark Side was creating an illusion to scare him and tempt him to join with it. He narrowed his eyes as his father's simulacrum stalked towards him.
His heart sunk. Everything was the same—the way he walked, the breathing, the way he held his lightsaber, even—Luke was forced to block when the faux Vader brought down his saber in a powerful cut. "Stop it!" he shouted as he parried another swing. But he made no reply, and Luke realized with a jolt that who stood in front of him was purely Darth Vader—as his father had been before his arrival, which meant that he would have no qualms about destroying him. His father—his real father—was Anakin Skywalker, and had slowly begun to reemerge the day that he had learned he had a son.
He grimly blocked another thrust and eased to the side. He wouldn't be able to win, but he had to find a way to escape. "Excellent, my friend," the Emperor said. "Destroy him!"
Obediently, Vader raised his saber for the killing blow, and Luke felt a wave of disgust roll through him. The Emperor used Vader as a puppet! He would I never /I allow himself to become that! He blocked the swing and scrambled out of the way. He wouldn't attack. That wasn't the Jedi way. And he I would /I be a Jedi. He fought back a cry of pain as Vader found a way past his defenses and sliced his right arm open at the top, laying it clean to the bone, but thankfully not severing it. Luke decided that that was enough, and extinguished his saber. He turned and sprinted out of the cave, leaving Vader and his master behind.
Once outside, he realized that it was light out. Grimacing, he looked at his shoulder and saw that the injury was still there. Not as much as an illusion as he thought, then. Hissing in pain, he ripped his sleeve at the shoulder seam and pulled it down, wondering if he had any Bacta in the X-Wing.
"Fight your father, you did not," Yoda said, and Luke looked up to see him peering at him thoughtfully. "Interesting, this is."
"That wasn't my father," said Luke tightly as he fought to control the pain.
"That is what Anakin has become," said Yoda firmly. "Exist, Anakin Skywalker does not."
"You're wrong," said Luke, equally sure, and surprised at his audacity. Yoda didn't argue further.
"Your injury, we must tend," he said. "Into my house you must come."
Luke followed Yoda into the dimly lit hut and sat on the floor as the Jedi went to the kitchen and returned with a strange salve and a bandage. "Bacta?" he asked hopefully.
Yoda shook his head and took Luke's arm. "Teach you to heal, I must," he said finally. "Into meditation, you must go," he instructed, and Luke obediently closed his eyes. "Feel the injury, the damaged muscle. Use the Force to stitch it in place, you must. Use the energy to repair it, you can."
Luke let himself sink into the energy around him and focused on the pain in shoulder. He grabbed for the energy and pulled it to him, mentally willing it to do as Yoda instructed. Finally, he opened his eyes again. "Good," said Yoda. He looked down at his shoulder and saw that it was still a cut, but much shallower and very red. He smiled.
Yoda applied some of the salve and wrapped the injury with a length of cloth. "Sleep," said Yoda at last. "Continue training tomorrow, we will."
"That's our new base?" Han asked Chewie doubtfully as they exited hyperspace and saw the molten planet below them. He swallowed nervously. "Doesn't look too friendly."
Chewie roared his agreement and turned his head to the cockpit door when a soft knock echoed into the cockpit. He looked at Han questioningly as the smuggler's face went taut. He pressed two buttons harshly and ignored Leia's entrance. "I'm sorry for the way I acted," she said stiffly. "I overreacted. I know that Luke would never betray us." Han stubbornly persisted to ignore her as he piloted towards the coordinates Mon Mothma had given him. "Han…" she said, sounding far more vulnerable than ever before. "I'm sorry. I'm just scared."
He froze. Never, ever, had she admitted that she was frightened. He turned slowly and saw that, indeed, her face was pale and she looked as though she hadn't slept. His heart softened. "It's okay," he said roughly.
"Thanks," she whispered. "That's Mustafar?" Her voice had changed, and she was back to being Princess Leia. Han smiled slightly to himself.
"Yep," he told her. "Not exactly my top choice."
"Not mine either," Leia agreed. "I asked Luke about it, but he wouldn't tell me anything, only that we would be safe here. What do you know?"
Han tensed. "This is where…" he debated. Should he tell her? "His dad got injured," he said finally, deciding to be vague.
"Injured?" Leia asked skeptically. "The respirator?"
"Yep," said Han again. If that's all she thought was wrong with him, he wasn't going to stop her.
"I see. It makes sense that he wouldn't want to come here," Leia said thoughtfully. "Luke's right. We will be safe."
They descended on a landing pad and Chewie voiced his concerns. Far below them, there was a lava flow. The landing pads jutted out from a rock mountain and connected to several large buildings also perched on the volcanic rock. "I'm with ya, pal," said Han. "I've got trouble believin' this is safe to breathe," he said doubtfully.
"I did some research on it," said Leia instantly. "The air far above the lava is safe, but once you get close to the surface, the toxins are extremely dangerous. When combined, they combust." She shivered. "If that's what Vader inhaled, then it had to be pretty painful. His lungs would have been burned from the inside."
Han winced and thought to himself, I burned from the outside, too, Princess. i/ "Let's go," he said aloud, standing. "We should go help."
Amidala stepped onto the landing pad gingerly. Why in the name of the Force had they chosen Mustafar? Why? She felt Terzé's comforting hand on her own, guiding her, and she was grateful for his help. This was where she had last seen Ani. He had been so angry, so confused… Amidala knew that it was only because he was worried for her, but the memories of that awful night still haunted her. The look of utter betrayal in his eyes had stabbed her heart.
"All you all right, my lady?" Terzé asked quietly.
Amidala was glad for her veil as it hid her tears. "Fine, Terzé, thank you," she said softly as the memory of his last words to her rang in her mind. She bit her lip. How she longed for him! How she wished that he was at her side! She took a deep breath. "Let's go inside," she said to her handmaiden's son, and he nodded, obviously concerned for her. She hadn't told him much about Mustafar, but he knew that this was the place that had haunted her dreams for years.
Once inside the dark building, Terzé immediately rushed her down to one of the other landing pads, and Amidala saw with some relief her daughter heading towards her. "Mother," Leia said with a smile. "Walk with me?"
"Of course," said Amidala weakly.
Leia sensed somehow her distress—like her father used to, Amidala noted with despair—and took her arm. "What's wrong, Mother?" she asked gently.
"Just tired," Amidala lied.
Leia was about to ask the real reason, her mother noted, but she stopped herself. "Get some rest, tonight," she said finally.
"I will, darling," Amidala agreed, knowing that no amount of rest could ever soothe the hurts—old and new—that plagued her.
Vader stood at the bridge of the I Executor /I , hands behind his back. What was the next move? Palpatine had told him of his plans to build another Death Star, and Vader was sure that it would provoke another attack by the Rebels.
He still did not know where they were.
They had all used relatively uncharted and unused hyperspace routes, and those he had managed to track had made several stops and direction-changes to throw him off. He hated to admit that it had worked. Was Luke with them? He had felt his son's sudden happiness and hope a few days past, but hadn't tried to contact him. After Hoth, Vader doubted that his son would be too pleased with him. He hadn't sensed anyone near him, however, which bothered him. Where was Luke, and why had he been separated from the other Rebels? Shouldn't he be with the smuggler and the wookiee? Vader immediately regretted entrusting his son to the smuggler's care. He had been the only option at the time, but he should have told Luke to go to a safe, Outer Rim planet and leave the smuggler then. Now, when he most needed his son to be protected, Solo left him!
"My lord?" A short, nervous captain who looked to be about twenty-five standard years inched up the bridge to Vader's side. He turned slowly as his anger at being interrupted sparked.
"What is it?" Vader snapped. His son's safety was far more important than any petty detail the officer had obviously been forced to deliver.
The captain looked terrified. "We received a transmission from Imperial Center, my lord," said the man, his words coming out in a frightened rush. "The Emperor wants to speak with you."
Vader was substantially surprised. When was the last time that Palpatine had requested him in such an informal way? "Very well, Captain," he said finally. "Redirect the call to my private communications chamber," he instructed, striding off of the bridge to the palpable relief of the officer, whose acquiescence he didn't bother to wait for.
It was a walk of several minutes to the communications room, and Vader allowed himself time to think of possible topics. Hoth would of course be one, but there was no reason that Palpatine would be angry with him—or annoyed enough to send such an impersonal request to speak with him.
What would anger his master?
The answer came to him instantly. Luke. If, as hard as he had tried to hide him, the Emperor had found that Luke was still alive, and worse, that Vader had lied to him both originally and about the pilot of the Death Star, the results would be disastrous.
An ominous feeling of dread crawled up Vader's spine. What would happen now?