Chapter 12: Paint Bombing

Luke woke the following morning to the sound of gentle beeping. He opened one eye, and found Artoo had rolled up to the side of the bed. He was carrying some breakfast on a tray.

"Oh, thanks, Artoo," Luke said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He dragged the tray over, and looked down, seeing a large pancake. Perfectly round, like a planet.

In all his regret and embarrassment after his conversation with Armith, thoughts of Leia's worries about the rumoured planet-destroying battle station had fallen by the wayside. If they hadn't, perhaps he could have asked his father last night. But now, in the clear light of morning, that didn't seem like such a good idea.

After a couple of mouthfuls of breakfast, he glanced at his droid.

"Hey, Artoo. If I somehow got you into ISB, do you think you could slice into their computer systems?"

Artoo responded with a questioning beep.

"Just something Leia told me. She thinks the Empire is building a battle station that can destroy planets." It sounded even crazier when he said it aloud. Artoo was quiet for a moment, and then made a series of whistles that needed no translation.

"I know, it sounds terrible," Luke agreed. "I'm hoping it isn't true, but this is the Emperor we're talking about. It sounds like exactly the sort of thing he'd go for." He glanced at the time, and hastily gulped down his milk. It was after ten already. No wonder Artoo had woken him up.

"Stay here," Luke said, pushing off his sheets. "I'll figure out a good story for getting you past security while I have a shower."

As it turned out, the somewhat detailed and elaborate story he'd carefully thought out wasn't required. As soon as he came through the doors, the protocol droids at the reception desk stood up to welcome him and led the way through into some VIP lounge where there were refreshments laid out on a tray. No one even asked about Artoo.

Colonel Yularen arrived a minute later, and he greeted him warmly as he shook his hand, commenting on how much he'd grown. Then he glanced at Artoo and did a double take.

"My goodness! That droid still around?"

Artoo made a few whistles, and Luke raised an eyebrow. "You've met Artoo before?"

"I'm not certain it was that exact droid, but your father used to own one just like it," Colonel Yularen said, gesturing for him to walk beside him as they left the lounge doors. "Followed him everywhere. But … let's not discuss the past. I understand you're here to learn all about what we do here at the Imperial Security Bureau."

Much like his father, Colonel Yularen always changed the subject when the Clone Wars came up. There was more than one senior officer who had clearly worked with his father back then, and could easily make the connection when they saw Luke. But much like his father, they showed no willingness to share stories from the past.

The tour itself was interesting enough, and Luke was curious to learn about all the work they did to identify and monitor Rebel cells on worlds from the Outer Rim to the Core. It was becoming increasingly clear to Luke the Rebel movement was far bigger and more organized than the official news networks ever let on. One galactic map showed at least twenty active Rebel cells on one mid-rim world alone.

"You may wonder why these groups haven't been eliminated when we are clearly well aware of their existence," Colonel Yularn said, gesturing with a pointer. "Not all battles are waged with Star Destroyers. We have agents embedded in most of these groups, constantly feeding us information. We have more to gain by leaving them in place for the moment."

Luke nodded, while glancing at Artoo in his peripheral vision. They were currently standing in a main control centre, and the droid had plugged into the computer system at Luke's signal. Now he just had to keep the colonel distracted with questions until Artoo was done.

"Do you think it's the same for the Rebels?" Luke asked. "Do they have Rebel spies working for the Empire?"

"Oh, yes. There are even some senators we have strong suspicions about. Unfortunately, they are protected by their popularity. For the moment, at least."

"Senators. Really," Luke said, taking another nervous glance at Artoo.

"Come now. I'll take you through to the fleet command centre where you can learn more about our current work on Quasher."

Luke cringed at the name. But when he glanced over again, Artoo had finally disconnected.

"I'm right behind you," Luke said, patting Artoo's dome as the droid rolled up beside him.

The most difficult part was waiting until they were in the privacy of his own workroom in the hangar bay to discover exactly what Artoo had found. The droid seemed pleased with himself, which was always a good sign. Luke perched himself on a high stool as Artoo plugged himself into the projector, leaning back against the bench.

His eyes widened when the projector lit up with a hologram of a rotating red sphere. As it turned around, Luke could see a giant eye-like depression at the top.

"What is it?"

Artoo whistled and beeped, and text appeared on the neighbouring monitor.

It's called 'Project Stardust'.

"Stardust? Well … that doesn't sound so bad at least. How big is it?"

Artoo switched the image, and it showed the object in scale next to a Star Destroyer. Then more text appeared on the screen.

It is mostly described as a battle station. But there is one small note in a technical document that mentions a superweapon and a laser.

"A superweapon?" A cold feeling settled in his stomach. Leia was right. Some small part of him hoped it wasn't nearly as bad as she imagined, but the more he stared at it, the more ominous it seemed.

The sound of footsteps outside the room caused him to hastily raise a hand. "Turn it off!"

The projector turned black, but it was only Threepio that appeared in the doorway. Luke sighed with relief. Just the thought of his father's reaction if he discovered he and Artoo had stolen information on a secret project from ISB. Somehow, he didn't think being grounded for a week would cover it.

Threepio looked between Artoo and Luke, and then said, "I do hope there is nothing I should be worrying about."

"Of course not, Threepio," Luke said, standing up and patting him on the shoulder. "You relax. Have an oil bath. I'm going to take the speeder bike out and visit Ben."

Artoo made a low whistle, and then a chuckle, which caused Luke to point at him in warning.

"You look after that information, okay?"

He whistled in agreement.

Ben was only too happy to visit the Speedsters, admitting he didn't know what to do with himself now they no longer had to study. Soon the two of them were rushing towards the underground outskirts of Imperial City. The Bloodfin was humming like a finely tuned musical instrument, and the gears changed with barely a hint of friction. It was hard to believe this machine was older than he was.

"I wonder if they'll remember us?" Ben asked, as they pulled up outside Brock's cantina.

"Of course!" Luke shut down the engine.

The cantina seemed to have taken a turn for the better since they'd last been there. The tables were cleaner, there were more lights, and they even had a band now. The Speedsters were sitting in their usual booth, and Pike was the first to spot them. He waved at Luke enthusiastically.

"Luke! Where have ya been, bud?"

"Busy," Luke said, walking up. "It's good to be back."

The other Speedsters shifted aside to make room for him. There was respect in their eyes now, something that had definitely not been there before.

"Where were you for last month's race?" Fushna asked. "Everyone was asking us about you. You're a legend."

Pike grinned. "Yeah. They say you came from nowhere, and no one knows your name, then you disappeared back into nowhere."

"Sounds about right," Ben mumbled.

"It's not easy for me to come here at night anymore," Luke explained. "But I'd like to race now, just for fun. Are you up for it?"

"Maybe later," Pike said. "Right now, we're plotting revenge."

"Against your barber?" Ben enquired.

Fushna sniggered at the joke, but Pike frowned in annoyance.

"No. Against the Novas. Naft sabotaged my engines in last month's race. I barely jumped off the bike before the entire thing was blown to smithereens."

"How do you know it was him?" Ben asked.

"We've got paint-bombs, toilet paper, and the coordinates of Naft's house," Pike said, ignoring Ben. "You in?"

"Of course!" Luke said, grinning.

"Great, we leave in two."

"Where does Naft live?" Ben asked.

"In some snobby lifestyle area just out of Imperial City. He lives in his parent's garage."

"Don't you think his parents will call the troopers if you show up at his house?"

"His parents are on vacation. Naft works at a warehouse until fifteen-hundred. When he comes home, the paint will still be wet."

The rest of them laughed, but Luke could tell Ben wasn't happy.

"I'll meet you outside," Luke said, standing up.

Ben followed. As soon as they returned to fresh air, he began protesting.

"You're not seriously thinking of going, are you?"

"It's just a prank," Luke said. "Besides, Naft is a nerf herder."

"But vandalizing his house?"

"We're not breaking anything. It's just toilet paper and paint-bombs. The paint disintegrates in a few hours. It's far less than what he did to Pike."

"Ask yourself this," Ben said. "What would your father say if he knew you were thinking of doing this?"

"If I asked myself that, I'd never do anything. You don't have to come. You can stay here—I'll pick you up after we come back. It will probably only take ten minutes."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Ben said, nervously.

"That's why I want to do this!" Luke said, smirking. "It's been too long since I've done anything crazy! Besides, this might be my last chance to do something like this."

"Why?"

Luke hesitated. He hadn't yet told Ben about his father's insistence on taking him to Mustafar for training.

Pike and the other Speedsters wandered out of the cantina then, and walked determinedly in the direction of their speeder bikes.

"I'll explain later," Luke said, jumping on the Bloodfin. "Wait here."

At full speed, it only took five minutes through the service tunnels to reach the coordinates on Pike's wayfinder. They stopped in a park, just around the corner from Naft's house. Pike distributed the paint bombs, and Luke filled his pockets with the gray, egg-shaped objects. It was a quiet neighborhood, built on top of older apartment buildings to give the appearance of a suburb. Every house appeared to have been designed by an artist.

Luke had to admit he was surprised to find that Naft lived in such an affluent area. He'd half imagined the Speedsters lived in the alley beside Brock's cantina. But then, when he considered where he lived, it was silly to be surprised. For all he knew, he wasn't the only person keeping quiet about their famous ancestry.

"I'm going first," Pike said, after passing out the last of the toilet paper. "Yilu, you next. We'll be standing by with the paper. After the rest of you pass by and throw the bombs, we'll throw the paper, then we all get the hell out of there before the neighbors call the bucket-heads. Understood?"

Everyone mumbled agreement and revved up the engines. When Pike gave the signal, they roared around the corner and streaked towards the unsuspecting building. Ahead of him, Luke saw Pike accelerate, throwing a paint bomb at a window as he swept past. He then turned his bike around, and waited ready with the toilet paper.

Then Luke spied a giant statue of the Emperor mounted on a pedestal inside the front gate. A wave of anger caused him to brake, and he unloaded all his paint bombs on that, grinning as the statue became a mass of dripping colors. If only he could do the same thing to the numerous statues that stood in Imperial City.

"Hey, give me some of that," he said, driving up beside Pike. He took a roll of toilet paper, and then headed back towards the statue, dodging Won on the way. He could hear the others yelling that it was time to leave, so he threw the toilet paper wildly towards the statue. It unravelled in midair, and draped itself squarely over the statue's head.

Luke whooped with pleasure and turned the Bloodfin through three-sixty degrees—straight into an oncoming stormtrooper speeder patrol.

Luke's reaction time was extended by several seconds as he stared, not believing his eyes. Someone had tipped Naft off. He wrenched the steering controls, but it was too late. The bike went into a hopeless spin, eventually tipping him off. He fell hard on the ground, and his head bounced inside his helmet. In a second, he felt rough hands haul him to his feet, twisting his arms around and snapping on binders.

"You vandalizing scum," came the electronic voice.

Being arrested was an unfortunately familiar experience for Luke, and it always followed the same predictable pattern. Rudeness, rough treatment, being pushed into an armoured speeder, often with a blaster barrel against his back. Then shock and confusion once they had a look at his official record, which Lev had turned into some kind of priority one fire alarm of warnings and demands to contact the Imperial Palace immediately. Then, the inevitable lecture and punishment from his father when he learned of his latest adventure.

He glanced at his companions, wondering what Pike, Won and Yilu would think when the inevitable moment came. Fushna had somehow managed to evade the street patrol, and he could only hope she'd gone back to tell Ben what had happened. At least his friend would know he was unlikely to be mistreated in custody.

The processing centre they were taken to was crowded, and it was a good half hour before they were finally escorted into a room and subjected to bio-scanning. The only furniture was a black durasteel table, on which sat a computer terminal. An officer sat behind it, glaring impatiently as they came in.

When the last stormtrooper entered, he turned around and shut the door.

"Put them one by one in front of the beam," the officer snapped. "Hurry up!"

Luke watched as a stormtrooper pushed Yilu in front of the computer's scanners. The officer said nothing, and waved his hand for the next one. He remained silent until they got to Pike, at which point he whistled.

"That one's got a record as long as the Kessel Run. Good work, sergeant. They'll be rewards for bringing him in. Is that all of them?"

The stormtrooper turned, glancing at the group. "One more, sir."

He grabbed Luke's forearm, pushing him into the beam. Luke looked down, just waiting for the reaction.

"Kriffin hell!"

"Sir?"

"Run him through again!"

Luke was unceremoniously pushed through the scanner again.

"What is this!?" the officer said, glaring at Luke. "Who are you?"

Luke considered how to reply, but then a stormtrooper grabbed him, pushing his blaster into his back. "Answer the question!"

"No, don't touch him," the officer said, waving a hand frantically. "Whatever you do, don't hurt him! His ID is VIP classified. The instructions are to contact the Imperial Palace."

Abruptly, the trooper removed his hands from Luke and stepped back. There was an audible intake of breath among the Speedsters. Luke looked at the floor, wishing it would open up and swallow him.

No one spoke for a few seconds, and then Pike stepped forward, his expression a mixture of concern and amusement. "Are you someone important?"

"No," Luke said. "But my father is."

"Who is he?"

Luke glanced at the officer, and then decided he might as well get it over with.

"Lord Vader."

Pike's reaction was the exact opposite of the officer's. "Wow!"

Luke glanced at the other Speedsters, who were all grinning.

"Why didn't you tell us!?" Won said.

Luke shrugged, looking down.

"Sir?" the trooper said, sounding unsure.

Everyone looked back at the officer, who still appeared dazed.

"Uh," he said. "I suppose, under the circumstances, we'll take off his binders. But the rest of you—"

Luke was struck by an idea. "You'll let them go too," Luke said.

The officer stared at him, warily.

"Or I'll tell my father about how badly I was treated," Luke said.

The officer glanced between them, a couple of times, then waved his hand.

"Fine, show them out. Quickly."

The Speedsters looked disbelieving as the troopers moved towards them, releasing them from the binders. Luke shook his off gratefully.

"Thanks Luke, we owe you," Pike said.

A stormtrooper opened the doors, and the Speedsters quickly moved towards their freedom. Luke started to follow them, but the officer stopped him. "No, no, no. You're staying here. Where you're safe. Someone will take you back home. You shouldn't be in the company of that street scum."

"No, I'll be going now," Luke said.

He tried to leave again, but was immediately blocked by the troopers.

"It's not safe out there," the officer said, fearfully. "If anything happened to you, and your father found out you were here ..."

"Let me go, and I'll forget about this whole thing," Luke said, desperately. "I swear. I'll go back to Imperial City and I won't breathe a word about any of this."

The officer stared from Luke to the troopers, thinking. Luke thought he almost had him, until a sudden clatter interrupted them. Another officer entered the room.

"Lieutenant Haxel! Why did I just see street scum being released? We only have another two days to meet our quotas!"

"Sir, we have a delicate situation—"

"Delicate situation!? I'll give you a delicate situation!"

Luke stared from one officer to the other, wondering if he could make a break for it while they were arguing. Unfortunately, the stormtroopers weren't at all distracted by the officers' bickering. It was obviously a common occurrence.

"Sir, this boy is Lord Vader's son. He was accidentally brought in with the others."

The senior officer was surprised into momentary silence. He stared at Luke suspiciously.

"Him?"

"Yes sir. His identification is VIP classified."

"His identification!" the officer waved his hand dismissively. "These criminal scum fake their ID records all the time. Lord Vader's son ... what a load of ... look at the kid! I'll bet my bonus that his parents were street rats."

Lieutenant Haxel looked Luke up and down, beginning to look skeptical. "Perhaps I should contact the palace, just to be certain."

"No, I have a better idea," the senior officer said, grinning at Luke in a smug way. "Lord Vader's son? I think we should return him straight to his father."

He clearly expected to receive a loud protest, but Luke rolled his eyes, giving up. Anything to get out of here.

The officer picked up his comlink, and keyed in a number. Luke listened to the one-sided conversation.

"Hello, Imperial City ground command? I need a location on Lord Vader, authorization code 847-36-R7. Yes. This is Chief Prong, commander of District 4362 Prison Center. We have a new acquisition here who might be of interest to Lord Vader. Yes. Oh no, I'm sure he's not too busy for this. All right. I'll send him over with some troopers. Prong out."

He shut off the comlink, and gave Luke another cold grin. "Well, boy, you're going to be wishing you didn't fake that ID very soon. Troopers, take a speeder, and escort him to the high security detention center in the federal district. Explain the situation to Lord Vader."

The journey to the palace was far more comfortable than the journey to the prison center, but Luke still would have preferred to be on the Bloodfin right now. He was wedged between the two troopers in the back seat of a utility speeder, piloted by a droid.

"Listen guys," he said, suddenly. "You probably want to get home right? Why don't you just drop me off at the palace, and tell that Chief whatsisname you took me to Lord Vader."

"We do not disobey orders," the one on his left said.

"Never?" Luke asked.

"Never."

"Your lives must be boring."

"We are loyal servants of the Emperor."

"My point exactly," Luke mumbled.

The detention center loomed large in front of them, and the trooper brought the speeder to a halt while he transmitted the security code. It was an ominous black building, and his father had always seemed to spend a lot of time there, but he'd never suggested he should come for a guided tour.

"Are you really Lord Vader's son?" the trooper on his right asked.

"I have already said yes."

There was silence for a short while.

"Really?" the one on the left asked.

Luke sighed.

"Because otherwise we'll be dragging your body out of here."

Luke didn't reply. The trooper parked the speeder on a crammed landing pad and opened the doors. They didn't drag him out of the speeder, but kept a close eye on him until they entered the confines of the elevator. Halfway down, someone else tried to enter the elevator, but a trooper waved him on with the butt of his blaster.

When the doors opened on their destination, one of the troopers gave him a gentle push, to indicate he should exit first. They were in a large room full of guards and cameras. At the far end, there were several heavy black security doors.

The guards stared at them as they walked towards the doors. Luke bowed his head in embarrassment. They probably thought he was a criminal.

Once they reached the doors, the troopers had to go through identity checks, and they all underwent a security scan. Then the door was released, and they walked through into a dull grey corridor that led to a control room. Several corridors branched away from the control center, housing rows and rows of cells. Muffled moans and screams could be heard in the distance, and Luke cringed. This place was like an old-fashioned dungeon.

An officer approached the troopers, staring at Luke curiously.

"State your purpose," he said.

"Sir, we are here to deliver this boy to Lord Vader, under the order of Chief Prong."

"Lord Vader is busy with a prisoner. He is not to be disturbed."

"Then we will wait here until he is no longer busy."

"Who is this boy?" the officer asked, staring at Luke. "Is he a Rebel? Why is he not bound?"

"We are not at liberty to say," the trooper on the right said.

The officer stared at Luke a moment longer and then waved a hand. "Very well. Wait here. He should be finished soon."

Please hurry, Luke silently begged his father. The agonized screaming was growing louder, but it didn't seem to be bothering anyone but him. He felt sick, wondering what was happening to whoever it was screaming down there. And to think he'd thought the choking was bad.

His father immediately responded to the call. In the distance, a cell door opened, and the troopers stood straighter. Luke sighed with relief.

Heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor, and the control room techs suddenly started acting busier. When his father strode into the room, the officer stepped up to speak to him, but he was completely ignored.

Luke kept his mouth shut as his father came to stand in front of him. This wasn't the time for any happy greetings. He spared him a single glance, and then looked at the troopers.

"What happened?!" he asked, still in an interrogation voice.

"Sir, Chief Prong of District 4362 Prison Center ordered us to bring this boy to you."

A particularly agonized scream drifted down the corridor from where his father had come. It then abruptly cut off, and a cold silence followed.

His father glanced in the direction of the sound, and then turned back. "Take him to level five. I will meet you there in twenty minutes."

"Yes, sir."

The troopers turned to leave, and Luke gladly followed them. Even the air in this place felt cold. It was a relief to make it back to the elevator.

Unfortunately, it was even more crowded on the fifth floor than it had been in the detention block, and Luke felt his embarrassment returning. This was clearly the floor that linked to the corridors joining the Imperial Palace and all the neighboring government administration buildings. There were important-looking people walking past on their way to who knows where, and every single one stopped to stare at him and the troopers. One of them even asked if he had representation, whatever that meant, to which the trooper told him to mind his own business.

He tried to tell himself he would never see any of these people again, but it didn't help.

"Could we wait somewhere a little less obvious?" Luke asked, finally. They were standing right next to a giant glass statue of the Emperor.

"We will wait where we were instructed to wait," a trooper replied.

"People are staring. And could you stop waving your blasters around? You're scaring everyone. They think I'm a dangerous criminal!" Luke said.

"I missed the part where Lord Vader told us to take orders from you."

Luke sighed. It was a long twenty minutes. He was relieved when his father stepped out of the adjacent elevator, despite the fact that his presence attracted even more attention, and he was probably going to be lectured very shortly. The troopers stood to attention and lowered their blasters.

He gave Luke another glance, and then addressed the troopers. "Now, explain to me how my son came to be at a prison center."

The trooper at Luke's left spoke up. "Sir, we found him in the company of some street scum, who were vandalizing a—"

"Let me explain!" Luke protested, realizing they were about to present an uncensored version of his afternoon's escapades.

"Silence!" his father said, pointing at him. "I will hear your version after I have heard the truth."

"But—"

"—vandalizing the residence of a notable millionaire. He was throwing paint at a statue of his royal high—"

"Lord Vader!"

The trooper was bluntly cut off, and the four of them turned to stare at the newcomer. Luke buried his face in his hands as he recognized Leia. Of all the people to walk past—the Force had a grudge against him, he was sure of it.

She strode up to the group, brown eyes flashing angrily. "I didn't think that even you could sink this low. Bullying innocent civilians in public now, are we? You disgust me."

"Leia!" Luke said quickly. "It's not like that, it's—"

"I demand that you let him go!" Leia said, giving his father a look that made Luke draw back in fear. "This is illegal! Wait until the Senate hears about this ... another example of your blatant disregard for the right of legal representation!"

His father breathed calmly for a few cycles, and then spoke in a slightly amused tone. "You are misinterpreting this situation, your highness."

"Misinterpreting?! Oh, so he isn't your prisoner? The stormtroopers are here for decoration, I take it?"

One of the troopers had raised a blaster at this point, but his father lifted his hand, signalling him to lower it.

"Wait, I've got it," Leia said, snapping her fingers. "This is part of your new PR campaign. Getting to know the people? Where's the media?" She made a point of staring around.

"Leia!" Luke tried again. "It's okay. It's not like that! Please, I can handle it!"

"What has he been accused of?" Leia demanded. "This is ridiculous! He's no more a Rebel than you are, your lordship. He's innocent!"

"His innocence is very much in doubt," his father said, meeting Luke's pleading gaze.

"Don't just accept this, Luke," Leia said, firmly. "Don't let him intimidate you! He has no right to question you without a lawyer present, no matter what you've been accused of doing."

Luke sent a silent, desperate plea to his father not to say anything, but it fell on unsympathetic ears.

"So. Luke still has not told you that he is my son."

Leia snapped her head around towards his father, finger still pointed at Luke. "Your ... your what?!"

"Son," he repeated. "I am Luke's father."

She turned back to Luke, with a look in her eyes he had never seen there before. Betrayal ...

"Leia, I'm so sorry," he started. "I wanted to tell you, but I thought you'd hate me." He couldn't stand the hurt in her eyes any longer, and dropped his gaze.

"I think an apology is in order, your highness," his father said, still sounding calm. "For your unwarranted accusations."

"Oh, I'm sorry all right," Leia said. "Sorry hell ever rejected you and inflicted you on us!"

She turned and stalked away, sending bystanders scattering. His father stared after her.

"I really should have her arrested," he said, casually.

"Don't you dare!" Luke protested. "She's my friend!"

His father turned back. "You are in no position to be making demands, young one."

Luke stared at his boots, subdued.

His father addressed the troopers. "Go. Tell your superior to send me a report."

"Yes, sir."

The stormtroopers clattered away, and his father reached out to grip him by the shoulder. He guided him towards the nearby transit corridor, and didn't release him until they were walking back towards the Imperial Palace. They traveled in silence, something for which Luke was grateful. He didn't feel like being lectured. All he could think about was Leia's sad eyes. He could only imagine what she must be thinking right now.

Maybe he could try talking to her father. He would understand. Or maybe he could send Ben to talk to her. He had to do something. The thought of never seeing her again ...

He glanced up at his father, wondering just what it was that made Leia hate him so much. He supposed there were plenty of things to choose from, but his father wasn't all brutal violence and intimidation. Or maybe he was kidding himself. Maybe he'd been kidding himself all along that he was so different from his father that Leia wouldn't care about their relationship.

By the time they'd passed through the security checkpoint, and had entered the relative privacy of the palace, Luke began to feel uneasy. It normally didn't take this long.

"Well?" he said, finally. "Are you going to get it over with?"

"What 'it' are you referring to?" his father inquired, glancing down.

He sounded suspiciously calm. "The lecture," Luke prompted. "Your behavior is reckless and foolish?"

There was no response. His father merely pushed a button to summon an elevator. Finally, he said, "Clearly you are already aware of my opinion. I suspect you are trying to send me a message. Did you actually attend your meeting at ISB?"

The elevator arrived, and Luke nodded as they entered. "I went for the tour with Colonel Yularen."

"And then? You were bored?"

Luke sighed. "I was just … enjoying some freedom before you insist we go to Mustafar. I didn't plan to get arrested."

"Planning would require maturity."

"Okay, fine," Luke said, having an idea. "You're right. Clearly I am too immature for this training thing you have planned. Does this mean I can have the summer off?"

"You didn't last a day before being arrested," his father said, finally sounding more typical. "We are leaving Coruscant tonight. You can spend the remaining time preparing a ship and packing."

"Packing what? I have everything I need in my room on Mustafar."

"We are not going there. I have considered your request for a place more suited to your disposition, and I believe the ancient Sith retreat on Lygun will suffice."

The elevator doors slid open, and his father stepped out into the ship hangar, gesturing for him to follow.

"Lygun? Where's that?"

"You will find out when we get there."

"How long will we stay?"

"That depends on how much progress you make. But prepare for a month. The kitchen droids will be able to assist with your food requirements. "

"A month?" Luke glanced up. "Are you sure we can survive each other's company, alone for a month?"

"That will remain to be seen." He stopped beside one of the bigger ships, called the Laguna Cave. "We will take this one. It will require a full maintenance check and—" He broke off at the sound of a speeder bike engine. A short distance away, the Bloodfin emerged from the service elevator, being driven at a careful speed by Ben.

Luke grinned with relief. "You found it! Thanks, buddy!"

Ben's expression became fearful at the sight of the resident Sith Lord, and immediately brought the bike to a halt. His father strode over, gesturing for Ben to climb off. His friend was already half-falling off in his haste to move away.

Luke had a sudden bad feeling a moment before it happened. His father waved a hand at the engine access panel, causing it to break open and fall onto the floor with a clang. Then the engine control board flew out into his waiting hands, where it was promptly crushed into pieces.

"No!" Luke said, aghast. "What are you doing?"

"Maintaining my sanity," his father said. He pointed at Ben. "Make sure Luke behaves himself. I must return to the detention centre." He turned and walked back towards the elevators, leaving Luke muttering in Huttese under his breath.

"Well, it was going to happen sooner or later," Ben said, coming around to help Luke pick up the remains. "At least he didn't hack the entire thing to pieces with his lightsaber. That's what I thought he'd do."

"I know." Luke sighed. It was inevitable his final attempt at freedom would be crushed. "Are you okay? I was worried."

"Yeah, Fushna came back and told me about you being picked up by the street patrol. She took me back to get the Bloodfin. How about you? Grounded for the entire summer?"

Luke shook his head. "It's worse. We're leaving Coruscant tonight and he's going to teach me to use the Force. We'll be gone at least a month."

Ben frowned. "You're not going to come back dressed in a black hooded robe and talking about the Force all the time, are you?"

"Stars, I hope not. Are you going anywhere, or staying here?"

"We were supposed to go camping next week, but my dad has been weird lately," Ben said, sitting on the deactivated speeder bike. "He said things have been difficult at work, but he can't talk about it. We'll see."

"Well, if you're still here, give me a call," Luke said. "I may need a reality check."