Where Am I Going To?
Part Two
Chapter Nineteen
Like pins pricking all of his senses, Luke caught the subtle hints through the Force to be on guard. And that's why, when the gang rounded the corner cautiously, Luke was extremely glad to have already unclipped his lightsaber.
With a flash, hum the green blade ignited and Luke gave a quick swing, diverting two blaster bolts.
"That's new," Leia said wryly, and Chewie growled his agreement. Luke wasn't listening. His eyes were transfixed to the end of the hall and what stood their smugly and just as menacingly as ever.
Xizor.
Xizor smirked, holding the blaster calmly and smoothly. "Why, if it isn't the Imperial Prince himself. Good day, Lord Skywalker."
"Commander Skywalker will do," Luke snarled, his grip on his weapon tightening.
Xizor's smile grew wider. "The wheel has turned around, I see. Now I am the one on top of the food chain, and I'm the one who has the cards on my side." Luke said nothing in response, so the Falleen continued. "It appears that this time Daddy isn't here to save you. Pity. Or doesn't he know that you're here." The sudden panic that registered in Luke's features were unmistakable. Maybe he'd finally gotten himself past his terror of Xizor, but the idea of falling into the hands of his father still wasn't appealing. "We'll have to give him a call, won't we?"
"Vader isn't on Coruscant," Leia interrupted smoothly, taking a prominent step foreword. "You said so yourself; he's off chasing false Rebel base information that you fed him." With a baleful glare, she added, "You need to learn not to brag so much."
Whether her contempt was aimed towards him or not, Xizor's heart melted at the sight of the princess, his cool, vengeful demeanor slipping slightly. This brief moment of emotion was quickly stoppered up with all his customary smooth charm. "Well, look, the cat came back. Hello, kitten."
"What's with all these evil guys abducting me in the name of love?"
Luke briefly whirled. "I resent that comment!"
Zip!
They only just ducked in time as another blaster shot rang down the corridor. Luke turned back, a growl on his lips. "This ends today, Xizor."
"Oh, absolutely, I would have to agree."
Not stopping, not thinking, Luke lunged foreword, weapon ready, all the vengeance and passion and anger and hate and-
"Luke, no!"
He couldn't breath. Force, why couldn't he breath? It was like on Dagobah at-
The cave….
Before his eyes swam the vision that those words Leia screamed so readily accompanied. There was no Coruscant palace, only the looming Death Star, the clash of lightsabers. His father and his master, and….
Being pushed back now, emotion and sorrow threatening to drown him.
Master Obi-Wan….
He'd rushed into battle to save him, and had not been successful. And he missed him more than he could ever have possibly said. He loved that old man with every fiber in his soul.
Why can't I breath?
He'd rushed to save him then. So why was he rushing now?
Jedi do not kill!
Clear as a bell, the words registered, and the real world came crashing back down around him. He skidded to a halt, staring wild eyed and panting, before swiping his lightsaber across a beam, sending enough debris crashing down around Xizor that he had ample time to turn and herd his loved ones out of there.
"C'mon, we're getting out of here."
…
The travel weary bunch of Star Destroyers that had exited hyperspace mere moments ago crept their way towards Coruscant, thoroughly disheartened by their findings. Vader, standing on the bridge of The Executor, arms behind his back, was contemplating the whole thing with a bad taste in his mouth. There was a very good reason Xizor would slip Palpatine news of a secret Rebel base. Vader had not trusted the information in the first place. But to argue with the Emperor was to lose, and he disliked losing. And this ever circling contest with Xizor still had no clear cut winner.
Yes, there had to be a very good reason for the Falleen's act of good citizenship. More importantly, there had to be a very good reason why he'd send them on a wild goose chase of a Rebel base that didn't exist. Maybe it was just for sport. No doubt that miserable piece of filth could tell that what was left of Vader's soul could rise and fly at the chance of catching a Rebel base off guard. The reasoning was simple; his son was Rogue Squadron commander. And a damn good job he was doing, too. First rate. But then, he was his boy. That explained it all.
Luke….
He missed him desperately. They had parted on bad terms on Bespin. Quite bad. And now Vader was almost certain he'd lost his son's love forever. Maybe not the son itself. He could always force that back. But he couldn't force love. For all the times he'd tried it had never worked.
And there was no one in the whole of the galaxy that Vader loved more than his Luke. It was impossible.
There had better be a damn good reason Vader had just wasted a week hunting down a phantom pocket of insurrection.
There was a sudden gasp of astonishment somewhere to Vader's right, but he didn't hear it. "By all the gods! Lord Vader!" The bridge captain rushed up to him only to come skidding to a halt when Vader clamped the power of the Force around the unsuspecting man's neck.
"You would do better to remember not to interrupt my thought process, Captain Idorath."
"But, My Lord!" he begged, running out of breath. "Please, it is very important."
The Dark Side whispered to listen to him, that it was indeed of great value, and Vader released the man. Pausing for a breath, the harried individual pointed dumbstruck out the window, port side.
What in all the levels of Sith Hell…?
"That's Prince Xizor's private navy!" he chocked.
"Attacking a freighter?"
"My Lord, we can identify that as the Corellian vessel, the Millennium Falcon!"
All the dots linked together now, and Vader's fists clenched in uninhibited rage.
Oh, there was a damn good reason, alright. But Xizor wasn't dealing with an idiot.
"I shall remember this, Captain."
"T-thank you, My Lord."
"Get me in contact with his skyhook."
"At once, My Lord."
…
"My Prince-"
"Not now."
Xizor was on the edge of his seat. He'd had that sorry scrap heap out numbered and out gunned, but those X-Wing pilots that had been identified as Skywalker's bloody Rogue Squadron had shown up. Even so, Xizor was clearly winning, but it was a severe annoyance.
"But, My Prince, it's Lord Vader!"
Vader? But he was supposed to be…. "Damn it all!" he swore vehemently. "Alright, put him on the screen." The hologram popped up, revealing the looming mask of Vader.
"Xizor!"
"Why, it's Lord Vader. My Lord, what a pleasant surprise."
"Damn it, you filthy lizard, don't you dare push your niceties! That ship has been registered as the Millennium Falcon, which has a bounty on it for alive as well as unharmed."
"We're in the midst of capturing it now, My Lord." Xizor was clearly giving it everything he had to maintain the illusion of friendliness, and failing miserably.
"You were in the midst of smashing it to pieces. With my son on board."
"Is he really? I had no idea-"
"Don't try it. You have three minutes to cease and desist all of this before I knock you right out of the sky. Is that clear, Xizor?"
Something within Xizor snapped, a tick in the cheek, and there was no holding back the water from the open flood gates. "That's Prince Xizor to you, you son of some skank from Tatooine! If anyone's a prince in this god damned galaxy, then it is clearly me! Who was your little bastard son's mother, Vader? Was she just as common as you are, some whore you found on the street? Is he even really yours? You and your progeny are a mockery and I will not bow before you another day! Do you hear me? That boy dies today!"
There was a collective astonished gasp from the crew of the skyhook, and all minds jointly thought at once, "Prince Xizor's gone mad!" Xizor was panting in a rage, anger pouring off of him like the tide against the shore, pounding mercilessly in his skull. And he cared not one iota what Vader might have to say to the man who held his leash. Palpatine was little to no better. And he wouldn't bow before the Emperor for long either, if it came straight to that. The galaxy would be his, and vengeance for what had happened on Falleen would be as painful as he could make it for Vader and his precious boy.
Still, Vader said nothing, registered no emotion. But behind that mask he was smiling the cold smile of a justified murder and a clear cut victory.
"Three minutes, Falleen."
To Be Continued….
Yeah, I got another chapter done! Go me!
Shi Feng Huang: Your reviews made me so happy I must thank you a million times over.
TorontoBatFan: Yeah, another wonderful review! Muchos gracias, I greatly appreciate it. The fic sounds very interesting, what was it called?
Stephanie C: I love the concept of Xizor. He's a really interesting and dynamic character. In practice, however, the novel sides with him far too much. "Well, he's Xizor, and since he rocks, he gets all this crap." No. Give him a flaw, just one flaw, PLEASE for the love of God.