Chapter 5: Darth Vader
She nearly through her tongue as her jaw snapped close on the scream building within her. Leia's lungs begged for release from the breath she instinctively held, the raw agony of the mind probe's "interrogation" racking her slim form.
Vader raised his hand for pause and the princess slumped over gasping wildly in the small reprieve. This was not torture in the common sense; Vader used no lashes or brands, she had no broken bones or cuts to mar her skin. In all appearances, she seemed just fine.
But she would hardly call herself that. The mind probe, a vicious spherical droid that seemed designed to appear as menacing as the dark lord himself, raped her mind without care, delving for the firing neurons that would answer Vader's questions.
Each session spread acid through her mind, arching into her blood and tearing her apart. Visions of her memories flashed before her eyes, corrupted by the pain. Her mother's sweet laughter turned vile, the soft feel of the fresh grasses were now as spikes beneath her feet. Her heart broke under the torment before her mind did. If Vader knew, he didn't care.
"The more you resist, princess," he said slowly, "the harder it will be."
She noted that he seemed not at all perturbed by how hard it would be.
Forcing her head up, Leia stared at him. It took too much effort to hold this position and the muscles in her neck trembled, but she did not break contact. Not even as her vision swam and she felt her consciousness slipping away. "I will never betray the Alliance." Her voice came as a hoarse whisper but Vader heard it well enough in the small chamber.
"Very well." He waved the droid forward again and Leia couldn't repress the icy fear at the sight of its long, glinting needle inching toward her skull. She pressed herself against the metal walls, screwed her eyes tight and despite her attempts, let out a strangled cry as the droid stabbed the offending arm into her temples.
"Where is the Rebel Base?" Vader growled out as much as his vocalizer would allow.
The droid launched its investigation once again and this time Leia could not hold back her cries. The aptly named droid stabbed and prodded internally, and externally with supplemental barbs, digging for the answers its master desired.
Leia arched and struggled against the assault but Vader's power held her firm. Oh, how it made things worse to be unable to move, to flee even in some small respect, from the torture. Her screams echoed louder, her shame and weakness grew, her tears ran freely, each feeding back into the absolute helplessness threatening to consume her. All she could hold to was that her death would continue to ensure the rebellion's survival. She clung to the thought like an anchor for her sanity.
xxxxx
Even through her walls against the Force, Ariala felt Leia's struggle, albeit muffled and diluted. The princess's rhythm in the Force jumped and dipped in violent staccatos, sharp and heavy notes replacing the normally smooth strings. She had only felt such intense changes in animals desperately drawing what would eventually be their last breath. Leia was beyond pain, beyond anguish – she was breaking and whatever Vader was doing to her was going to kill the girl.
Ariala's breath clogged in her throat. She could help. She knew could. Give him a Jedi and the rebels lost importance.
A small voice in the back of her mind cautioned her foolishness but Leia's Force-screams made up the Jedi's mind. She dropped her mental shielding, welcoming the full flow of the Force to surround her while shaking under Leia's misery. Pushing it aside, much to her own displeasure, Ariala reached out for the terrifying darkness that was Vader's spirit, crashing into it. Look at me! The action screamed. Look at me, Vader!
xxxxx
The uncorrupted light side of the Force collided against Vader, a scorching wave that reminded him too much of the lava that once ate him alive. He turned his own senses to the Force and smiled darkly under his helmet. Behind the glittering raw power, he felt anger, worry, fear – the seedlings of the dark side. His interest in the little Jedi was paramount now. Without a word to his droid, he stepped from the room.
Like a proper servant, the machine stopped suddenly and withdrew. Leia, trembling watched. She wanted to know why, wanted to goad him that she had won – out lasted his limited patience – but she was too close to the brink of consciousness. As the door slipped close behind the droid, the princess faded into blackness.
xxxxx
"Vader!" The Sith steamed at the Grand Moff's sudden call. He slowed his pace, allowing the aged man to catch up. "Have you extracted the location of the rebel base?"
"Her resistance to the mind probe is considerable. It will be some time before we can extract any information from her."
Tarkin scoffed. "We hardly have an abundance of time. The longer the plans for this station are in the hands of the rebels – "
Vader cut him off with a wave. "The princess may be difficult, but she is not the only prisoner we have."
"The handmaiden?! Really, Vader, you think someone of her position would know anything?"
Vader's fingers twitched and he wished so desperately that this man was not so deeply embedded in the emperor's favor. It would be so easy to snap that wrinkled neck.
Before he could answer, a brave – or foolish – command officer stepped before them. "Sirs, the final check-out is complete. All systems are operational."
Tarkin's face twisted into a sneer and Vader could see his strategic mind rapidly forming a plan. "Forget the maid. Perhaps the princess would respond to an alternative form of persuasion." He rounded on the officer. "Set your course for Alderaan. I think it is time we demonstrate the full power of this station."
The old speeder rushed across the landscape, Luke pushing it to its full power. The smoldering remains of a Jawa sandcrawler, which he and Ben had come across on their way to Anchorhead, was still permanently etched into his eyes. But right now, he could hardly care about the mangled bodies of the greedy traders; they were dead now and the next targets were much closer to his heart.
The troopers weren't after the Jawas, Luke. Ben's words echoed around the cold pit in his chest. They were after the droids.The vaporators that formed the unofficial sign-post of the Lars farm whipped past him in quick succession and he forced the transport to slow, still nearly skidding to a halt before the main house.
At first, Luke prayed it was dust, sprayed into the air by his sudden stop that drifted, dark, over the plain, but he knew better even as he leapt from the cockpit and stumbled forward. The black smoke was still hot, evidence of fire, and the air rippled in its heat. He could smell it next: the char of whatever had been caught in the conflagration, putrid and stinging. He took another terrified step forward and the wind shifted to clear his vision.
The bodies still sizzled like meat forgotten on a grill, the blackened bones of his aunt and uncle clawing into the sand. Luke felt he could still hear the way they must have screamed as the flames ate away at their clothes, skin, muscles, and hair. He felt his stomach turn and heave but he was too shell-shocked to react. He only gaped.
The imperial troopers were supposed to be protectors, enforcers at most, for the power of the empire. Not murders! His aunt and uncle knew nothing. They had barely interacted with the droids and Owen respected authority too much to have given a fight. Why…why had they been killed?
His knees suddenly buckled as it hit him, and he fell to the sand with a soft thud. They had been killed. They were dead. Gone in the most everlasting way and they had suffered. And he hadn't been here. And oh stars, his last words, so full of anger, cursing the very people who gave him shelter, life, and love.
Weakly, he stretched his hand toward the house. "Uncle Owen…Aunt Beru…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry."
How long he sat there, giving his final farewell, Luke didn't know, but when he stood his heavy heart slowly teemed with purpose. He glanced back once more to the last of his family, last of his ties to Tatooine, before turning to his speeder and putting it all behind him.
xxxxx
Luke was not entirely surprised to see Ben and the criminal droids still picking about the rubble of the sandcrawler. In his selfish worry, he had run off with their only means of transportation, leaving the trio stranded in the middle of nowhere.
Ben glanced up as the youth arrived and felt the sadness cloaking the boy's mind. "There was nothing you could have done Luke," Ben said as the young boy walked over. "Had you been there you would have been killed and the droids - with the plans they carry - would be in the hands of the empire."
Luke watched him blankly. "I want to come with you to Alderaan." He took a pause. "There's nothing here for me now. I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father."
For a second, Ben did not respond. He may have already lost one of Padme's children in his haste, was taking another truly the right path? "If you go to seek vengeance, Luke - "
"I'm not after revenge," he cut in. "At least not like that. I'll go with you to Alderaan, I'll become a Jedi, join up with the rebellion and put a stop to them hurting anyone ever again."
"Very well," Ben gave in with a nod, joining Luke and the droids in the speeder.
Bobbing up from the black ocean of her unconscious state was nearly as bad as falling into it. Leia's body, which had grown stiff while lying so still, groaned and creaked as she pulled herself up to lean weakly against the walls. She had no idea how long she had been out but the fact that Vader had not returned was no comfort. Whatever drew him away was bound to be worse news for her.
Did she let something slip? Had the rebellion been found? Was Vader gloating in his success? She wracked her screaming brain but could only pull down the memories of her pain.
"I have to get out of here…" She looked around the seamless room that lacked even a commode and growled. The door was the only way out and it only opened from the outside. Not even an echo of the control console existed on the interior. Picking a lock or popping out through a vent were out of the question.
A small recorder watched her from the far left corner. She wondered if she could fake need for assistance but the thought fled as quickly as it came. She had been a slobbering, limp mess but clearly no one cared. If the feed was even monitored, no one was coming to check on her. No, she was Vader's special prisoner. Even if she were in real danger, no one would risk crossing the towering Sith to aid her.
Leia growled again and pushed herself to sit on the bench. She was slowly coming back to herself and fate seemed to know it. Just as she sighed, relaxing herself on the seat, the door slid open again and a horde of troopers greeted her. Just behind them, she spotted Vader.
The princess smirked with false bravado. "And here I thought you'd gotten bored."
The Sith gave no response. Troopers spilled into the room, boxing her in by their sheer numbers, and snapped her trembling wrists once again in the metal bonds. "Where are you taking me?"
The soldiers pushed her from the room without response.
As they walked, Leia struggled to piece together any clue, any memory that may have told her why she was being dragged about again. She was fairly certain she hadn't given Vader anything, or else he would have been quite clear in his dominance over her. This had to be another plan, another method to draw the location from her. But what more could he do after literally taking her mind apart?
Ari. What had they done with Ari?
Leia's blood ran cold. After the princess had been dragged from the room, Leia hadn't heard anything about her. Was she dead? Had she been tortured as well? Was this Vader's sadistic trip to show the princess her maiden's broken corpse?
The princess's heart shook at the possibilities, dread replacing pain in her limbs. She was almost giddy with relief when she was lead instead to the bridge and faced with the aging Governor.
"Governor Tarkin, I should have expected to find you holding Vader's leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board." Leia said to the old man standing before her. This she could handle. He was a political mind with the proper bite to match his bark, but only human.
"Charming to the last. You don't know how hard I found it signing the order to terminate your life!"
"I'm surprised you had the courage to take the responsibility yourself!"
Tarkin only chuckled at the barb. "Princess Leia, before your execution I would like you to be my guest at a ceremony that will make this battle station operational. No star system will dare oppose the emperor now."
"The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers."
"Not after we demonstrate the power of this station. In a way, you have determined the choice of the planet that'll be destroyed first. Since you are reluctant to provide us with the location of the Rebel base, I have chosen to test this station's destructive power... on your home planet of Alderaan."
"No!" The cold dread swept through her again, mingling with hot anger. She pulled against her captors, though had she gotten free she had not a clue what she would do. "Alderaan is peaceful. We have no weapons. You can't possibly - "
"You would prefer another target? A military target? Then name the system!" Tarkin drove further into his bet.
There was a pause filled only by the sound of Vader's breathing and the intercom announcement stating the approach to Alderaan.
"I grow tired of asking this," the governor continued. "So it'll be the last time. Where is the Rebel base?"
Leia remained silent and Tarkin, with a cavalier sigh, raised his hand to gesture the OK to fire.
"Dantooine." Leia dropped her head. "They're on Dantooine".
"There. You see Lord Vader, she can be reasonable." Tarkin nodded toward the firing officer. "Continue with the operation. You may fire when ready."
"What?" Leia rushed forward only to be pulled back by the Sith Lord.
"You're far too trusting." Tarkin answered with a smile. "Dantooine is too remote to make an effective demonstration. But don't worry. We will deal with your Rebel friends soon enough."
"No!"
With the pulling of a few levers and the pressing of a number of buttons a beam of light emanated from the Death Star, penetrating the unaware planet and exploding it from within.
Leia looked on in disbelieving horror as her home, an entire glittering planet nearly triple the size of the small station, was instantly obliterated, leaving only a litter of asteroids that floated too calmly away.
"Prepare scout ships for a trip to Dantooine." Tarkin said giving the princess his signature smirk.
The moment the station had entered Alderaan's familiar Force grasp, Ariala knew something was wrong. The Force rocked with displeasure and she felt the same threat of death that seemed so vague only days before. Now it screamed clearly in her mind. Alderaan…Alderaan was going to die. She could barely believe it as the Force begged her to understand but she knew it to be true. Not just the soldiers, or rebels, or royals, but everyone – everything – was shadowed in Death.
She launched to her feet, fists banging on the door, senses pulling at the gears and levers that kept it locked. The door hissed as it resisted her, locks built to last a thousand blaster shots groaning as they were peeled aside. The hallway appeared beyond in slivers, but it was so slow. Too slow…too long.
The Force was suddenly snatched from her as it collapsed, for just a second, in despair and she cried out as the feeling rocketed through her. Here, beside the very cause of the disturbance, she felt the planet's dying scream, the sudden end as it was destroyed and gone, a void in the power that surrounded them. The Jedi fell to her knees, body struggling to follow her mind's direction. She had been too close, too connected with the Force when it happened and now she could hardly separate herself from it. Everything swimming in the connective power latched on to her, pulling her spirit into its folds. She grasped wildly for anything familiar, any sign of her proper self.
She felt Leia, shell-shocked, her guilt paramount on her mind. Ariala pulled herself into it and the feeling became her own. Her body collapsed entirely to the floor, ajar door forgotten, hope draining with each passing second.
Luke stood tensely in the small hold area of the old junker ship, his father's lightsaber drawn and poised against the fist-sized spherical droid sizing him up. It twitched, hovering this way and that, and Luke followed in jerky motions.
Beside a small console that monitored the ship's autopilot progress, Ben and their pirate-smuggler-pilot Han Solo, watched with mixed levels of amusement.
"Remember," Ben coached calmly. "A Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him."
"You mean it controls your actions?" Luke's eyes only flickered to the old man, his main attention still intensely focused on the ball.
"Partially, but is also obeys your commands."
Luke nodded, though Ben could see he had not really understood. The droid found its opening and with a lightning-swift lunge it fired a single red blaster bolt, stinging Luke's leg as he tried vainly to block it.
Han did not bother to hide his laughter. "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid."
Luke glared at him as he massaged his leg, embarrassment obvious on his face. "You don't believe in the Force, do you?"
Han scoffed, his signature crooked smile answering before he spoke. "Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other. I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe there's one all-powerful force controlling everything. There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny."
From the other side of the room came a low growl of agreement. Ben smiled at the towering Wookie, Han's copilot, currently engaged in a holographic game against R2-D2. Up until recently, the droid had been winning but on threat of losing his limbs, he had tempered his skills to allow Chewbacca to pull ahead.
Ben stood, undeterred by the lack of belief in their transporters, and took a fighter helmet from the wall. "I suggest you try it again, Luke. Except," he placed the helmet on Luke, the thick shielding lowered over his eyes. "This time, let go of your conscious self and act on instinct."
Luke tossed his head, laughing now with his own disbelief. "With the blast shield down, I can't even see. How am I supposed to fight?"
"Your eyes can deceive you. Don't trust them." Ben backed away and the training droid took his place, once again hovering and rotating around the youth. "Stretch out with your feelings."
Han, despite himself, looked on in mild interest.
Luke sighed, ready to feel the repeated bite of the droid's attack, and raised the saber once more. As much as he tried, he could not see beyond the shield and gave in, closing his eyes, putting every sense on high alert. He could hear the whirring of the engines as they pumped the group through hyperspace, smell the distinctive scent of musk and fragrance that accompanied Han like a cloak (Chewbacca, he thought, actually smelled better despite being covered in the thick brown mane commonplace amongst his species), and feel the air that flowed through the vents sustaining their life in the vacuum of space.
But more importantly, he felt, tickling the back of his mind, the position of the damnable droid, twisting slightly to counter it. The droid fired and Luke reacted, twisting the blade in quick succession, successfully deflecting three rapid attacks.
"You see, you can do it," came Ben's voice as confirmation and Luke pulled off the helmet, beaming.
Han scoffed again, rolling his eyes. So much for a good show. "I call it luck."
"In my experience," Ben answered, though he seemed to be speaking more to Luke than to the pilot, "there's no such thing as luck."
Something about these two rubbed him the wrong way and Han retorted, "Look, going good against remotes is one thing. Going good against the living? That's something else."
Pleasantly, a small beeping on the console drew his attention before he could say anything else on the matter. "Looks like we're coming up on Alderaan." He stood, jerking his head in Chewbacca's direction, as they moved to the cockpit.
Like the rest of the ship, the cockpit was a cramped mash of hastily completed repairs and loose wiring. Two mismatched, sunken seats were installed behind the pilot chairs, and it was into these Ben and Luke sat, watching the webbed window for the grand reveal.
The starlight evened out as they dropped to sub-light engines, Luke eagerly leaning forward, only to be rocked back in his seat, grateful for Ben's steadying hand. Asteroids blazed past them, several knocking the ship – or the ship knocking into them, the storm too condensed for the Falcon to maneuver.
Chewbacca roared in annoyance, Han suddenly taking the controls. "We've come out into a meteor shower. Some kind of asteroid collision. It's not on any of the charts."
"What's going on?" Luke screamed at the same time, gripping his chair. It wobbled uncomfortably beneath him, seemingly ready to go flying off at any second.
"Our position is correct, except, no Alderaan."
"What? Where is it?"
"That's what I'm trying to tell you kid," he snapped back. This was not the ideal time for a backseat driver. "It ain't there. It's been totally blown away."
In the seat behind Chewbacca, Ben felt his heart sink. Then the great disturbance he had felt earlier had originated here. Somehow, Alderaan was gone. He pushed aside the darker thoughts of what that meant and focused on the problem at hand. Luke was still confused, his 'what' and 'how' echoing everyone's thoughts.
"Destroyed, by the empire."
This old man is crazy! "The entire Starfleet couldn't destroy the whole planet," Han shot back irritably, only just clearing the edges of the shower. "It'd take a thousand ships with more fire power - " the rest of his argument was cut off as the proximity alarm flashed a warning. "There's another ship coming in." His expression darkened. "It's an Imperial fighter."
As if to prove itself, the small TIE fighter fired before speeding past, the explosion bursting outside the cockpit window and again sending the ship rocking violently.
The panic in the cockpit doubled, Luke shouting about being followed only for Ben to shoot him down. "No, it's a short-range fighter."
Han scoured the ships radar. "There aren't any bases around here. Where did it come from?"
The fighter was already a fading dot on the sky, Luke nervously watching as it darted Han's attempts to move closer, Chewbacca alternating between firing upon it and trying to jam any possible transmissions it may be sending.
The young boy, adrenaline pumping watched as it ran. "He's headed for that small moon."
Just before the ship, orbiting the space where Alderaan once stood, they group watched in growing incredulity as the 'moon' Luke pointed to, came into clearer focus revealing the cold metal sides of an artificial construct.
The Force screamed at the old Jedi. "That's no moon. It's a space station."
The ship shuddered suddenly, engines and hull grinding as they revved without response.
"We're caught in a tractor beam!" Han shouted, curses on the tip of his tongue. "It's pulling us in." He shook his shaggy head, scowling at the odds of actually escaping that thing out there. "There's nothing I can do about it. I'm in full power. I'm going to have to shut down, but they're not going to get me without a fight."
He nearly jumped as Ben laid a calming hand on his shoulder. "You can't win," he said knowingly. "But there are alternatives to fighting."
xxxxx
Chewbacca grunted and huffed angrily as his massive bulk was crammed against the slim walls of the secret cargo hold.
"Shut up you walking mop," came Han's voice just behind him, the pilot nearly buried under the Wookie's hair. Beside him, Luke rolled his eyes. He didn't quite like this either, but he had to admit it seemed a better plan than going up against an entire Imperial base.
As though ever in contrast with the boy, Han grumbled, "I hope the old man's plan works or they'll be shooting us like fish in a barrel."
Silently, Luke agreed.
Ben, and the droids, were stashed in an adjoining hold, 3PO as much of a grump as Chewbacca. To ensure his silence, the older man had shut the droid down, the limp metal figure folded against the far wall.
The ship shuddered as it was dragged to the hangar, landing gear slipping into place. The group fell into tense silence.
Ben exhaled slowly, extending tentative investigating waves into the Force. The station buzzed with life, thousands strong, but his care of them slipped away in the face of the two frighteningly familiar spirits of his former pupils. Vader and Ari were here. His heart vaulted and sunk in rapid succession. She had not perished on Alderaan but her fate seemed worse all the same. Vader stirred with endless anger and she wavered with tragedy. The Sith's overbearing presence would have blotted the young Jedi out all together but Ben knew her light too well to be blind to it. He resisted the urge to reach out to her fully, settling instead on sending hope and warmth to her broken heart.
His attention was suddenly drawn to the problem at hand as footsteps echoed throughout the now vacant halls, Imperial soldiers, no doubt, conducting a sweep of the ship. The patter faded, tense silence fell again, then, they returned once more, staying several agonizing minutes. Finally, he heard them, there's nothing here, and the heavy steps faded away.
The scrape of the other metal hatch opening, served as his cue and Ben slowly popped up from the hidden compartment.
"I use this for smuggling," Han complained as he emerged behind Luke. "Never thought I'd be smuggling myself." He pulled himself out, resting on the ledge created by the opening. "This is ridiculous; even if I could take off, I'd never get past that tractor beam."
Ben snagged the opportunity with more fervor than he intended. "Leave that to me."
"I was worried you'd say that."
The four scrambled the rest of the way out of the holds just as two officers boarded, lugging a massive scanner. Ambushed by the crew, the officers stood little chance, and as Ben had predicted, the clatter of the attack drew the armored troopers aboard. It was little effort to subdue the duo, steal their armor and slip into the station proper. Within minutes, they had secured themselves in the control room, R2 scanning the main computer.
Suddenly, the little droid beeped and whooped, a tone of success in his vocalizations.
"He says he's found the main computer to power the tractor beam," 3PO translated as blinking maps flashed on the screen before them. "The tractor beam is coupled to the main reactor in seven locations. A power loss at one of the terminals will allow the ship to leave."
Ben studied the readout on the monitor, plotting his course, before turning to leave. "I don't think you boys can help. I must go alone."
He brushed away Luke's protests and slipped beyond the door, swift and stealthily for his age.
In truth, he could not have risked Luke's reaction should he accompany the Jedi. Ben would deactivate the tractor beam, that was an important task, but he had a private mission. His child was here and he would save her. Luke would have had too many questions and been too much of a distraction. As it was, he dreaded the reunion for the truths it could reveal to the boy. But that is a later problem, he thought as he side stepped a patrol. First, he had to find her.
xxxxx
R2's sudden joyous beeping, breaking the hostility fuming between Luke and Han, startled them both, 3PO's confused whispering drawing Luke over. "What is it?"
"I'm afraid I'm not quite sure, sir. He says 'I found her' and keeps repeating 'she's here'."
"Who has he found?"
The little droid whistled a frantic reply, and even 3PO had a note of surprise in his voice as he responded, "Princess Leia."
Ariala drew yet another shaky breath. Her trepidation eased, certainty taking its place. Despite her intense confusion at the how, she could no longer deny what she felt. Ben was here. His gentle comfort gave her strength, and his arrival, nervous hope. Why he had come, what he was doing, and how he came to be here were questions she could ask when she saw him.
The Jedi extended her own presence to him, careful of Vader's ever omnipresent consciousness, creating a beacon to her location. With the other part of her mind, she reached to Leia, giving the Princess the same courage Ben reignited in her.
xxxxx
Vader strode with purpose through the station's winding halls, a hunter following the trail left by his prey. Obi-Wan's presence glimmered to him as well; he was not going to lose this opportunity. Now he had the high ground, the control; Obi-Wan would fall today.
The gray elevator whirled as it began its controlled downfall. On board, the two storm troopers flanked the towering wookie, blasters poised on him. Chewbacca turned calmly to the trooper at his left and growled softly.
"Don't worry, Chewie," the trooper responded, Han's voice only slightly modulated through the helmet. "If this works we'll have enough money to pay off Jabba and live in the luxury we deserve."
Chewbacca growled in what they decided to take as agreement as the second trooper shook his head.
"Han, help me loosen these bonds." Luke's youthful voice ran in stark comparison the imposing armor.
Han stepped over, gloved fingers tripping over the lock. "Why'd I let you talk me into this…?"
"Maybe because you want to do the right thing for once?"
Han nearly laughed. "I only do the right think when it pays the right price." The lock on Chewbacca's manacles popped loose and he arranged them in the wookie's long hair.
Luke inspected the work before stepping back as well. "Whatever. Just get ready."
Han fell silent, a rare second. Then, just before the door slid opened, he muttered "this isn't going to work."
The officers of the command station, a small handful of stiffly dressed men, stared as they entered. A few eyed Chewbacca warily.
"Where are you taking this…thing?"
"Prisoner transfer from Cell Block 1138."
"I wasn't notified. I'll have to clear it." The commander waved his hand at a couple of guards, who moved toward them, blasters raised. At that moment, Chewbacca separated his arms roaring loudly, catching the nearest guard with his wild swing.
The room exploded in blaster fire and panic, the disguised troopers feigning surprise as Chewbacca raged on the motley defense. The confusion worked in the infiltrator's favor, shots ricocheting from walls concealing the intentionally aimed bolts that took down the officers. Silence fell quickly back to the room and Han bolted to the alarming console, ripping off his helmet.
"We've got to find out which cell this princess of yours is in…" he skimmed the log quickly. "Here it is...cell 2187. You go get her. I'll hold them here."
Luke nodded and raced down the hall, leaving Han to worry about the still beeping console. "Everything is under control." He spoke into the comlink, the beeping falling silent as the call was finally answered. "Situation normal."
The commander on the other end seemed less than pleased. "What happened?"
"Uh..." Han looked around at the room "had a slight weapons malfunction. But, uh, everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine. We're all fine here, now, thank you. How are you?"
"We're sending a squad up."
"Uh, uh, negative. We had a reactor leak here now. Give us a few minutes to lock it down. Large leak...very dangerous."
"Who is this?" The man over the intercom asked suspiciously. "What's your operating number?"
Han looked around desperately before grabbing his blaster and firing at the console until it smoked. "Boring conversation anyway." He turned to look down the hall. "Luke! We're going to have company!"
Luke – still clad in the stormtrooper uniform - nodded just as he reached the door marked 2187. Pressing a button on the console, the door slid open. It wasn't his intention to stare, but Leia in real life was much more…fascinating…than the little holographic projection. He stepped in rather slowly, startling her from her obviously light sleep.
Leia stuffed away the immediate fear the gripped her at the sight on the trooper, determined not to let him see her break. She propped herself on her arm, lying in faux comfort on the steely surface. "Aren't you little short to be a stormtrooper?"
Her voice shook Luke from his stupor. "What? Oh! The uniform." Luke pulled off his helmet and eagerly stepped forward. "I'm Luke Skywalker. I'm here to rescue you."
She adjusted again, not yet ready to believe the boy. Vader and Tarkin were not above such a ruse. Still, something about him, gave her enough pause to ask, "You're who?"
"I'm here to rescue you. I've got your R2 unit. I'm here with Ben Kenobi." At the mention of Ben, Leia jumped from the bench, the first signs of relief flooding her. "Ben Kenobi! Where is he?" Leia was already racing from the room before Luke could answer.
"Wait." She skidded to a stop, wheeling back on the boy. "We have to get my friend."
Luke jerked back, nearly bowling the smaller figure over. "Where is she? What cell?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. We were separated as soon as we got here. But I know she's still alive. We have to find her."
"Okay, we'll check the log files." He hooked an arm under Leia's spurring her to move again through the short, twisting passageway.
The sound of the elevator door creaking greeted them as they rounded the final corridor, Han and Chewbacca tucked in the corners. "Get behind me! They're coming."
The door burst off its hinges, troopers pouring from the smoke cloud into the small room. Han and Chewbacca fired back blindly, Luke just barely registering the danger before raising his own blaster.
"Can't get out that way."
"Looks like you managed to cut off our only escape route," Leia shot back over the din.
"Maybe you'd like it back in your cell, Your Highness." Han retaliated.
Luke rolled his eyes firing at the troops before hiding behind a wall post and taking out a small comlink. "C-3PO! C-3PO!"
"Yes sir?"
"We've been cut off! Are there any other ways out of the cell bay?" A chorus of blast drowned out the droid's response "What was that? I didn't copy!"
"I said, all systems have been alerted to your presence, sir. The main entrance seems to be the only way in or out; all other information on your level is restricted."
"There isn't any other way out!" Luke shouted to Han over the sound of the blasters.
"I can't hold them off forever! Now what?"
Leia rolled her eyes. "This is some rescue. When you came in here, didn't you have a plan for getting out?"
"He's the brains, sweetheart." Han nodded to Luke who grinned sheepishly and shrugged.
"Well, I didn't..."
The princess sighed and grabbed Luke's gun. She fired at a small grate the in the wall next to Han, the shock causing the pilot to turn around, a foul stench assaulting his nostrils.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Somebody has to save our skins. Into the garbage chute, wise guy." Leia jumped through the narrow opening as Han and Chewbacca looked on in amazement. Chewbacca sniffed the garbage chute and roared in complaint.
"Get in there, you big, furry, oaf! I don't care what you smell! Get in there and don't worry about it." Giving the wookie a good kick he toppled down the chute leaving Han and Luke above him.
"Wonderful girl! Either I'm going to kill her or I'm beginning to like her. Get in there!"
Luke ducked behind his companion and dived into the shaft. Once he had disappeared Han turned and followed him headfirst.
Obi-Wan slunk silently around an empty corner, following the force trail his apprentice had opened. The tractor beam was disabled, the single powered-down reactor seeming to raise no alarm. Now he made his way around and down toward the prison levels. In the back of his mind, he made careful note of Vader as well. Obi-Wan knew better than to think he would go unnoticed by the Sith, and the part of him that so deeply regretted all that happened back then welcomed the Dark Lord to find him. If he could do both, rescue his dear Ari and strike Vader from the emperor's grasp he would take the opening.
He darted down an emergency hatch and pressed on.
The escape from the death-trap that was the garbage chute left Han more than grumpy and the princess's vile attitude was just about the last straw. As she turned away from him, her last retort still ringing in the air, he contemplated letting her continue to stroll off in the wrong direction. Only the vague promise of his reward loosened his tongue.
"Excuse me your esteemed greatness, but the hanger is that way."
"We're not going to the hanger yet." Leia paused and looked over Han's shoulder to the young by behind him. "Luke, right? Have R2 read the logs and find out where my friend is."
Luke nodded and pulled out the comlink speaking into it while Han pulled the princess aside.
"What do you mean we aren't going to the hanger?"
"Exactly what I said."
"I know that. WHY aren't we going there?"
"Because, we are rescuing my friend."
"No way. I'm not going through that again. She can get her own rescue party. I've done more than I've agreed to already. And unless – "
"She came onboard with me. She's leaving with me."
"I'm not going on a wild chase. You want to find her, you go and do it, but you better find your own way off this space station."
"Han that's stupid," Luke interrupted and turned the man towards him. "You won't get the reward if you leave her."
"No reward is worth this." The pilot gritted his teeth and turned back to face the princess shocked to find her already walking off.
"See, she doesn't care."
"Han…"
"No, kid." Suddenly an explosion of blaster fire caught their attention and they rushed forward finding Leia in the midst of twenty or more stormtroopers. Sighing Han grabbed the girls arm and pulled her back with one hand while firing wildly in to the crowd with the other. Behind him Luke and Chewie were doing the same.
When they had finally reached a safe point, Han rounded on Leia angrily. "Do you want to get yourself recaptured?!"
"I was trying to-"
"I know what you were trying to do and I already told you: we're not getting her!"
"I don't need your help!"
"And just how do you plan to get out of here once you find her. If you find her. Think your highness. The prison block must be crawling with Imps by now. There's no way we're getting back there alive. "
"Han, we have to at least try." Once again Luke interrupted the feud between the two.
"You too, huh?" the captain threw up his arms in exasperation and began walking down the hall that lead to his ship. "What did I miss this time?"
Luke followed, if only to keep their conversation going. "Nothing. Just -" he glanced at Leia and shrugged. "I mean we're already here…"
The smuggler groaned, realizing he was outnumbered. "Do I get a reward for her too?"
"If that's all you care about," Leia said. "Yes."
Han looked between the two and sighed. "So, what's the plan for-" He was suddenly cut off as they ran in to yet another horde of troopers.
"It's them! Blast them!" Acting as he usually did, Han drew and blaster and began charging the troopers firing at their backs. Ever loyal to his friend and captain, Chewbacca followed. "Find your friend then get back to the ship!" Han yelled as he rounded the corner.
"He certainly has courage," Leia said watching him break away.
Luke rolled his eyes, leading them down the opposite hall. "What good will it do us if he gets himself killed?"
The prison level buzzed with activity as Obi-Wan descended the last rungs of the hatch. Hidden behind the access door, he watched as officers and common troopers paraded down the crimson walkways, soldiers stationed at every entrance, exit, and cell.
A tittering droid worked on the still smoldering console under the watchful eyes of the chief mechanic. The Jedi sighed. In his younger days it would have been an easy task to break through their lines and force his way in. Now, however, he had to be smarter. He focused his attention on the commander pacing before destroyed main door, tapping his mind with the Force.
You must check on the other Alderaanian prisoner.
The man froze in his pacing, turning stiffly on his heel. "I must check on the other Alderaanian prisoner." He repeated, barking the words to no one particular. He took off down the hall, two troopers falling behind him.
Obi-Wan reached out once more before he was too far away. She needs to be moved to a different base before the rebels come for her. You will escort her yourself.
The commander repeated the words, his authoritative tone keeping anyone from questioning the sudden decision.
Obi-Wan watched as he, alone, walked down the hall before shimmying his way back up the hatch and heading for the main hangar. Force be with him, he would reach the commander before anyone else and simply pluck his apprentice from his willing grasp.
The alarms blared through her small room, though the commotion that caused them came only through muffled blaster shots, pinging above. It faded after a moment, the thudding footsteps of a contingent of troopers melting away. The alarm was silenced shortly after.
Ariala sat anxiously, watching the door. Someone was clearly attempting an escape and she worried that Ben was now being chased through the monstrosity that was the Death Star. Nervously, she tugged the tether that lead to her master and sighed with relief. He was close but, as far as she could tell, undetected. Then what was going on?
Ariala did not have time to find out, as the door to her cell slid open and she stared into the face of Detention Commander Jeffoar. "Get up, rebel."
She tensed, surprised to see him unaccompanied and without binders, only to relax as the echo of Ben's power played in her senses. Her lips twitched to a smile as she stood, presenting an air of compliance.
Jeffoar tugged her roughly by the arm, leading her through the bustling command center. As the lift sped down to meet them, the Jedi could barely contain her excitement. Her escape seemed inevitable.
Just before the door slid open, the Force screamed a warning, and her hope dashed.
Governor Tarkin, whom she had only ever seen in hologram form accompanied by official decrees, glared at her from the lift. His already dark face twisted in rage as he took in the scene.
"What do you think you're doing, commander?" He spat.
Jeffoar snapped to attention. "I must move the prisoner, sir, before the rebels locate her."
"Move her?! Where did you get such a foolish - " He leveled his dark gaze on the girl, quickly piecing together a story. Vader had only recently alerted him to the fact that the old Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi was aboard the ship. It was no coincidence that he came at the same time the rebels stole the princess from beneath his nose. That utter failure on the detention commander's part was the precise reason he came here and now the man was about to hand yet another rebel away.
He scowled and snatched Ariala's free arm, jerking her out of Jeffoar's grip.
"You feeble-minded imbecile you've been manipulated by the rogue Jedi." He turned to the staring troopers. "Get him out of here!" He pushed Ariala into their midst. "And secure her."
Despite the madness of the station, Vader stood, with rare patience in the corridor that lead to the main hangar, bloodshot lightsaber drawn. Even without the aid of the Force, he knew Obi-Wan had no choice but to come this way seeking the single rebel ship for escape. The air in the hall seemed to waver under his anticipation, feeling the old man draw ever closer to his final moments.
When Obi-Wan rounded the corner, he could not help the grin that broke across his face.
"I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan."
Obi-Wan drew his own saber, the blue beam illuminating his face. He had not laid eyes on the brute Palpatine had turned his former student into, and the towering black menace before him bared little resemblance to the Anakin he had left on Mustafar.
As though reading his thoughts, Vader spoke again. "I am no longer that boy. My power is complete. This will not play out the same." He raised his blade, falling into a simple stance. "Now I am the master."
"Only a master of evil, Vader."
Obi-Wan watched, noting the weight to Vader's movement. The mechsuit made the Sith heavy and inflexible, just as Obi-Wan's age made him slow. They were different now, and their last battle left scars deeper than the body; neither were willing to rush in this time. Obi-Wan drew himself up, stretching his muscles. This would not be a fight of speed and strength, but of patience and opportunity. He stepped forward, circling Vader just as the Sith moved the same, blades parted by only a few inches.
Vader struck first. A parry to disarm. The Jedi met it and the sabers fizzled as they kissed. Vader pulled back and now Obi-Wan attacked, lunging for the suit's control piece. Vader stepped back, giving space for his blade to push the blue one away. He took swift advantage, turning the tables yet again, but Obi-Wan was not so easily shaken. Red met blue in rapid bursts, high, low, center as Vader tested his opponent, Obi-Wan countering each attack, save the last which rocked his balance, leaving him entirely on the defensive. Vader pushed his lightsaber against the Jedi's, the sparks reflecting in his mask.
"Your powers are weak, old man." He tugged at the Force, increasing his strength and Ben slid back a pace. "You've gotten sloppy."
"Not as much as you've gotten arrogant." Obi-wan relaxed his arms, resistance failing behind Vader's attack, the Sith stumbling under the change. The Jedi did not let the opening pass, Forcing Vader back with a powerful wave.
His cape flared in the gale Obi-Wan's offensive created, Vader sliding down the abandoned hall. He just barely recognized that he now stood before the main hangar proper, framed by the large doorway.
Obi-Wan pressed forward, with gratingly measured steps. "You can't win, Vader. Even if you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
"Do not threaten me, Kenobi!" Vader growled, heavy steps closing the gap between them. Their blades clashed again, a note of wild anger behind the Sith's arcing attacks.
The smuggler peered around the wall again as though the situation on the other side would change if he just kept checking. The hangar lay just beyond the opening, Han and Chewbacca flanking the doorway. He could see his ship guarded by a wall of snowy-white stormtroopers and groaned. "Didn't we just leave this party?"
Chewbacca barked softly, raising his blaster.
"Yeah, I'm sure you could take 'em, but let's save that for a different day?" He peered around the wall again. For the most part, the crowds were simply lingering, stationed there only to serve as barricade should the infiltrators try to escape. With the right odds, he could break through them.
Chewie barked again, a greeting, and Han turned as Luke and Leia jogged up behind them.
"What took you so long?" Han asked as the two appeared.
"We ran into some old friends." Leia answered.
Han looked back again, noting the obvious lack of a third person. "But not the one you were looking for."
"We know what cell she's in."
Han shook his head. "Nope. The deal was find her and bring her with you. You don't have her so now it's too late."
Leia balked. "What! No! We know where she is!"
Han turned around, jabbing one finger into the girl's face. He naturally towered over her and used it to his advantage. "Look, princess, if we go back, every stormtrooper that we just barely escaped from will have our hides and that execution you were scheduled for will apply to all of us."
Leia huffed, opening her mouth to argue, but Luke cut in. "We can come back after we get out of here. With the fleet. Right now, we have to survive if she's even going to have a chance."
The logic quieted Leia, as she reluctantly agreed, slumping against the wall. She could only hope that the girl would live long enough for her to convince the Alliance to add a rescue to their attack.
Luke awkwardly patted the princess's shoulder. "I'm sure she'll be fine." Without waiting for her response, and eager to get off the Death Star, he turned to Han. "Is the ship ok?"
"Yeah, seems okay, if we can get to it. Just hope the old man got the tractor beam out of commission."
Obi-Wan danced back from the heavy blow, his saber humming as it swung through the air to meet Vader's continuous attacks. What little patience Vader had had, was gone and he found himself growing furious that the old man was still alive. As Obi-Wan ducked under the red blade and lashed up to catch the Sith's arm, Vader twisted to the side, knocking the attack away. The tip of Obi-Wan's sword touched the floor, a scorch mark forming immediately, but the Jedi was quick to raise it again.
In his peripheral, Obi-Wan noticed the gathering troopers, the fight drawing them over, interest in the legendary dual over-riding any sense to fire on the enemy. Obi-Wan stepped forward, ready to attack again, steps stuttering as he spotted, sneaking behind the distracted guard, Han, Chewbacca, Luke, and Princess Leia, the latter whom he recognized from the recording. He noted with a heavy heart that Ariala did not follow them, only the tottering droids bringing up the rear.
Then she is still here. The Force trilled a warning and Ben returned his attention to Vader in time to block another parry. The crack of their sabers must have been louder in the silent hanger because he felt Luke's attention focus on him in surprise.
Ben pushed away from Vader, risking another look at the boy, realization dawning on him, the Force giving him one last moment of wisdom. He smiled softly at Luke, his mind reaching out to the girl locked somewhere on the base.
He felt the brush of her mind, felt her concern welling, and imbued his final words with all the love he had. I will always be at your side, my child. Her confusion rushed into him, but he did not answer her, turning once more to the Sith, only just seeing as the red lightsaber arced down over him.
Luke's cry echoed though the hangar, the troopers wheeling suddenly to see their prey escaping. They fired on him, on the ship, on the slow moving golden droid, Luke avoiding the bolts only by Han dragging him away. He still stared at the pile of tattered cloaks and robes that had been Ben only seconds before. He glared as Vader prodded them and fired toward his general direction.
"Blast the door kid!" Han's voice came as though through a tunnel but Luke obeyed, shooting the panel the controlled blast door. It closed, separating the growing number of soldiers and Luke ducked into the ship as Han fired the engines and tore out of the hangar.
xxxxx
The raw, tortured, heart-shattering scream that tore from Ariala's throat was little reaction in comparison to her violently lashing power bowing the armored cell walls. The metal groaned under her turbulent emotions but she paid it little mind. Losing Alderaan had been the start of a tear in her control that Ben's death completed. Untapped power swelled, anger and sadness roiling uncontrollably as she struggled to wrap her mind around the man's death.
Vader. This was all Vader's doing. Vader had stolen Alderaan. Vader had tormented Leia. And now Vader took her father – her true father – away. It was too much to let him get away with.
She turned to the door, the metal crumpling like paper as she Forced it open. Troopers shouted at her, weapons poised to fire, but she barely heard them. The Force shot them backwards, their blasters and bodies cracking against the walls and floor. She saw only red and the trail that lead to Vader, his smug glee making him a flame in the Force.
How many bodies lie in her wake as she stormed the halls, she did not notice, swift Jedi training and unrestrained Force prowess slicing through them with ease. As she dropped another, she felt Him, trembling with curiosity and the Jedi growled. Behind her.
She whipped around, hands outstretched to throw him, when her body was abruptly wrenched into the air, oxygen supply cut short, Vader's Force grip leaving her clawing at her throat.
"How unexpected," he droned. "For a Jedi."
He tossed her glibly to the side, her body smacking into a wall. Her emotions still quaked in the Force, even as she was knocked into unconsciousness and he considered her surging power.
Obi-Wan had chosen well with her.
Vader turned to the troopers coming warily up the hall. "Return her to her cell and keep her sedated. I may have use for her, yet."
To be continued….