Chapter 7

Time hit absolute zero for Luke Skywalker as he took in every single threat surrounding him outside Obi-Wan's hut. A maimed, yet still dangerous Bothan was kept from making any sudden moves by the presence of a blue energy blade just centimeters from his throat. There was also the matter of a thermal detonator sailing through the air.

With a massive nudge from the Force, Luke slammed the explosive device from its trajectory and the thermal detonator veered sharply away and to the left, exploding before it impacted the surface. A simple Force probe revealed a Rodian bounty hunter fleeing towards his landspeeder. Luke quickly dismissed the Rodian and returned his attention to the Bothan.

"I could always use a Jedi Mind Trick to make you talk, but I would rather not abuse my powers," Luke told the unfortunate bounty hunter, his voice never wavering in intensity.

"Some woman hired me," the Bothan spoke nervously. "She pushed a lot of credits. I don't know anything else. I swear!"

Luke sensed the Bothan's poor attempt at deception. It was obvious he was dealing with a coward. "Do you really want me to use a Jedi Mind Trick?" Luke threatened coolly.

"I don't know a kriffing thing!" the Bothan exclaimed. "Even if I did, she'd kill me if I talked."

"You have nothing to fear," Luke said, throwing a prodigious amount of Force persuasion into his voice.

"I have nothing to fear," the Bothan repeatedly dully. His voice and manner shifted immediately.

"Who hired you?" Luke asked.

"A human named Arica," answered the Bothan.

Luke assimilated the info, reasoning that this Arica could easily be an Imperial agent. Still, he needed more answers.

"Why does the Empire want me dead?" Luke asked.

"The Empire doesn't want you dead." The Bothan looked amused at the fact that Luke would ask that question.

"Find a transport at Anchorhead," Luke commanded before retracting his lightsaber. "You are free to go."

Darth Vader usually had no qualms about dealing with bounty hunters when the situation demanded quick results. They were ultimately more competent than most Imperial officers and since they only cared about credits, bounty hunters did not figure into the galaxy's political quagmire. It was an arrangement that suited Vader perfectly.

But as he listened to the Rodian bounty hunter ramble in Huttese from his private quarters in Bast Castle, Vader remembered that most bounty hunters were even less competent than Imperial officers.

"Speak slower," Vader growled at the hologram on his desk. "Have you determined Skywalker's location?"

"Skywalker is on Tatooine, Lord Vader," the Rodian replied in Huttese. "I could not kill him and could never hope to do it. But since I gave you this information, I request some compensation for my trauma."

Vader had gone through private channels to post a price on Luke's head, one that did not specifically demand him alive. Though he originally pursued his son, Vader could not violate the rule of two in his planned betrayal. If Luke were to join his cause, his son would have to abandon his loyalty to the Jedi and betray his own sister.

And Vader's life was difficult enough with the higher paying "official" Imperial bounty specifying that Skywalker be captured alive.

"The terms of the bounty did not specify my desire for information, bounty hunter," Vader said before tapping deeply into the Force.

The Rodian reached for his throat, unable to accept life-giving air as Vader asphyxiated him from across the galaxy. Vader realized at that moment that the bounty hunter understood exactly why the Dark Lord was one of the most feared entities in the galaxy.

The red light on the holotransmitter blinked rapidly, prompting Vader to accept the next transmission. The image of the Rodian faded and a blue-white representation of Boba Fett appeared above Vader's desk.

"Lord Vader, I have delivered the package to the requested location," Fett said.

"Excellent work, Fett," Vader commended. "The first portion of your payment will arrive shortly. I shall send one of my agents to deliver the final sum in one standard week as per our agreement." The Dark Lord promised a massive sum of credits to Fett, a bounty hunter that would normally refuse such deals.

Greed can be a powerful ally, Qui-Gon Jinn had said decades ago.

"Thank you, Lord Vader," Fett said before closing the transmission on his end.

+

Luke double-checked and triple-checked the components of his lightsaber before assembling them a final time. He managed to finish quicker than he expected, a testament to the control he wielded with the Force. He just needed to test one thing before he could truly say his first lightsaber was completed.

A step outside the hut and into the Tatooine dawn brought Luke an incredible amount of tranquility. He drew upon the Force, using it to calm his anxieties. He ignored Artoo's curious beeps, the distant sound of Tusken Raiders and the stillness surrounding him.

Luke depressed the activation stud and, with a snap-hiss, a brilliant green energy blade emerged. The hilt felt cool in his grip, a sign that Luke did not make a mistake. He gave his lightsaber a few practice swings, tasting the scent of ozone as the blade cut through the air.

Satisfied with his work, Luke deactivated his completed lightsaber and clipped it to his utility belt. He wanted to return to Dagobah as soon as possible, but realized he needed sleep. Seeing Yoda could wait. Even for the Jedi, it was time to rest.

+

Leia exhaled deeply after falling into her bed. Her body ached, despite her attempts to use the Force to ease her suffering. She reasoned that she had not progressed far enough in the Force to succeed in healing herself.

Suddenly, the door to her drab quarters opened. In came See-Threepio, a face Leia thought she had forgotten.

"Mistress Leia, Lord Vader has assigned me to serve you," Threepio said. "I am grateful that he did not give me a memory wipe or leave me locked up with Master Calrissian and Chewbacca. That Wookiee was nearly the end of me."

Leia groaned. Threepio may have been a familiar face, but the golden protocol droid was not something she wanted around her.

"Mistress Leia, I understand the Empire has given you a pardon," Threepio rambled. "How has this happened?"

"It will all work out, Threepio," Leia said. "Once I free Han, I'll get us all out of here. Soon, I will have the power to bring the Rebellion to victory against the Empire."

"I beg your pardon, but you are speaking seditious thoughts in the home of the Dark Lord of the Sith," Threepio said. "Sedition is not a path to take for the recently pardoned."

"Shut up, Threepio!" Leia snapped, finally sitting up in her bed. She ignored the fire trailing down her muscles. "If you wish to help me, get my wardrobe ready for me when I am done with the fresher."

"Sorry, Mistress Leia," Threepio apologized before scurrying towards Leia's closet.

Leia was shocked with her proposal. She knew she would require a tremendous amount of training to be strong enough to face Vader. "One thing at a time," she muttered. She could feel her strength growing with each passing day, but time was still not on her side.

+

Wedge Antilles peered at the patrons of the Mos Eisley Cantina, completely invisible to the scum frequenting the locale. His was not the best disguise, but the Rebellion needed to locate Luke Skywalker. Rebel intelligence sniffed through contacts in the Bounty Hunter's guild to uncover a handful of planets Luke could possibly be located.

Tatooine just happened to be one of them and Wedge had a hunch that his friend was on his desert homeworld.

The pilot lifted his comlink and responded, "Two."

"Two, we've found him," Derek "Hobbie" Klivian reported.

"Good work, Four," Wedge said before deactivating his comlink. At that moment, his eyes locked on a female wearing a black cloak. He barely caught a glimpse of her face before she left the cantina.