Chapter 12
Leia piloted her Lambda-class shuttle in silence as she approached Vjun. A detachment of Star Destroyers hung near the planet, including the Executor, Vader's flagship. Next to her in the co-pilot's seat, Han sat oblivious to the situation.
"I think my eyesight is coming back," Han said as he stared forward. "Instead of a big dark blur, I see a big light blur."
"Everything will be fine, Han," Leia said as her ship passed through the atmosphere.
The shuttle glided towards Bast Castle, transmitting the proper access codes to open one of two hangar bays in the facility. The ship's lower wings folded upward as it landed.
Leia guided Han down the boarding ramp. A few Stomtroopers and Darth Vader were waiting for her return. Leia stared at the Dark Lord and said, "Father, Fett betrayed us."
"Fett was supposed to deliver Solo to us himself," Vader chastised.
"Vader!" Han exclaimed before drawing his blaster. He did his best to aim his weapon in the direction of Vader's breathing. He never fired a shot.
Leia moved quickly, drawing on the Force to rip the blaster from Han's grasp. "Don't even think about it, Han," she said with a menacing tone.
Han grabbed Leia's arm and asked, "What's going on here?"
"Captain Solo, any attempts to resist your arrest will result in harsh reprisals," Vader said before motioning for two Stormtroopers to apprehend Han.
"Leia, you called him 'Father,'" Han said. "Didn't you?"
Leia whispered to Han, "Just go with them. I'll explain everything later."
"You've betrayed the Alliance!" Han screamed as he tore himself away from Leia. His face became a mask of fury. "I never would have expected it!"
The Stormtroopers tried to take Han captive, but the smuggler managed to tackle one of them. The other Stormtroopers in the hangar trained their blaster rifles on Han, but did not fire for Vader had signaled them to hold.
Leia held out her right hand, calling on the Force to constrict Han's airway. He reached for his throat as he gasped for breath as he fell to his knees.
"Don't make me hurt you, Han," Leia threatened. "I saved you so you would not have to endure harsh treatment under Jabba. If my actions make me a traitor, then it is treason. I intend to save the galaxy." Then, she released her Force choke on Han.
Han inhaled deeply before gasping, "First Bria, now you. I'll never learn."
"Take him," Leia commanded the Stormtroopers.
The two Stormtroopers grabbed Han's arms and yanked him from the floor before dragging him towards the turbolift.
Leia watched as Han was taken from her, not noticing Vader's approach. Her expression was consumed by sorrow.
"Boba Fett was supposed to deliver Solo here," Vader said.
Angrily, Leia turned to her father and asked, "Why wasn't I told this?"
"This assignment was given to you to observe your behavior while on an independent assignment," Vader explained. "Your actions on Fondor demonstrate your growth in the Force, but unrestrained fury can blind your cold logic. Would a bounty hunter with Fett's reputation double cross his client?"
After a pause, Leia replied, "No."
"You would do well to remember this lesson, Leia," Vader said. "Our next task will not be so easy. You are due on the Executor in twenty-four hours."
"Our task?" Leia questioned. She studied the Dark Lord, sensing his turmoil through the Force. "What is it, Father?"
"I will speak to you of this later," Vader replied. "It would be wise to prepare yourself."
Leia watched her father's stride as he walked towards the turbolift. His less than confident step filled the former Senator with dread. She realized the next test would be the most difficult she would ever face.
But more than anything, feelings of remorse for how she treated Han haunted Leia.
Luke Skywalker piloted a stolen Lambda-class shuttle out of hyperspace. Vjun and a group of Star Destroyers loomed large in front of him. As Yoda taught him, he dampened his presence in the Force. He knew it would not be enough to catch Vader by surprise, but it would at least give him a small window of comfort.
Mara Jade sat in the co-pilot's chair. At his insistence, she once again wore a lightsaber on her belt. Luke could not risk going into Bast Castle without her being armed. He needed her for the mission to be successful.
Yoda sat behind Luke, having prepared himself for the intense confrontation to come. The elderly Jedi Master was calm.
Artoo-Detoo joined them in the cockpit, warbling and beeping to let everyone know he was there.
"Quiet, Artoo," Luke commanded.
Artoo moaned, but heeded Luke's command.
"Unidentified shuttle," a communications officer from the Executor said over the general communications frequency. "What is your purpose for visiting Vjun?"
Mara responded, "This is the Emperor's Hand aboard the shuttle Tydirium. I am here to see Lord Vader."
"Transmit your access codes at once," the officer requested.
Mara said nothing else. She sent her master code to the Executor. The code would then be sent for confirmation in Bast Castle before the fleet allowed her access.
After a few minutes, the communications officer said, "You may approach Bast Castle. Lord Vader will not be able to meet with you immediately, so he requests your patience."
"Acknowledged," Mara said before closing the transmission. "That's odd."
Luke glanced at Mara and asked, "What is?"
"Vader is usually more prudent about his meetings with me," Mara answered.
"Know of us coming, he does," Yoda said. "Face him alone, I must."
Luke turned to the Jedi Master and protested, "But he's my father. I should be there."
"Await you, another trial does," Yoda said sadly. "Ready to face Vader, you are not."
Luke returned his attention to piloting the stolen shuttle towards Bast Castle. The Jedi Knight could sense Stormtroopers awaiting them in the hangar bay. Whether they were there as a friendly greeting or to kill them was something he could not discern. When the shuttle landed, the Jedi removed their crash webbing and walked towards the boarding ramp.
But just as soon as they were about to exit the shuttle, the Stormtroopers began firing. Luke and Mara looked to each other before drawing their lightsabers. Each drew on their respective side of the Force before leaping out of the shuttle. Blades of green and violet emerged just as blaster bolts blazed towards them.
Luke and Mara concentrated on redirecting the blaster fire towards the Stormtroopers, vanquishing them as Jedi and Dark Jedi closed on their targets. Luke did not feel uneasy working next to a dark sider and Mara did not let the light sider fighting beside her interrupt her focus.
Yoda leapt into action, expertly deflecting oncoming blaster bolts with his emerald energy blade. The old Jedi Master relied heavily on his Ataro technique as he twirled his aged body with aid from the Force.
Luke tore away from Mara as he focused on three Stormtroopers. With a single Force push, he knocked them unconscious before they hit the durasteel floor. He then turned his body to redirect another blaster bolt with his lightsaber as Artoo rolled behind him.
"Artoo, locate the others!" Luke commanded.
The astromech warbled his response before rolling towards a computer terminal by the turbolift doors.
Mara Jade aggressively pursued her targets, her violet sword moving like a flaming blade of vengeance as she cut down Stormtroopers. Her technique was an unrefined form of Ataro, the form used by her master. Using quick stabs and slashes, she was easily able to overwhelm the Stormtroopers.
Yoda leapt towards the last Stormtroopers, deflecting blaster bolts as he soared through the air. Five Stormtroopers fell from redirected blaster fire. For the last Stormtrooper, Yoda hurled his lightsaber, impaling him through the chest. Yoda called his lightsaber back to his hands and landed on the floor.
Three Jedi and an astromech droid were all that remained in the hangar bay. Luke rushed towards Artoo and deactivated his lightsaber.
"Did you find them?" Luke asked.
Artoo displayed a holoprojection of Bast Castle's floor plan. Luke observed two white dots in the detention center. Mara and Yoda joined Luke by the turbolift.
"Looks like there are two separate cells," Luke observed. "Our friends are in there." The Jedi Knight then noted a feeling of coldness attacking him. "And Vader is definitely in here."
"Find Vader, I will," Yoda said.
Luke silently nodded, trying to ignore the feeling that Yoda was going on a suicide mission by confronting his father. Only one Jedi ever survived an encounter with Darth Vader, just to die nearly decades later at Vader's hand. "May the Force be with you, Master Yoda," Luke said.
"May the Force be with us all," Yoda added.
