Chapter Four
Everything felt wrong. His body shivered violently, overcome by a bone-chilling cold that was not lessened by the thick comforter he clutched against himself. The silken bedsheets that ordinarily slid as smooth as a flower petal over his skin now grabbed and caught at him as if he was being drug naked across permacrete. And through eyelids clenched shut an invading brilliance of light stabbed at his retinas.
He gathered his wits and pushed his pain to the edge of his perception. This was a massive disturbance in the Force. Sometime in the few hours that he had slept, the Galaxy had changed.He reached out for the Force, but like a lover that had fled in the cover of darkness, it was not there. Or rather, it was not where it was supposed to be. At his side, awaiting his bidding.
He closed his eyes, searching for the source of the disturbance. The images began trickling in, unrolling in a tapestry of what was to be. It had long given him comfort, his ability to see the future. Except this time. His eyes snapped open. That couldn't be right. He drew in a deep breath and looked again. He smiled as the new images took a different path. His first vision had been merely an anomaly, a future of the highest improbability.
He felt some concern as the second vision veered in an undesireable direction. When it abruptly ended at the same place as the first, he felt actual fear creep into his mind. Such an unpleasant sensation, one he thought that he had long ago banished from his emotional repertoire. Again and again he sought out the future, and while the scenarios that ran through his mind varied each time, the final moments were identical. A headless body falling to the ground, but this time it wasn't Dooku, it was himself, though they shared the same executioner.
He sat up in bed to escape the tendrils of panic that threatened to choke him. Vader was not bringing Skywalker to him as he had commanded, the first time in a long, long time that Vader had disobeyed him. Somewhere in that mechanized wreck of a body the volatile being whose power he had once feared was stirring. And Vader motivated by his heart was always Vader at his most dangerous, to speak nothing of the Force-strong son he must have convinced to join him.
You're getting old, he told himself.You used to live for this sort of thing.
He had almost forgotten how enjoyable the game could be, so long had he gone without real opposition. Ruling the Empire had proven nowhere near as satisfying as engineering the fall of the Republic or nudging the Jedi Order to produce its own destroyer. Ah yes, the careful calculations, the subtle manipulations, the dance of power.How exquisitely delicious it all could be.
There was nothing to worry about. Father and son could be pulled apart by the same methods that had first brought the Galaxy under his control, and it would be a pleasure to do so.
He swung his legs out of the bed and reached for the dressing gown that lay at its foot. As he stood he noted how luxuriously soft the fabric felt against his skin, and how warm the carpet was underneath his bare feet. Yes, everything was proceeding as it should.There was plenty of time to make the necessary adjustments so that Dooku's fate would not be his own.
He walked over to his desk and activated the com. " Moff Jerjerrod, instruct Admiral Piett to make contact with me immediately."
------
It went on forever. And then some. His eyes were accustomed to such a perspective from living on Tatooine, his mind comfortable with the vast desert that extended beyond the curve of the horizon. But to have this endless flatness be not the landscape of a planet, but the interior of a ship seemed completely impossible.
The floor felt real enough beneath his boots, though, the vapor from the shuttle's repulsors crawling along its glossy surface. He waited for Leia to come down the ramp, extending a hand to help her, but she declined the assistance. He guided her so that she was between him and the ship, to at least partially conceal her camouflage patterned clothing which practically screamed "Rebel operative".
Though she wouldn't like his assessment, he thought she looked entirely too small and vulnerable, especially set against the immense cavern of Executor's hangar. He had wanted to make sure she and the others safely escaped the forest moon, but he hadn't guessed that she would have chosen to come with him instead of Han. Maybe he shouldn't have shared the secret that they were brother and sister.
The shuttle's repulsors shut off and he then heard Vader's heavy footsteps hit the top of the ramp.
"Follow me," Vader said as he strode past them, his cloak floating behind him.
As if there was another option. He motioned Leia to go ahead of him so that she was walking protected by himself and Vader. Behind him he heard Artoo's rollers begin to skate down the ramp.
He turned to face the little droid. "Artoo, stay with..."
His voice dropped off as he realized his words were being exactly echoed by a much deeper voice. He looked in amazement to his father's mask.
Vader returned his gaze, silent for a moment, then finished the thought. "Artoo, stay with the ship."
The astromech droid focused its photoreceptor first on Vader, then on himself, before dejectedly swiveling it to the deck. With a forlorn whistle, Artoo reversed direction and went back up the ramp.
Threepio's voice came from within the shuttle."It's much safer inside here, Artoo."
The clatter of boots on the hangar floor took his attention away from the droids. A grey uniformed Imperial was leading a squad of stormtroopers double-time across the hangar towards them. Vader gave them only a brief glance before proceeding briskly in his original direction. When the group caught up to them, Vader didn't stop, making the young officer trot breathlessly next to them.
"Lord Vader, I apologize for not being here for your arrival. We apparently missed your transmission," the officer said.
"You received no signal because I sent none, Captain," Vader said.
The officer seemed confused. "But m'lord, don't you want assistance with the prisoners?"
"Does it appear as if I am in need of any?"
The officer looked back first at Leia and then at himself as they walked single file behind Vader. "Uh, no, m'lord."
The captain slowed his pace and fell behind him, stormtroopers in tow. Even though his father had apparently not requested the guards, the fact that he had not sent them away made him a little uneasy, as did the rows of TIE fighters they passed as they made their way through the hangar. The mere outline of the TIE shape was enough to make his heart speed up, so many years had he faced them in battle, and their presence drove home the point that he was in enemy territory.
Only his father stood between himself and a Star Destroyer full of Imperial troops, though that seemed to be enough. It was impressive to watch the effect Vader's presence had on his crew, the way that to a man they leapt to attention at his approach, though he didn't appear to even notice them. From the captain's nervous demeanor, however, he had the distinct impression that his father would have noticed if they hadn't afforded him that level of respect.
They exited the hangar, stepping into a broad hallway that appeared to be a main thoroughfare of the ship. Vader continued to lead them wordlessly, having never revealed their destination. Every crew member traveling through the corridor gave Vader plenty of space, their eyes averted, but as soon as they were past him they turned to stare at Leia and himself, making him feel like a beast on display. He could accept the hard glances they gave him, but there were more than a few that he would have like to have taken his lightsaber to for the way their eyes roamed over Leia.
Another officer approached, this one middle-aged, but still trim, and by the number of bars on his chest higher ranking than the captain that led their stormtrooper escort. He also seemed more comfortable with Vader, as his face bore a trace of a smile as he greeted him.
"Congratulations, Lord Vader," the officer said. "I've been hearing of your success."
Vader stopped to answer. "Thank you, Admiral."
The admiral moved past Vader and stopped directly in front of him, giving him a thorough appraisal.
"Luke Skywalker, if I'm not mistaken," the admiral said, grabbing him by the chin."We've chased this one across half the Galaxy, haven't we, m'lord?"
His father stepped past Leia to pull the admiral's hand away. "Yes we have, Piett ."
Piett looked confused for a moment, then accepted the unsaid reprimand. "Shall I take them to the detention center?"
"No," Vader said. "They are too valuable. They will stay under my direct control."
Piett's eyebrows raised. "As you wish m'lord."
"After I have them secured," Vader continued," I need to speak with you, Piett."
"Yes, m'lord," Piett said, his eyes giving them one last evaluation before Vader led them further down the hallway.
Leia looked back at him as they continued their single file procession, her face tight with worry. He sent her a wink, wanting her to know that everything was going to be all right. He just wished he could believe that himself.
------
"Artoo Detoo, what are you doing?" Threepio said.
Artoo chirped a reply as he moved away from the shuttle's viewscreen.
"A better look at what?" Threepio said.
Artoo's whistling became fainter as he rolled down the shuttle's ramp.
"Where are you going?" Threepio asked ." Master Luke and Master Anakin, if that's really who that is, both told us to stay here."
The collection of chirps only became farther away.
"The Emperor?" Threepio asked from the head of the ramp."How would you know?"
Artoo's reply began with a brapp and continued in a mixture of chirps and whistles.
"Yes, I can see those guards are all in red, and I do occasionally read the news," Threepio said, feeling rather exposed now that he was out on the hangar floor next to Artoo."Why you think politics is any of your concern is beyond me."
Artoo gave another beeping reply.
"Warn them?" Threepio said. "How are we ever going to find them?"
Artoo extended his center foot and rolled silently across the hangar floor.
"Don't leave me alone, Artoo," Threepio cried. "I don't think the Empire approves of droids."
------
"After you, Admiral," he said, motioning Piett into one of Executor's many conference rooms.
Once the door slid shut behind them, he swept a hand at the four corners of the room. Piett's eyes followed the motion as if he could actually see something happening.
"Recording devices," he said. "Now deactivated."
The explanation did nothing to remove the look of concern that had taken up residence on Piett's face.
He tried again to relieve Piett's anxiety."Please, Admiral, have a seat."
Piett made another survey of the room before sitting down in one of the high backed conference chairs, which like most things Imperial were not designed for comfort. He pulled out the chair next to Piett, and turned it sideways so that he could sit facing him, like two men at a cantina, instead of an officer and his superior.
"We've worked together a long time, Piett," he said.
"Yes, m'lord," Piett said. "Longer than most."
"Indeed," he said."Much longer than some. What kind of a commander have you found me to be, Piett ?"
"A fair one, m'lord." The admiral glanced nervously at the corners of the room and swallowed hard. "Though your discipline can be a bit...strict."
He smiled inside the helmet. "That's what I like about you. Not afraid to speak your mind. So tell me, have I earned your loyalty?"
A small crease appeared in Piett's forehead."Have I failed to follow an order, m'lord?"
"Not that I can recall," he said, "but I must know if that will always be the case."
"You know my record is spotless, m'lord," Piett said, his voice rising. "I am known for my adherence to protocol."
"Exactly," he said."And you must have noticed at some point that I hold no official rank within the Imperial Navy."
Piett's eyes dropped to the black mirrored surface of the conference table."I thought it none of my concern, m'lord."
"Ah, but it will be your concern if an order is given that contradicts mine," he said.
The tension left Piett's face and he laughed out loud. "No one would dare oppose you, m'lord."
"No one except the Emperor."
Piett's face was still relaxed." Precisely. Such a conflict would never arise."
He let the rush of the ventilator be his only reply.
The smile left Piett's face."Right, m'lord?"
"I need to know that I can count on you, Piett," he said slowly.
"To do what?" Piett said, his face lined by new concern.
"Only to follow my commands," he said,"and to ignore those of anyone else."
"Even those of the Emperor,m'lord?"
"If it comes to that," he said.
Piett rubbed his forehead, his eyes casting over the table."I..uh..I'm not..."
"Your loyalty will be rewarded by my protection, Piett," he said."Be assured of that."
"But I may have already failed you,m'lord," Piett said, staring straight into the mask.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"While you were at the shield generator, the Emperor made contact from the Death Star," Piett said.
"And?"
"And I did as he ordered. I informed him of your arrival as soon as you returned to Executor," Piett said.
He nodded. "Not your fault, Piett. Destiny cannot be stopped."
Piett's eyes narrowed. "What's going to happen?"
He put his hand on Piett's shoulder and looked into the face of the man who was probably the closest thing he had to a friend. "Something that should have happened a long time ago. A long time ago."
------
The door had barely slid shut when Leia's arms flew around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her, leaned his cheek against hers, let her tension pour out through the tightness of her hug. He held her until he felt her arms relax and a deep sigh escape her. When she let go of him she looked away and wiped tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Luke, what are we doing here?" she said.
He looked around the room, a nondescript looking crew's quarters with a bed, a 'fresher, and a workspace, and could only shake his head. "I don't know. It all happened so fast. There really wasn't time to think about it."
She pressed the control button to the door. "Great, it's locked."
He grinned as he patted his lightsaber. "No door is locked when you have one of these."
She gestured towards the door. "Well, have at it."
He shook his head."We should stay here. He told us to wait for him."
"And you trust him?" she said.
"Yes. No. Mostly."
"Then you must know what he has in mind, right?" she said as she took a seat on the corner of the bed."You must have talked about a plan."
His gaze went to the floor. "No, not really. We talked about other things.The past, mainly."
"How can you trust him if you don't know what he's going to do?"
He pulled the chair out from the workstation and sat down across from her. "Because I can sense his feelings. He's not who you think he is."
"Oh yeah? And who is he?" she said.
"He is Anakin Skywalker. Even Ben finally told me that. Everything good that you ever heard about Anakin Skywalker is still in there. I can feel it," he said.
She looked at him dubiously.
"He likes you, you know," he said, leaning towards her.
"Likes me? Then he's got a funny way of showing it," she said.
"And admires you. I can feel that, too," he said.
She was silent for a moment. "But you didn't tell him. About me."
He lowered his head."I wanted you to have that choice. Especially if anything went wrong."
"Ahh-ha. Now we're getting somewhere," she said, sitting forward on the bed. "And why do you think something might go wrong?"
He ruffled his hand through his hair. "Because we had a little disagreement about which side we're on. I thought that because he came with me that he was joining the Alliance, but that's not true."
"Did we just join the Empire, then?" she said.
"He knows we haven't. Getting rid of the Emperor is what's most important. He was the one Ben and Yoda always warned me about, not Vader," he said. "Ben said the reason why you and I were separated was to keep us safe from the Emperor."
She rubbed a hand across her forehead. "But after the Emperor is eliminated, then what?"
"I don't know," he said."But I couldn't just leave him there. If you could feel everything that's inside of him, you couldn't either."
"So what happened, Luke? Did you find that out?" she asked.
"No, except that much of what happened to us and our mother is a mystery to him, too," he said. "Again, Yoda said to me 'Do not underestimate the powers of the Emperor, or suffer your father's fate, you will'. Everything hinges on the Emperor."
She got up from the bed and paced the room. "Then I guess we'll just have to hope that it all works out the way it's supposed to. Trust in the Force, isn't that what you're always saying?"
He smiled. "Now you're getting it. I'll make you into a Jedi yet."
The door chimed.
"Is that Vader?" Leia asked.
He closed his eyes, felt through the door. It certainly wasn't his father, but he wasn't sure what it was. Something powerful in the Force, but it had no flavor, no shape, only a dark nothingness that threatened to pull the Force from his own grip. He unclipped his lightsaber."Leia, get back."
The mechanism on the lock reversed and the door slid open. The figure before him looked almost like a giant jawa, clothed in a dark robe, with eyes that glowed yellow from within the hood. It moved forward into the room and the light struck its features. Though the face was distorted by deep furrows, he could see that it might have once been human.
"Welcome, young Skywalker," it said with a smile. "I've been expecting you."