Chapter 2
The young human male manning the refreshment stand could have used a haircut before being allowed to come to work today, or at least a thorough shampoo. His reddish-brown hair hung in greasy hanks down to his shoulders, and his beard had been trimmed into something resembling a lopsided, scraggly goatee. His work uniform shirt looked to have never seen the inside of a laundering machine in its life, and his pants looked two sizes too big for his body. Han made a mental note to stop somewhere else for a meal after questioning this young man.
"So I bet you see a lot of the action from here," he noted, gesturing behind him. The owner of this stand was no idiot – his business was parked as close to Ferron's Imperial Spaceport as possible without crossing into the actual base and having to surrender a percentage of his profit to the Empire. Not only was his stand the first source of real food and drink that most travel-weary Imperials would see upon arriving, but he could earn money under the table by having his employees broker information to willing parties.
"Oh, plenty," the young man acknowledged, handing two disposable cups of caf to a man in an ensign's uniform. "Not of the fighting type, of course. No one's stupid enough to attack THIS place. Not with two Stardestroyers posted here."
Han nodded, unimpressed. The Stardestroyers Titan and Doomsday might be prize gems in the crown of the Imperial Fleet, but his easy evasion of both ships might serve to rub a bit of the luster off those jewels.
"Yeah, I'm sure the citizens here feel nice and safe with all these Imperials standing guard over them," Han said with a slight ironic edge in his voice.
The kid missed his sarcasm completely. "Oh, always. No way anything can go down with the Empire keeping order over things. No reason to be scared. Though I tell you, that shuttle that took off from here a week ago nearly made me wet myself..."
"Why's that?" he asked casually, glancing quickly around to ensure the ensign was out of earshot.
The kid pulled out a grimy rag and began wiping the countertop off, abruptly changing the subject. "I'm saving up to join the Academy, you know, but my folks won't pay for my shuttle ticket. And my boss is a credit-pincher, man. I barely make enough to keep my girlfriend happy..."
Han took the hint and discreetly slipped a wad of credits toward the employee. He used the rag to brush the notes into his hand, acting as if he were merely sweeping up crumbs.
"It was Vader, man," the kid continued with a shudder. "With a load of stormtroopers. I saw him. He was huge!" He held a hand over his head in a most likely exaggerated indication of the Dark Lord's height. "Taller than they show in the holos..."
"Vader, huh?" Han replied, arching an eyebrow. "Wonder where he was off to."
"My girlfriend's been wanting a new jacket for ages."
Han sighed and flipped the kid another credit note.
"Couple of his 'troopers stopped here for a bite before they left. Heard one of them – really weird voice, almost sounded like a woman – saying something about a Jedi. Kolton something-or-other. Uh... Nova, yeah, Kolton Nova. Struck me as odd – thought the Jedi were extinct."
Han shrugged. "It's a big galaxy. They could be hiding in weird places."
The kid returned the shrug. "Maybe. Anyway, not my problem." He shoved the rag aside. "Anything to eat, sir? Our tanta-sauce burgers are on sale."
"Not now." One never knew what species the meat at places like this came from. He slid a final credit note at the kid. "If anyone asks, I wasn't here."
"No prob."
Han left the stand and strolled away from the base. The farther he walked, the more he felt himself relax. To him, staying in close proximity to Imperials was always akin to smearing himself in blood and going for a walk in piranha beetle country. The longer business kept him there, the more exposed he felt. And at the moment, when he was on an Alliance mission accompanied by the most wanted man in the galaxy, he felt like someone had plastered a huge casino-style sign over his head that read ARREST ME, I'M A REBEL!
The Falcon was parked a good five kilometers away from the spaceport, inside a crater blasted out years ago by miners in search of ore deposits. Ferron may be home to several Imperial bases and spaceports, but it was first and foremost a mining world, and almost every town, city, and military base was built inside a massive crater left over from some mining project. Some families even built their homes inside smaller craters, simply erecting a roof and some walls and calling it good. This particular crater had evidently been used as an impromptu docking bay many times before, judging from the litter on the floor of the crater and the scraped walls from landings or takeoffs that had cut it way too close.
Luke waited at the entrance as Han jogged up the loading ramp. "What took you so long?"
"Easy, Junior, it's a long walk," Han told him.
"I still don't see why I couldn't go with you..."
"Oh, and have the first Imp who sees you slap cuffs on you and drag you off?" Han rolled his eyes. "For the hero of the Alliance, you aren't that bright."
"Hey!" Luke punched his shoulder. "You're not genius material yourself, pirate."
Chewie barked an inquiry from the cockpit.
"Not much," Han replied. "The locals just confirmed what the Alliance told us – Vader took off a week ago with some troops. Apparently searching for a Jedi named Kolton Nova."
That grabbed Luke's interest. "A Jedi?"
"Yeah. Don't get any high-minded ideas of a rescue mission either, kid. If Vader's half as good in a fight as I think he is, Kolton's probably a smear on a rock somewhere by now."
Luke looked thoughtful. "That would explain the vision... but not why Vader's missing." He turned to Han's portable computer. "Do you have access to the Holonet here?"
"Sure, should be connected," Han replied. "What're you looking for?"
"Information on Kolton Nova. Maybe it can tell us where Vader's gone."
"Good luck," snorted Han. "Kolton Nova's a pretty common name."
Luke typed the name into a search program... and gaped at the list of search results. "Stang! You weren't kidding!"
"Have fun searching," Han smirked, heading to the cockpit. Let the kid do the dirty work. He and Chewie had two Stardestroyers to slip past again.
Break...
Two hours later, Luke wanted to bang his head against the bulkhead. He had thought searching for information on a Jedi would be a simple matter. Unfortunately, he had failed to take into account the fact that the Empire made data on the Jedi unavailable to the public. That forced him to search through regular databases – and there were enough Kolton Novas on these databases to populate their own planet.
Kolton Nova, honors student at a university on Chandrila. Kolton Nova, killed in a speeder crash on Corellia. Kolton Nova, arrested for embezzlement on Corusant. Kolton Nova, starring in a new romantic-comedy holovid to be released in a week's time. Kolton Nova Law Firms, Kolton Nova M.D., Kolton Nova Memorial Fund, Kolton Nova Galactic Park... the name Kolton Nova was buzzing through his head so much he thought he would go mad if he found one more person with the name.
Did Vader have THIS much trouble finding him? wondered Luke as he clicked on what he swore would be the final link. Maybe he's not missing after all – maybe he's just out there tracking down and killing every Kolton Nova there is just to be on the safe side...
He paused as a Holonet page loaded on his screen. Nothing fancy – just a privately maintained page for a small business on Zeltros. Obviously an amateur job, for there were several misspellings and the layout was sloppy, but it got the point across well enough. Under an animated image of two wisperkit cubs wrestling was the heading "Paws, Claws, Scales, and Tails Pet Store – Kolton Nova, Owner – Buying and Selling Exotic Pets For 20 Years." By all accounts, just another of the many Kolton Novas out there...
And yet Luke had a feeling...
Han and Chewie were arguing as Luke entered the cockpit.
"I didn't ask your opinion, fuzzball!" shouted Han. "If you don't like it, maybe YOU can set the coordinates next time!"
Chewie snarled in reply.
"We're not even going to land on Trandosha, we'll just orbit. Quit being so hyper..."
"Han, how far is Zeltros from here?" Luke interrupted.
"Huh?"
"How far is Zeltros? I have a feeling..."
Han raised an eyebrow. "A feeling, kid?"
Luke sighed. Han's skepticism toward the Force hadn't dimmed much in the three years Luke had known him. "Please, Han. Trust me on this."
Han sighed and checked the navicomputer. "About a day's hyperspace travel. Won't take much to alter our course. But this had better be good, kid."
"Why? Is it an Imperial planet?"
"Yeah, but the Empire doesn't bother much with it. But let's just say that Chewie and I aren't exactly welcome to visit."
Chewie barked.
"Okay, so I'M not welcome to visit," Han replied, rolling his eyes.
It was Luke's turn to smirk. "Who caught you cheating at cards?"
"No one." He pointed a finger at Luke. "DON'T ask any more questions, Junior."
Luke laughed. "You don't scare me, Han. Besides, I don't think we'll be there long."
"Let's hope not."
Break...
Vader fell to his knees, his teeth clenched to keep a cry of pain choked down. He was a Sith, he was a warrior, he was beyond pain, he would NOT let these creatures have the satisfaction of knowing they were inflicting pain...
His world was jarred into pieces by another heavy blow in the back from what felt like an iron pipe, a blow that knocked what little wind he had left from him. This time he collapsed totally, falling to his side, wheezing painfully. He was only vaguely aware of the figures standing over him, assessing him coldly.
"Bring the droid in," one ordered.
"Sir, he won't survive further..." began the other.
"His vital signs are still good," the first interrupted. "He's still got a lot of fight in him. Besides, we have our orders."
Vader gasped for breath, doing a swift assessment of his own. Both shoulders were afire with pain, most likely from having his arms bound behind his back, and the left one felt dislocated. He was sure most of his ribs were broken from various blows and kicks, and what was left of his flesh-and-blood body felt bruised to a pulp. One cybernetic leg had been shattered midway down the shin, and the right lens of his mask was marred by a bad crack. And worst of all, he still couldn't touch the Force. That last alone was enough to make him feel as if they'd ripped away a vital part of him.
Hands grabbed his arms and hauled him back up to his knees. Before he could react to the fresh pain in his shoulders, a weird hum filled his ears... the hum of an interrogation droid...
His screams rang from the walls, tore across space...
Break...
Luke shot bolt upright, crying out in shock. It took him a moment to regain his bearings, to realize he was in his bunk on the Falcon and not in a dark prison cell. He felt cold, colder than he had ever been on Hoth, even though he was slick with sweat.
It had happened again – the vision of pain. And this time it had been far worse. He still couldn't sense the who and why of it, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the situation was becoming more and more urgent. Whoever this was, they needed him, and fast...
An alarm sounded through the ship, and he could hear Han grumbling as he stalked past Luke's room toward the cockpit. They had reached Zeltros right on schedule and would be landing soon. Luke could only hope his premonition was correct and they could act in time.