The Power to Save Her
Chapter 9
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or any dialogue from Empire Strikes Back.
Important Note: I will not follow comics/legends characters or concepts closely, if at all. My knowledge is strictly on the that of the movies and a more mainstream knowledge of Star Wars. Though I may reference events and things outside of the movies, I do not claim to know the material on a deeper level.
The smuggler was lowered down on the machine, even as it hummed and sparked. Without bothering to see out the torture, Vader left the room, even as the smuggler cried in agony. He was no sadist, though he didn't particularly feel remorseful about any of this. Solo was a means to an end, and this would surely get Luke to sense his danger. His knowledge of the Force told him Luke would come for them, wherever in the galaxy he was hiding. He wouldn't do more than necessary to Solo, as he had a promise to keep, just as he promised her, he wouldn't turn Luke over. The door hissed open to reveal the bounty hunter on the other side, waiting for him while Calrissian crossed his arms, disturbed by it all.
"Lord Vader.", Calrissian called out, though Vader walked past him to speak to the bounty hunter.
"You may take Captain Solo to Jabba the Hutt after I have Skywalker."
"He's no good to me dead.", said Boba Fett, walking next to him.
"He will not be permanently damaged.", assured Vader even as the smuggler continued to be tortured. They walked towards the lift and the administrator called out again.
"Lord Vader, what about Leia and the Wookiee?", he asked.
"They must never again leave this city.", Vader instructed simply, and the unease on the man's face grew.
"That was never a condition of our agreement, nor was giving Han to this bounty hunter!", Lando stated heatedly, gesturing with his hand towards Boba Fett.
"Perhaps you think you're being treated unfairly.", Vader replied evenly, though there was an edge to his voice that Calrissian clearly heard.
"No.", the administrator replied, swallowing.
"Good.", replied Vader coolly, though continued, making his threat clear. "It would be unfortunate if I had to leave a garrison here."
The lift doors closed, and Vader was cut off from the sight of the administrator. His thoughts were currently occupied with his son, no doubt having received the message. Luke would most likely come ready to fight Vader but for his sake, and hers, he needed to find a way to end it quickly.
After he'd captured Luke, they would hide on Mustafar, where the boy's training could be completed. Padmé wouldn't like it, but she would have no choice but to go with them. Eventually, she would be made to see. After Palpatine was defeated, she would be crucial to helping him navigate the complexities of political matters. The Emperor could be overthrown, and he needed both of them to help him. Even now, he could feel the power of conquering the Sith at his fingertips.
There would be peace, freedom, and justice in his Empire.
Padmé waited in the corridor, close but not right next to the holding cells. The walls here were narrower and the Imperial presence heavier. She knew that by not returning to the room where her husband had demanded, she would alert him to her motives. She'd made clear her feelings on the subject, and he'd dismissed them once again. Because of this, she was done being a bystander. Acting soon was imperative, but so was being smart.
She knew that Captain Solo was still being tortured, while the Wookiee and Leia were separated. She'd checked to be sure that Leia wasn't touched and as luck would have it, they only isolated her, probably hoping her fear for Han Solo would draw Luke here. As soon as the prisoners were all back together, they'd have to be moved as one.
She was just waiting for one more piece of the puzzle.
And that piece was nearby. Just around the corner, she saw Calrissian muttering to himself, very disgruntled by the situation. He walked past her, where she hid, and she crept behind him. In his distracted state, he didn't notice when she took the blaster off his person. Immediately he stiffened and turned as she was drawing up the blaster to his chest. He raised both hands, taking in her Imperial attire.
"Hey, hey! I'm working with Vader!", he all but shouted.
"I know.", Padmé replied, watching as his eyebrows raised closer to his hairline. "You have access to the prison hold do you not?"
"Of course.", Calrissian replied, still very confused.
"Listen well. You're going to help set Leia, the Wookiee, and Captain Solo free, and you're going to do it quietly."
"If I betray Vader, he will leave his garrison in the city!", Calrissian replied, showing genuine concern.
"Don't think for one second he's not planned to do that already.", she stated evenly, feeling a sadness overcome her. "I know him. He manipulates people to his will."
"How can you be certain?", challenged the administrator.
"I've known Vader for years. There is no other outcome.", she insisted, holding the blaster steady. "The choice is whether you do the right thing or not."
There was a long silence where he contemplated her words before nodding.
"Alright, I was heading there anyway. Do you mind lowering your—my weapon?", Calrissian asked, placating. Padmé narrowed her eyes, not exactly convinced.
"Can I trust you?"
"You'll have to.", he insisted, his face grim. "I don't like the Empire any more than you do."
She let out a breath, seeing his sincerity.
"I'm still keeping this.", Padmé informed, lowering the blaster, but kept it in her hand.
"Of course.", Calrissian nodded, acquiescing. He furrowed his brows, and then asked, "Why are you turning on Vader?"
"It's complicated.", she replied, unwilling to share anymore, knowing that time was of the essence. "Let's save your friends."
"There are stormtroopers everywhere.", he stated, glancing around. "How do you expect to escape?"
"Don't you have a private security detail?", she asked, thinking to the group that shadowed him.
"Of course. Why didn't I think of that?"
"You're resourceful.", she shrugged, holstering the blaster. "I'm sure you would've, sooner or later."
"Right. Well, so are you and I must say, you're not so bad… for an Imperial.", he replied, giving her a suave grin. She opted for an even stare at his comment.
"Let's go.", she stated, and turned towards the cells. The man followed, only slightly miffed by the fact that she decided to brush off his obvious flirting.
Calrissian's security were waiting near the cells and eyed her questioningly, but he stepped in front of her.
"She's with me.", he assured them, and they nodded.
The doors opened and all of them filed into the enclosed space. Her eyes fell on her daughter who was tending to Captain Solo, who looked as if all the color had drained from his face. The Wookiee was there as well, tending to a battered protocol droid that looked strangely familiar. Could it be—no. There was no way it was the same droid.
"Get out of here, Lando!", growled out Solo, showing impressive strength by raising himself up, even after a torture.
"Shut up and listen!", Lando snapped back. "Vader plans on handing you over to a bounty hunter and forcing Leia and Chewie to stay here."
"Vader wants us all dead.", Leia insisted, eyes indignant.
"He doesn't want you at all. He's after somebody called Skywalker."
"Luke?", demanded Solo, showing genuine concern.
"Lord Vader has set a trap for him but you're getting out of here."
"We're the bait!"
"Not if we get out of here in time.", Padmé insisted, speaking up for the first time. All eyes turned to her. Recognition flashed in all their eyes.
"You some kind of Imperial defector?", Solo asked eyes narrowing.
"I was never with them to begin with.", she replied, raising an eyebrow. "We want to get you out, and we can do that with Calrissian's security, but you must lead us to your ship."
"You're helping us?", Solo asked, turning to Calrissian, a surprised expression covering his face. Lando's expression betrayed guilt, before it turned into resolve.
"I won't stand to see them turn you over Han.", Lando replied, and this time Padmé could tell he meant it. "But we must hurry."
"I'll order the patrol to move on to the next sector, but we have a limited window.", she informed, backing towards the door. Before leaving, she said, "Be ready."
Then she hurried out of the cell and was able to convince the guards there to move on. Satisfied that they didn't question her, due to her connections to Piett and Vader, she found the patrol nearby. Without any problems, she was able to convince them that Vader wanted them on to report to a sector somewhere else. One, that was practically on the other side of the area under lockdown.
The nearest sector base to the cells was similarly emptied with other orders she'd made up from Vader. She stopped here, knowing that this wouldn't work if she gave too many orders from Vader. They'd report to another sector, though it wouldn't be long before they figured out what had happened. With this in mind, she hurried back to the cells.
She entered back into the cramped cell where the group was waiting expectantly. The security team had gone, but Lando remained. He looked decidedly troubled. The rest looked haggard, though ready to leave.
"Let's go.", she ordered, and they stood.
Quietly, the odd group shuffled into the hallway that was completely devoid of Imperial presence. For the first time in a while, Padmé felt a free, not having the shadow of the Empire in every inch of her life. This place looked quite beautiful without it, it's viewports showing a gleaming city bathed in orange light.
"You're Amidala, right?", came the voice of Solo as they crept down the hallway.
"Padmé Amidala, though you can just call me Padmé.", she replied, looking around a corner, without glancing back at him.
"Name's Han Solo.", he replied, taking the other side of the doorway. "You were the one who sent that message."
"So, you did get it?", she asked, eyes lighting up, her hopes rising. Solo—Han raised his eyebrows and frowned, though he gave an affirmative.
"Yes, and we tried to send it to Luke, though he's somewhere unreachable. We have no way of knowing if the warning made it to him."
"Let's hope he listens to it.", she responded, trying not to sound too frustrated. Decided the way was clear, they took down the hall that Han had motioned to.
"How do you know Luke?", asked Leia, speaking up as they strolled down the glossy floors.
"I've known him for a long time.", she answered cryptically, not sure what to say when they were in the middle of an escape.
"Funny, Luke never mentioned knowing a dead Republic senator.", Leia responded, cocking an eyebrow, a knowing expression on her face. "Who are you really?"
There was a beat of silence and Padmé had to smile at her daughter's insight.
"I am Padmé Amidala. The story is long, but it is neither the time nor the place to be speaking of such matters. All I can say is that I was dead, and suddenly, I woke up."
They took a left into another corridor.
"Leia Organa, if you didn't know.", Leia stated, not questioning the story any further.
"Organa? You were adopted by Bail Organa?", she asked, a smile coming over her face. Instantly, gratitude filled her, as she remembered her long-time friend.
"Yes… but how did you know I was adopted?", Leia questioned, face growing confused.
Before Padmé could answer, they heard a patrol coming through, and stepped into an alcove just in time. The patrol passed by without incident, and she let out a sigh of relief. She slowly looked up, acknowledging everyone in the group. They'd just barely hidden in time.
"We should save the chit chat for a later time.", Han stated warily, and they agreed, understanding the need for covertness. Though Leia continue to watch Padmé with a growing expression of curiosity.
"I think I can get rid of some more patrols.", Lando claimed, looking down to the device on his wrist.
Quickly, he pressed buttons on the device. As he did this, he told them that he was instructing his team to take as many approaching patrols in the security tower as they could. Even making sure they knew to try to keep their operation quiet.
"Will this work?", Han asked, giving his friend a wary look.
"They'll do as I tell them.", Lando assured them.
If all went as planned, their journey to the Falcon should be without obstruction. The only trouble was staying discreet when it was four humans, a Wookie, and a switched-off droid on its back. Despite this, they crept through the halls, listening carefully for the sound of patrols. The citizens in the area eyed the group strangely, though brushed it off once they caught sight of Lando, who worked his charm.
They were closer and closer to the landing pad, making good time, even with the slower progress of Captain Solo, who was still recovering.
That is until patrols swarmed their hall.
Vader stepped out of the lift after having checked on the carbon-freezing facility. The machinery was crude, though he had plans for it. Calrissian had been noticeably absent, despite Vader's earlier threats. The administrator had been all too easy to manipulate. His fear of losing this business to the Empire was too great but apparently not enough to obey all summons made by Vader.
There would be consequences, Vader thought darkly, making his way to find Padmé.
At last, he arrived at the dining hall, immediately noticing that her presence wasn't there. Without entering, he turned away and marched back towards the lift. A cold feeling began to set in him, as implications of where she could be was arising. Deciding it was futile to worry without knowing for certain, he checked the next place she was supposed to be.
She wasn't in the communications center either.
Finally, he allowed feelings of betrayal and anger to fill him. His hands curled into fists and troopers observed the slight denting of the architecture. They wisely stepped back, not wanting to be another victim. Silent rage filled him, and he turned rather sharply when an officer approached him.
"Where is Officer Navarro?", he interrupted, cutting off the man before he could speak.
"She was here, spoke to Piett, and then left half an hour ago.", the officer informed.
"Alert the garrison. The prisoners have escaped.", Vader ordered, trying to keep his temper from peaking. "They're heading for the Millennium Falcon."
"Yes, Lord Vader," here the officer paused before continuing. "But I must inform you of something immediately."
"What is it?", Vader snapped, turning on the nervous officer.
"Luke Skywalker has arrived."
A/N: And more action! Next chapter will have it too! I won't say too much, but I will have to brush up on my knowledge of blasters and lightsabers.
Special shoutout to RyanSquad, masterkenobi25, Jeda31 and searth05 for reviewing my last chapter! I appreciate your continued feedback! And a big thank you to those who've favorited and followed my story! Comments are always welcome, in any form, as I love to hear all sorts of theories or ideas! Thank you all for reading :)