Chapter Five:
The next day, Luke was summoned early in the afternoon to join his family at an address by his father to the galaxy. Leia attended also and the twins now watched from their seats by Padmé as Emperor Vader was first announced by his majordomo and then walked up to the podium.
"Citizens of this glorious Empire!" Vader began clearly, almost... eagerly. "As you know, we your Emperor and Empress set a goal to free the galaxy of the tyrants known as Jedi, and to remove their filth from among us. And thus far we have been ruthless and punctual in our mission to do this. All Jedi we come across, and any who are found to be sympathizers have been dealt with to the utmost letter of the law."
A murmur went through the masses, and Luke eyed the crowd, sensing a large amount of anger and hatred of the Jedi, but he wondered if this was the case throughout the galaxy. He had encountered some peoples who didn't seem to despise the Jedi. And in any case, what was so bad about them, really?
Had the Jedi Order really turned evil as his parents had taught Luke and Leia? The young man didn't know, but as Vader went on in his long speech, Luke's attention wandered some.
Until the enclosed black speeder opened its doors which allowed a shackled, hooded man and several elite guards to exit. They approached a red circle on stage, the troopers having to help their stumbling charge walk straight.
"And here is another criminal!" Vader growled as the bag was ripped from the captive's head.
Luke straightened some to see a familiar face. Was that... Dishon? Luke recognized the Zabrak from his time training with Vader's elite Inquisitors.
"This man has tried to reawaken the Jedi ways!" Vader said to thunderous boos and shouts to have the 'fool beheaded'. "He broke the law! A law meant to keep the innocent citizens of the Empire... and of the entire galaxy safe! We overthrew the Jedi's tyranny, and we shall keep it down!"
The applause and roars of approval nearly deafened Luke, but what the young man could not have anticipated next was for Vader to turn to face his son. "But I will not be the executioner today. No: today that honor falls to my son and eventual heir, Luke Vader!"
Luke did a slight double-take, and very nearly let his jaw drop. Luke had never before been ordered to kill publicly, and he wondered morbidly if this was some sort of joke. But when Vader produced Luke's lightsaber in front of everyone, he knew this was very real.
A hush fell over the crowd, and Luke clearly felt the shock. A nudge from Padmé shook Luke from his inability to move, and with a deep breath he stood, walking to Vader. Leia's alarm radiated across their twin bond, though his sister remained outwardly silent. As soon as he was beside the elder man, Vader wrapped an arm about Luke's shoulders and turned to face the crowds.
"My son has been training under my supervision in the Force, preparing for his time as Emperor. He has prepared himself for a day such as this, when he can take his rightful place as another defender of this Empire and its citizens. Luke will earn his right to carry this lightsaber at all times by proving to us all that he is capable of doing his duty!"
Vader stepped back and again lifted the lightsaber for Luke to take. "Free the galaxy of this menace; stop the Jedi from returning!"
Luke's heart was pounding and he didn't know how he wasn't gaping like a beached fish, but he didn't immediately take the weapon. This garnered a look from his father that only the young man could see since the angle of Vader's face hid it from the crowd's immediate view. It was a look that frightened Luke to his core, and he felt his chest constrict with a reminder of his very real mortality.
After a time, and unaware of the personal battle waging on stage, the crowd began to back Vader up by chanting. "Prince Luke... Prince Luke..."
Luke looked out over the people, feeling a little lightheaded, and then returned his attention to his father, whose gaze hardened once more in warning. Luke swallowed heavily and finally took the weapon, earning himself louder applause.
He could feel Leia's absolute surprise that this was happening, and her horror that Luke was being forced into it. He heard her ask Padmé if this was actually happening, to which their mother replied curtly that yes, it was.
It was time for Luke to toughen up.
Returning his full attention to the moment at hand, Luke walked to where the prisoner was being held and gazed at the saber in his hand... and then looked to Dishon. The man held himself tall, though Luke saw the dread there.
"Please don't do this..." Dishon whispered. "We were friends..."
"Shut up!" a trooper snapped, hitting Dishon in the face with the butt of his rifle. Blood spurted from Dishon's mouth, and the Zabrak coughed while straightening.
Luke closed his eyes, feeling the pressure of the people, and especially his father to perform his task. And if he didn't... there would literally be hell to pay.
"I'm sorry," Luke whispered, barely audible. The young man flinched when white-hot fury scalded him as his father overheard.
He ignited the ruby lightsaber and Dishon gazed first at it, then Luke. Their eyes met...
"I forgive you, Luke," Dishon murmured. "May the Force be with you."
With his heart trying it's best to hammer out of his chest, Luke swung the lightsaber with deadly precision to remove Dishon's head from his shoulders. There was a moment of absolute silence in which a pin drop could have been heard... and then Luke was assaulted with the roaring approval of the people as the trooper nearest the head lifted it up triumphantly.
"Prince Luke has done it!"
To his dismay— something he hid well— the people chanted his name with greater fervor, and then his father was there, wrapping his arm around Luke's shoulders proudly, but Luke knew it was all for show at that point. He didn't need the Force to sense how upset his father was with him.
"Well done Son." Vader rumbled for everyone to hear. "Wear this lightsaber with pride."
Luke nodded, bowing deeply and wanting for nothing more than to disappear. He caught sight of the body behind him and resolutely looked away as Vader gave his closing remarks about the security of the Empire being restored and how it would continue.
Then Vader was there at Luke's side again, and the Emperor escorted Luke off stage.
Once they were alone, Vader turned to Luke and struck him harshly across the face. Luke rolled with the hit but still felt blood fill his mouth.
"The next time I give you an order, you do it immediately!" Vader snapped furiously. "You were weak out there! I heard you apologize to that rat!"
Vader struck Luke again and the young man withheld a vocalization of pain, knowing it would only anger Vader further.
"How dare you embarrass yourself and ME with such a display!" His father went on heatedly, and Luke trembled at the boiling Dark Side energy that was gathering in Vader. "If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I will send you to sublevel twelve myself!"
Luke's head snapped up in terror. "NO!"
Vader drew so close in a matter of one second that Luke back-stepped like a frightened animal from its master. But Vader grabbed Luke's chin in a steel grip, his cold fingers digging in painfully as the man forced his son to look him in the eye. "I will do it the next time you disobey me like that."
"Yes sir," Luke whispered, swallowing with great difficulty. Sublevel twelve was where Vader sent those who were to be tortured, experimented on and other such things. It was also a gruesome place for a lasting, unforgettable punishment.
Vader eyed Luke for a moment and then straightened with a sniff. "You are such a disappointment to me, Luke." Luke's heart plummeted at the Emperor's words. "Years of elite training, the best tutors and even lessons from myself, and yet you are still weak. You can't perform a simple execution when I ask of it. Tell me, what do you think was the point of all your lessons if not to prepare you to do what I ask when I ask of it? Is that so difficult?"
Luke didn't— couldn't— answer, but his eyes flooded with hurt tears.
His father saw this and jerked his hand away, leaving vivid bruises on Luke's flesh. "Get out of my sight," he said in disgust.
Luke started to reply but Vader cut him off.
"Pack your bag because you have a mission to complete. Details will be on your ship." The man pointed a black-gloved finger at Luke's face in warning. "Do not fail me again... Shadow."
Luke felt as if Vader had sucker-punched him, using Luke's title instead of his relationship. But he nodded tremulously, turning on his heel and walking away with crisp, perfect steps.
00000
Leia burst into Luke's room, her eyes searching out her twin in a flurry of emotion. "Luke!"
She had been kept by her mother for quite some time after Luke had been sent away by their father— Padmé and Leia had witnessed the entire display between the male Vaders— and had only now been excused.
The last hour had been torture for Leia, as all she'd wanted was to go to her brother. And now she was here, and it was all she could do to keep a semi-level head, so worried for her brother was she.
"Luke?!" Leia called again.
There wasn't a verbal answer, but she heard the tell-tale sound of one packing for a trip and detoured to the bedroom of his apartment. Save the display case of models, Luke's living space was sparsely decorated, with only a few pieces of memorabilia here and there to match his down-to-earth personality. One he rarely got to be proud of because of their forced lifestyle.
When Leia spotted her twin, it was to see him standing dejectedly in front of his bed, putting something into his duffel bag. He didn't acknowledge her arrival, but Leia knew he was aware of her presence.
Leia paused uncertainly, but then Luke turned to get something from his personal armory— to be utilized only for their missions— and Leia saw his wet cheeks. Her heart rising to her throat, Leia intercepted Luke's path and caught his eye.
"I'm so sorry Luke," Leia whispered, touching his face tenderly, noting the black marks from where their father had held Luke's chin. He also bore a split lip and a blackened eye that he hadn't had tended to. "I swear I had no idea they were going to do that!"
Luke met her gaze with his puffy eyes. "I know you didn't. I don't blame you, Leia, you know that."
He looked away then, breaking contact with his sister's palm. "He threatened to put me through... sublevel twelve..." The young man's voice cracked. "Me! His own flesh and blood!"
Leia's own eyes misted and she closed them briefly. "Maybe he was just trying to scare you?" she tried to assure him, but they both knew their father didn't threaten. He promised.
Luke shook his head, looking to her under wet eyelashes. "He meant every... every word."
Leia swallowed a bitter remark, knowing it would do no good anyway.
"He disowned me today," Luke finally whispered brokenly. "He called me Shadow instead of son... he's disappointed in me! After all I've done for him!"
"No!" Leia exclaimed. "He loves you Luke!"
Her twin's jaw hardened. "Enough to send me to torture if I ever fail him again?"
Leia's next words died on her lips, having no adequate comeback for that remark. "I..."
Luke surprised her by suddenly taking her hands. "I can't keep killing for Father, Leia! I can't!"
She blinked, Leia's mouth working silently for a moment before she found her voice. "Luke... I don't want you to either, but what will he do if you try to quit on him?"
"He'd probably either kill me, send me to sublevel twelve permanently or enslave me so I can't ever disobey him again." Luke remarked, but he was trembling, and his grasp tightened almost desperately on Leia's fingers. "I hate this life, Leia! I can't... that execution was terrible! How long before he makes me do it again? We're supposed to be shadows, not public executioners!"
Leia's next words were whispered. "Luke, we already kill for a living. How is it any different from doing it in the shadows?"
Her twin deflated as if she had kicked him in the stomach. "I know," he breathed despairingly. "And that's my point... I don't want to kill anymore! Not like this. But I... I'm too afraid of Father's wrath. What do I do, Leia?"
She closed her eyes, feeling her own tears leaking forth. Luke lovingly wiped his sister's tears away, and Leia stepped close, wrapping her brother into an embrace. "I don't know, Luke."
He held her tightly, crying softly with her. "If... if something happens to me, please don't be angry with me."
Leia stiffened. "What would happen?"
Luke met her gaze, and something indescribable flickered in his blue depths. "I don't know, but if it does... please Leia, don't hate me."
Leia studied him openly, and then very slowly nodded. "I could never hate you, Brother. Never."
Luke's lips lifted into a hint of a smile, and he kissed her cheek in thanks. Then he pulled away from her and grabbed his weapons. "I have to get going; I'm due to leave in ten minutes."
Leia nodded silently, watching him finish gearing up sadly. Luke didn't speak again until he was ready to walk out the door. Leia followed Luke to the front door to his chambers and there he paused, hand still to the activation plate but not touching it.
With a slight air of desperation, Luke spun about and crushed Leia into a bear hug. "I love you, Leia. You've always been there for me, and I couldn't ask for a better sister."
Leia frowned worriedly at the way he was acting. "Luke, you're scaring me..."
He pulled back some and offered an apologetic look. "If I fail Father, I don't know exactly what he will do, and we may not see each other for a long time if he sends me... to be punished."
Leia still eyed her twin intently. "Are you planning something I should know about?"
Luke shook his head glumly. "No. But... I don't know how much more of this I can take."
Seeing his sister's panic begin to rise, Luke was swift to amend his wording. "I didn't mean that to sound like a suicide note."
She relaxed and sighed. "Alright." Her eyes hardened. "You'd better not try anything like that."
The corner of Luke's mouth lifted some. "I wouldn't do that to you."
Checking his wrist chrono, Luke grimaced. "I have to go, really. I love you, Sis."
With that and a final peck to her cheek, Luke was gone, hustling to meet his deadline.
00000
A small, seemingly unimposing figure stood patiently on a large tree root as the little ship carefully descended and finally landed on a solid patch of earth. Fog and a myriad of small creatures scattered away from the new arrival, though the mist was swift to reclaim its previous position.
The being on the tree roots felt a warmth spread through his being as his visitor finally lowered the ramp and appeared at the top. As the four-foot orange-skinned woman descended, the figure in the trees moved to meet her halfway.
Silence reigned momentarily as they reached one another, with the pair studying each other as if to reacquaint themselves as in times of old.
Finally the woman smiled and spoke softly. "It has been a long time, my friend. You look good, though."
Jedi Master Yoda returned the smile, chuckling some. "Good for nearly nine hundred years I look, hmm?"
Maz Kanata smirked, amused. "You forget I am not that different in age from you."
"Remember, I do, fondly." Yoda's ears twitched. "Yes... a good friend, you have always been, Maz."
"Who could not like you?" Maz returned, shaking her head some. "I still remember how we first met; I thought you were so cute trying to still master your Force skills."
Yoda's eyes glittered with a mixture of embarrassment and humor. "An awkward stage for me, that was, yes?"
"Yes indeed," Maz replied.
Yoda hummed softly and then turned, gesturing to his little hut. "Come inside, wont you? Talk there, we shall."
"Alright," Maz agreed, walking at her friend's side as he ambled along with his gimer stick.
It was at that point that the little green man noticed Maz's right arm. He stopped in shock, and without thinking took the limb in his hands... or what was left of it.
"What happened?" Yoda asked in concern.
Maz grimaced, looking down as the memory returned. "The Emperor didn't like Dishon coming to me... and I may have let it slip that I thought someone may rise against Vader."
Yoda dipped his head, a deep sorrow gripping him. "Sorry for the loss, I am, Maz."
She laid a hand over his. "Don't be. I've already got a prosthetic lined up, and I think this will be a good thing. Not to mention a reminder to be more careful."
"Careful, yes," Yoda agreed, and there was something in his mannerisms that Maz read without even trying.
"I am not afraid, Yoda. I will still help you, as promised." She gestured with the stump of her limb. "This is only a minor setback. I am not broken, and never will be."
Yoda smiled gently. "Strong, you have always been. With you in that, I stand."
Yoda led her into his home and there he began to make some tea and soup for them to share. While it cooked, Maz settled into one chair.
"A young man came to me not long ago, seeking the Force's ways." She began, eyeing the other for his reaction. "But he wasn't the one you've been waiting for."
Yoda glanced at her side-on. "To him, what happened?"
"He was caught by Emperor Vader when he came to me. And then today he was publicly executed... by Vader's son." Maz admitted, seeing how Yoda's shoulders drooped some at that.
"Saw this broadcast, did you?" Yoda asked sadly.
"Yes," Maz replied honestly. "It was impossible not to if you have a holoscreen of any kind. They broadcasted it galaxy-wide."
"And the boy, his reaction?"
Maz blinked. "He... well, he was hesitant: even I could see that. But there was clearly more going on between father and son that many probably missed."
Yoda sighed softly, almost as if in relief. "Good, that is... hope then, there still is for Luke."
Maz eyed him openly. "Prince Luke... he's the boy you need, isn't he?"
Yoda finally turned to face her fully. "Yes. Watched him a long time, have I. Troubled often is Luke, wants nothing to do with the Dark Side, yet uncertain what to do or where else to turn is the youth."
Maz felt understanding come. "You want to help him. Will he rise against the Emperor, do you think?"
Yoda closed his eyes in a gesture Maz recognized as his way of consulting the Force. "Difficult to tell, but training and guidance young Luke will need all the same."
The green being's eyelids lifted and he looked into Maz's eyes. "Come to you first, I feel he will, which is why I have asked for your help."
Maz nodded slowly. "I understand."
The Jedi Master retrieved a meal for Maz and as they began to eat she eyed him over the lip of her bowl. After some time she spoke.
"I will help him when he comes to me, as you say." She leaned forward to lay a gentle hand upon Yoda's. "And I will give him whatever he needs. Do you want me to give him your location or bring him to you?"
Yoda shook his head. "The first time, ready he will not be. But when comes to you again, he does, help him get his footing and then send him to me. Tell him of me, you may, but where to find me, not until he meets you the second time should you."
Maz knew better than to question such a certain directive from the renowned Jedi Master, and so she dipped her head. "It will be done. After all you did for me in our years as friends I can finally repay your kindness."
Yoda smiled and then Maz favored him with an unrepentant grin. "I also brought you some real food to eat, though I know how much you like your root stew."
Yoda and Maz both shared a laugh and Maz led the other to her ship to unload some supplies she'd brought along. After that was done, Maz had to bid her friend goodbye.
"You still have that little ship I gave you?" Maz asked, looking to the structure that had been built over the vessel she meant. She'd given him a small craft to use if he ever needed to leave Dagobah, which the other said he may need to do in the future.
"Yes." Yoda inclined his head. "Many thanks, Maz."
She placed a hand to his shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. "Goodbye until next time, Master Yoda. May the Force be with you."
"And with you," Yoda murmured, standing back to give her ship a safe berth.
Maz smiled a final time and left, taking to the stars soon after her ship sealed.
