Chapter 5 – The Jedi Prisoner

After escaping from the fray in the kitchen, Luke Skywalker tried to find his way back to the rebel group. He assumed that they had gone ahead to the command center to capture Ysanne Isard and the other Imperial leaders. So he decided to head in that direction. But without R2-D2's downloaded schematics, Luke had no idea of which way to go. Fortunately, he could use the Force to determine his location relative to his destination. The Force also told him when there were enemies nearby. Most of the time, Luke could avoid them, but there were instances when he was forced to cut down a squad of stormtroopers. So far, there had been no serious trouble.

Then, Luke sensed a familiar presence nearby. It was Don Dain, but, oddly enough, he wasn't with the rest of the group. Luke wondered why that was. It wasn't in Dain's character to abandon the rebels, nor to go alone into enemy territory. Perhaps he had gone to find Luke and make sure that he was safe. Luke followed Dain's presence and found him in a secondary hallway.

"Commander Dain," addressed Luke, "Where's the rest of the strike team."

Dain answered, "They are fine. We have found a way to the command center. I only came back here to make sure you came with us."

Luke frowned in confusion. "Why would think that I wouldn't come?" Luke knew the answer, but he wanted to hear Dain say it.

"You could have abandoned the mission and gone to rescue Ahsoka."

Luke shook his head. "We already cleared this up. Once we capture the palace, Ahsoka will be free, anyway. I will go with you to the command center."

Dain nodded his head in approval. "Good. Follow me."

Just as Dain took his first step, however, the two commanders heard a new voice. "Not so fast, Skywalker." They turned toward the source of the voice. Moff Arndt had appeared on a nearby communications monitor. Ahsoka Tano was still suspended in the energy field behind him. But, this time, Arndt wore a wicked smile that unnerved Luke. He said, "Before you decide your next course of action, perhaps you should know of the risks. You see, your Jedi friend here has proven to be strong, but she has worn out her use to me. I feel obliged to offer her back to you."

Ahsoka spoke, her voice barely audible. "Don't listen to him, Luke. He's trying to–"

Arndt silenced her by slapping her across the face. Luke flinched as he heard her gasp in pain. Arndt returned his attention to the camera and continued, "But, as you can see, she is unpredictable and troublesome. I will not risk deactivating the containment field, so I have rigged the detention block to explode upon the push of a trigger. In half an hour, your friend will die, unless you come for her – alone."

Luke sighed in frustration. He couldn't capture the command center and have enough time left to rescue Ahsoka. And if he went to rescue her, Arndt would probably be waiting for him with a trap. Luke didn't want to sacrifice Ahsoka, but he felt that it was necessary. Even though she was a Jedi, she was only one person, and millions of other lives depended on the mission's success.

But Arndt wasn't finished yet. "Oh, and when I say the detention block, I mean all of them, and there are more prisoners in here than just Ahsoka. Perhaps you know some of them." Arndt adjusted the camera so that Luke and Dain could see the entire detention block. That block alone contained over a hundred prisoners. But what shocked them was this – most of them were rebels! But these weren't ordinary rebels who were captured through the course of the war. These were members of the other strike teams! Luke noticed that Han Solo, Leia Organa, Chewbacca, and C-3PO were among them.

Arndt laughed. "That's right, Skywalker. We know of your attempt to take Coruscant. Unfortunately, it has failed. As we speak, rebels from all across the planet are being detained. Oh, you have no idea how difficult it is to filter them out. So, we just arrest everyone who appears to be associated with the rebels. It's unfortunate, but necessary if we are to destroy your alliance once and for all. Anyway, they will all be dead in half an hour unless you come alone. Make the correct decision; nearly two thousand lives depend on it." With that final warning, the transmission ended.

Luke was torn. Two thousand rebels and innocents! He could never live with himself if he let all of those people die. Ahsoka, Han, Leia – all of his closest friends were depending on him. But if he abandoned the mission to rescue them, would the rebels still be able to capture the command center? It was a risk he would have to take. "Go rejoin the others. I'm going down there."

"What?" asked Dain. "You cannot leave! We have a mission–"

"–which you must complete without me. I have to save those prisoners."

Luke began to walk away, but paused when he heard a blaster cock. He didn't need to turn around to know that Dain was pointing a blaster at him. "I cannot let you do that, Skywalker."

Luke turned around and glared at Dain. "Put it away."

"No. Not until you agree to come with me."

"And what about the other rebels? The prisoners? Ahsoka? Are you willing to let them die?"

"The mission always comes first. We all make sacrifices necessary for victory."

Luke knew what this was about. "You're not thinking about the other prisoners. You only care about Ahsoka. You want her to die."

"That's not true!"

"It was you, wasn't it? On Christophsis? You tipped off the Empire. It's your fault that the mission failed. Ahsoka was captured because of you. An entire team of rebels was killed because of you."

Dain appeared to be outraged. "You would dare accuse me of such treachery?"

Luke ignited his lightsaber and pointed it threateningly at Dain. "Don't lie! I can sense your thoughts. It was you! You! I should kill you now. But I don't have time to argue. I'm going after Ahsoka. And you are not going to stop me."

"If you make one wrong move, I will pull this trigger. Come with me, or die."

Luke scowled. He was sorely tempted to kill Dain then and there. After all of the trouble he had caused, all of the suffering, a quick death was a just reward. But Luke knew that Jedi don't kill unless there is no other alternative. Besides, if Dain died, the Alliance would lose an intelligent leader. So Luke deactivated his lightsaber and answered, "All right, Dain. You win. Shoot me."

Dain's jaw dropped in surprise. "What?"

"Go ahead," repeated Luke. "I'm not going anywhere until I've saved the prisoners. If you don't want me to, then you'll have to kill me."

"Well, maybe I will." Dain raised his blaster and pointed it at Luke's chest. But he didn't fire.

"You can't do it, can you? Because you still have a sense of justice, and you know that it would be wrong for you to kill me. What would the other rebels think when they find out that I was killed in your presence? They would lose two of their leaders."

Dain didn't respond. He continued to point his blaster at Luke, but his hands were beginning to shake.

Luke shrugged. "Very well. If you won't kill me, then perhaps I should go." He backed away from Dain a few steps before turning around and running towards the detention block, leaving Dain behind.

Ahsoka was relieved that Moff Arndt was gone. Now that she was alone, she had time to think. She worried about Luke. She knew that he would feel compelled to come and attempt to rescue her and the other prisoners. She didn't blame him; she would have made the same decision. Any Jedi would have. If only there was some way to warn him about Arndt's traps.

Ahsoka could only trust that Luke was powerful enough to overcome. After all, he did survive the mission to Christophsis and kill the bounty hunter Cad Bane. Besides, Ahsoka had taught Luke much of what she knew about being a Jedi, and had seen firsthand his skills. Unfortunately, that was all she knew about his abilities. She didn't know what had happened to Luke after the mission. All she knew about him was what she could garner from what little news she heard. Had he met another Jedi survivor who completed his training?

"Ahsoka…"

Ahsoka looked up abruptly in response to the voice. She didn't see anyone, although she had been sure that she had heard someone. The voice was cracked, high-pitched, and familiar. Perhaps she was hearing things? No, someone was there. A figure materialized in front of her, standing on the detainment field control console. She recognized the person immediately. "Master Yoda?"

It was indeed Yoda, the ancient and wizened Jedi Grand Master who had aided in Ahsoka's early training, as well as the training of every other Jedi who had lived during the past 800 years. But he was different. His green skin was even more shriveled, his white hair thinner, and his robes more tattered than Ahsoka remembered. On top of that, he was completely transparent and shimmering, as though he was nothing more than a spectral image.

Ahsoka was glad to see her old mentor, but she was skeptical. "Is it really you? Or am I hallucinating?"

Yoda chuckled. "Good it is to see you too, Ahsoka. Meaning to speak with you again, I have been."

Ahsoka asked, "Are you a ghost?"

Yoda nodded. "Hmmm, yes, learned I have to retain my consciousness after death. Necessary it was, in order to guide Luke."

Ahsoka's eyes widened. "You? You finished Luke's training?"

"Yes, a difficult student he was. Reckless, impatient, prone to anger, much like his father. Agreed to teach him I did, because of your help. Began his training, and set him on the correct path, you did. Correct, I was, in assigning you to his father. Set events in motion you have, to shape the fate of the galaxy."

"I – I don't understand," said Ahsoka. "I did what I felt I had to do. That's the role of a Jedi, isn't it?"

Yoda shook his head. "Do what you have done, very few Jedi could have. Survived the Jedi Purge, you did. Went into hiding, kept your survival secret, and returned, you did, because you knew that come, the time had. A part you played, in the destruction of the Emperor and the redemption of Anakin."

"Redemption?" repeated Ahsoka. "What do you mean?"

Yoda explained, "Resisted the dark side and showed his father mercy, Luke did. And, in return, sacrificed himself to destroy the Emperor, Anakin did. Proven himself to be a true Jedi, Luke has, because of your efforts and noble decision."

Ahsoka was stunned. She knew that Darth Vader had been killed, but she didn't realize that he had returned to the Light Side of the Force in the process. So there had been good in him after all.

Yoda continued, "And now, returned to bring you a message, I have. Free you, Luke will. Help him to rebuild the Jedi Order, you must. Go to the Jedi Temple. Rebuild it, train new Jedi, and guide the Order. Dark times, I sense coming. Your strength, your guidance, the Jedi will look to."

Ahsoka wanted to question Yoda further, but the Jedi Master had begun to fade. Within seconds, he was gone, leaving Ahsoka with much to think about. When Ahsoka first decided to join the Rebel Alliance, she knew that she would be responsible for the rebirth of the Jedi Order, but now her confidence was renewed knowing that she had the blessing of Master Yoda himself. This strengthened her resolve to escape from the Imperial Palace and defeat the Empire. She promised herself that, somehow, she would escape and begin a new era of peace for the galaxy.

Ahsoka's thoughts were interrupted when the doors to the detention block slid open and Luke ran in. "Ahsoka!"

"Luke!" exclaimed Ahsoka. "It's a trap!"

At that moment, the doors locked themselves, and a ray shield appeared in the doorway. And then Moff Arndt appeared from an adjacent hallway. "Welcome, Skywalker. I've been looking forward to this for a long time."

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