By mireille 1998-2001-2009 ()
Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belongs to me; everything belongs to George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.
Warning : Luke's troubles begins...
In the catacombs of Kadora, miles away from the captured smugglers' den, Han slowed his pace even as he extended his hand to keep his Wookiee companion from following the rest of the fleeing smugglers.
When Chewie turned around to question his action, though, the experienced smuggler was unable to voice his thoughts. His lips moved, but no sound came out of them; his eyes, however, spoke volumes of concern about their missing friend.
*We can't go back," his wise alien friend shook his head at him. *We must remain free if we want to help him."
"But we can't just abandon him for gods know how long, Chewie!" He argued fervently. "In his current glum state, he won't last long against the imps."
*Yet going back without a rescue plan will not help him much either."
Aware that the much older Wookiee had a point, Han fell silent, and then shut his eyes and forced his normally rational mind to recover its usual edge. Luke was in trouble, yes, but the imperials had undoubtedly surrounded the den with security measures that would discourage anyone from even considering the thought of helping the prisoners.
Normally, such bad odds would effortlessly discourage him from thinking about going back for someone, yet at the moment, they somehow had the opposite effect on him, galvanizing him into trying and proving the imperials wrong about their perfect defense/security measures. Perhaps it was because he could feel that he could really help the Kid - who had proven to him that no matter the odds, everything was possible - or perhaps it was a selfish desire to show up to the said Kid - who had also outdone him aboard the Death Star.
Whatever it was, though, he just couldn't turn his back to his friend.
He had to go back, plain and simple.
"Are you with me, Chewie?" he asked his best friend and co-pilot.
*Do you have a plan?" the taller alien queried in answer.
"We do," Roko's assistant unexpectedly cut in, surprising them both with her presence by them as well as her ability to understand Shyriiwook, "but we need your help to pull it off."
The two rebel affiliates exchanged a perplexed glance.
"Of course," the other shrugged her thinly-covered shoulders, "if you prefer to slink around without knowing what measures the imperials have set in place to catch you, go right ahead."
Han felt his confidence falter as he realized that the deceptively-gorgeous woman was right. Some of Roko's former associates had more than probably betrayed them to the imperials, giving the enemy a description of a smuggler and wookiee, which was an easy target to locate and eliminate, or worse, detain.
"All right," Han conceded with a grimace, "but we had better go after Luke quickly."
Following the Force pull that had led him to prioritize the vague intel report that had concerned a small probability of rebel contact on Kadora, Darth Vader ominously stepped into the hastily-set-up interrogation center. He then paused in the entrance and slowly gazed from left to right, his eyes and mind probe effortlessly sliding from one prisoner to the other.
While he could readily eliminate the dancers and several ruffians from his list of possible rebels, he did not dismiss others so easily as their thoughts and feelings were, at best, ambiguous, and at worse, downright pro-rebel.
Then, there was the fact that tried as he might, he still couldn't pinpoint the Force-sensitive individual that he had sensed ever since the Executor had entered orbit; he only knew for certain that the Jedi was located here, in this very room. As he had estimated from orbit, the other was strong, but he revised his assessment as he understood that the other was somehow diluting his presence by spreading it over the whole room he was in.
It was a most unusual tactic, as well as one that required a level of mastery that only a powerful Jedi could achieve.
Still, he simmered in frustration, he was a Dark Lord of the Sith and he would not have his probe thwarted so. He would not.
Before he could try and tackle the other's unspoken challenge, though, a squad leader reported to him with a brisk military salute. "My Lord, we have a confirmed rebel."
As Vader expected, the officer pointed to the sandy-blond youth that he had also identified as a rebel sympathizer when he had probed the boy's mind.
"We have also identified smugglers who stole imperial cargo and have obtained the location of said cargo. However, we have been unable to reacquire contact with the other smugglers and rebels that escaped during the firefight, but we have accurate descriptions of everyone missing."
"Good work, Commander," he praised emotionlessly. "Dispatch more units to the spaceport and establish a security perimeter until further notice. Continue your search of the catacombs and set up control points throughout the city."
"And the prisoners, my Lord?"
Vader glanced about once more, his gaze drawn to the slight rebel youth that had been betrayed by both his subconscious thoughts and his fellow prisoners. "Leave the rest to me."
Even as the other saluted smartly, Vader watched in clinical interest as the young rebel was brutally-awakened by the main interrogator, who immediately proceeded with his brutal task.
He then left him to his men's care and refocused his attention on his Jedi chase.
Luke gritted his teeth against the burst of pain that blossomed in his side as the interrogating officer viciously kicked him in the ribs. Seated and strung up as he was against the outer ring wall of Roko's private arena, the other's foot connected at full strength with his defenseless body and the boy could only try and lean away from the impact to avoid the full brunt of the assault.
What little space he had to move sideways didn't do him much good.
"Again, rebel," the imperial leaned into his personal space, "where is your base?"
Luke gathered his wits once more and glared up as hard as he could at the cruel man. "I am 'not' a rebel! I'm just a new pilot here and---"
The other's knee violently connected with his jaw, shoving Luke's head back against the wall with enough speed to cause stars to flash through his vision as his head hit the unyielding surface.
"Enough of that, rebel. We know who you are, so again, unless you want to visit a true interrogation room, where is your base? What ship brought you here?"
Luke stared defiantly at his tormentor but remained silent.
That's when he heard 'it'.
The sound of the Emperor's dedicated henchman.
Darth Vader's trademark breather.
What was 'he' doing here? Luke wondered, his defiance wilting at the thought of even being in the same room as the heartless Dark Lord of the Sith.
Then, his eyes involuntarily looked up and fell on the black-enshrouded cyborg – and he belatedly realized that the other was not only in the room; he was striding in his direction.
Luke reflexively tried to shrink back into the wall that held him in place.
"Resistance is futile, boy," the other warned, and to Luke, he seemed immeasurably satisfied to see him in such a position.
The young Jedi bristled in resentment but remained silent. He would not talk. He 'would' not talk.
Vader was downright jubilating.
He had finally found the Force sensitive individual. He had had to focus all his irritation and impatience into an all encompassing shroud of Dark Side energy, but at last, the light side haze that had impeded his previous efforts had dissipated.
Even better, he had suddenly felt the distinct awareness that had been hiding behind the invisible haze and he had been able to track it as it had shrunk back in retreat--- and into the very same rebel pilot that he had already identified as his only important captive.
It could only mean that this rebel was none other than the so-called Hero of Yavin, the nameless pilot who had blown up the Death Star after giving him a run for his money in the battle station's main trench.
And at last, with all the pieces falling into place, Vader understood why he had been driven and pushed and prodded by the Force to take such a huge gamble on a less-than-confirmed intelligence report, deploying twice as many resources as usual to secure any possible rebel.
It had known that he would kill two gundarks with one sweep.
Indeed, not only had he captured a future rebel informer – as everyone broke sooner or later – but he had also found the most elusive pilot that had demonstrated huge Force potential while above Yavin 4.
And the Emperor didn't know about that most fortunate turn of events.
He had also saved the tax payers from feeling yet again the pinch of an outrageous imperial bounty on an outlaw's head, but that was merely a bonus considering the importance of his discovery for his long-term plans.
For now, though, it was time to focus on his future and secret apprentice. He stepped closer and leaned over the youth until the other couldn't hide his fear from him. Satisfied by the other's dread of him, he addressed the chief interrogator while keeping his gaze locked on the rebel. "Take him to my ship. Free the collaborators and send the others to Kessel. Advertise this punishment around they city and blow this refuge to smithereens."
"Yes, my Lord."
Vader then grasped the boy's front hair – as he had begun to struggle against his bonds – and started despite himself at the icy blueness of the furious eyes that glared hard at him. Up to now, he hadn't noticed how eerily familiar they were… He made a mental note to investigate the matter later. "We will soon talk at length, rebel." *Jedi,* he finished silently through the Force.
While the youth was obviously terrified by that final and silent statement, he also kept up a surprisingly strong defiant attitude. "Kiss a Hutt," he growled through clenched teeth, and then spat up at him.
Vader's reflexive reaction was to backhand the boy for his insolence, and the strength of his mechanical arm did the rest.
Even as the youth's face whipped around under the jarring impact, his head collided hard with the wall and he almost gratefully blacked out.
Eventually, Han, Chewie and their temporary allies left the labyrinth-like catacombs behind after one of Roko's pilot confirmed that the way was clear. They quickly made their way toward a non-descript house, and then into another secret passage that took them back underground.
"Nice set up," Han commented to his nearby co-pilot, careful to make himself scarce and inconspicuous as it became obvious to him that Roko's organization was far better organized that he had ever been led to believe.
"Status," the beautiful assistant demanded as her boss confidently sat at the observation station that was set up at the back of the room.
Han reflected that he didn't seem the least bit worried, which was rather unexpected considering the situation they were in.
"We have feeds on the landing troops and transports, but the spaceport has been disconnected and is inaccessible without risking our remaining assets."
Which meant that it was not a routine crack down, Han thought next as he switched his focus to the screens on the far wall; he silently studied the images of the previously-mentioned feeds. Whatever had prompted the imperials to come down hard on Roko's gang, he realized that they had been prepared for something of great importance.
Heck, there were twice as many more troopers than usual for such an operation. Hence, while patrols now walked down all the main streets of the city, the spaceport was cordonned off and the landing armoured prisoner transport was unexpectedly accompanied by armoured speeders that efficiently discouraged anyone from attempting an attack on the transport.
On another screen, a lambda-class shuttle was lifting off, rejoining a double squad of TIE fighters up in the sky.
"Talk about tight security," Han muttered to Chewie while he watched the prisoner transport settle by the main door of the building.
*We can't do a thing for the cub right now," his Wookiee companion said in obvious chagrin. *We can only hope that we can escape from those security measures ourselves."
Despite the cold fist that gripped his heart at the thought of having to leave Luke behind once again, Han could only agree with his friend; if they wanted to save Luke, they first had to remain free so as to be able to help him later on. "Let's first see if he is part of the prisoners," he commented, stepping closer to the surveillance screen.
Beside them, Roko's assistant followed suite.
Almost on cue, more troopers came out, hustling a group of men, women and aliens toward the waiting transport. They were all attached to one another through their cuffs, and looked barely awake.
'Probably drugged for easier control', Han quickly surmised as he swiftly scanned one face after another in search of his friend's.
*Can you see him?" Chewie asked in concern.
"Maybe there's another group inside," he commented hopefully, and then his eyes drifted to the other surveillance screen – which still showed the departing shuttle – and a foreboding shiver ran through him.
All of a sudden, he knew exactly where the young Jedi was.
Somehow, the imps had found dout that he was the Hero of Yavin and had separated him from the regular group of prisoners.
They had delivered him to their Dark Lord of the Sith, who had been relentlessly chasing him ever since the destruction of the Death Star.
No, Han reflexively denied his own reasoning. No, he was jumping at conclusion. Only Alliance soldiers knew about Luke's alter ego. Nobody else knew, hence the imps – who were still clueless about this information- couldn't have found out in any way, let alone this fast...
Unless, his more rational mind reminded him, unless Luke's mumbo jumbo had betrayed his other secret identity... that of a potential Jedi. After all, the Empire and Vader had somehow exterminated all the other trained Jedi, so could they have tracked Luke down the same way----
As the last group of prisoners came out, followed by a group of free women and a few gritty-looking males that hurriedly left the neighborhood - and that there still was no sign of Luke anywhere - Han's mind suddenly froze in horror as he accepted what had happened to his friend.
Luke had not been merely delivered to Vader; the dark-bloated monster had somehow 'found' Luke, as he had the other Jedi before him, and the presence of the Kid with them had guided the dark henchman to Roko's den.
Horrified by his accurate, utterly impossible yet undeniable and soul-rending conclusion, Han slowly turned his head toward his taller best friend, giving him a silent 'I have a bad feeling about this,' glance.
They then watched as the building unsurprisingly blew up in a fiery display of explosions that violently shattered all the windows of the surrounding buildings.
Beside them, the assistant turned to her boss, who silently nodded at her.
"Phase 2 everyone," she ordered cooly before she turned toward Han. "We need to do something about that look, Solo," she stated cryptically, and then turned on her heels without waiting for an answer from him.
Han belatedly understood that she wanted him to follow her. Chewie prompted him forward even as he walked after her.
Behind them, everyone else in the room began to change clothes and everything other physical feature that could be disguised.
*Luke, listen to me...* an ethereal voice called to him. *Whatever Vader does to you, you must keep your identity secret. Never reveal your name... Hold onto the Light... I will protect you... You're our only hope... You have to resist him at all costs... You have to... You have to...* the voice practically begged with his subconscious.
Luke's eyes suddenly snapped open and he wondered what had woken him. Then, a second later, he tried to remember why he'd fallen asleep in the first place--- and then everything came back to him with a rush of adrenaline and a painful headache.
He frantically looked around himself, and felt his heart sink as he recognized his surroundings as that of a detention cell similar to the one he had rescued Leia from. Then, upon realizing that he had been stripped of all his clothes save his trousers and that he was held in a standing position, he craned his neck to judge his exact predicament.
He moaned half-audibly at the sight of the welded – welded ? - sturdy locks that now held him to the ceiling of his cell. As a huge lump of dread formed in his throat, he conceded that he had a very, very bad feeling about this.
He reflexively strained against his restraints, only to discover that he wasn't going to escape them anytime soon. The chains were too sturdy to be broken by a strong pull, and the locks of his cuffs were totally unmaneuverable anymore.
But why had his cuffs been welded? He wondered. He knew that he could sometimes use a little of the Force, but not for anything as focused as opening locks...
That analysis led him to an even graver question: how had Vader discovered his Jedi identity? He hadn't done anything... He had been way too scared and in pain to focus his thoughts... and besides, he wasn't a Jedi... yet.
Still, he was here now, and it was clear that Vader had torture and death in store for him; it wasn't a happy prospect.
He had to get out of there, he thought in renewed desperation.
He strained again against his cuffs, but only managed to wear his strength down.
If only he had his lightsaber, he mentally whined once he simply hung in his chains. If only he hadn't left it aboard the Falcon...
The door suddenly swished open, allowing entrance to the dreaded dark lord. Luke meant to glare at him, but his ears picked up a strange buzzing sound that puzzled him. He frowned at it--- until he spotted the shiny, black and metal-studded ball that followed the darksider inside the cell.
At that moment, his fear rose to unprecedented levels as memories of Leia's sparse retelling of her torture came foremost in his mind. He tried to back away from both the evil man and his dreadful device, to no avail.
"Your fear is most potent, young Jedi," the dark lord commented almost amiably. "Do you wish to cooperate rather than face torment?"
If Luke had listened to his fear, then yes, he would have preferred to cooperate with whatever Vader wanted with him, but to his surprise, Vader's words awoke all the hatred and defiance that he held toward the evil that the demon incarnated; he welcomed those emotions in his core without any questions, taking them as strength that he would need to resist his father's killer. Narrowing his eyes and setting his jaw defiantly, he glared at the darksider while he promised himself that he would never betray neither the Rebellion nor his secret. He also swore to himself to never bow to the cruel man--- and then braced himself for what would lead to his untimely death... but he wouldn't break.
"In your dreams," he spat with as much confidence as he could muster.
Vader answered him by backhanding him, dazing him quite thoroughly.
"You stubborn rebel," the darksider growled, and then activated the torture droid and let it do its work.
As Vader watched the rebel writhe and howl under the droid's relentless attacks, he continued to try and probe the other's mind, to no avail. Somehow, the youth still held an impenetrable shield in place despite the torment that he was undergoing.
The darksider definitely began to foresee possibilities if he were to ally this Jedi-to-be with himself against the Emperor.
Indeed, he was very strong - even stronger than he thought possible anymore--- but the boy's will was also extremely resilient.
After their third day of continuous physical torture, and still no results, Vader decided that he couldn't remain aboard the Executor with his prisoner or else the Emperor would hear about him as more than a puny rebel prisoner with possible information regarding the Hero of Yavin.
Somehow, Vader mused while he studied his howling captive yet again, the boy's Force-strength was such that he could resist truly impressive levels of agony.
He hadn't encountered such strength of will in a long, long while... if ever, he shrugged to himself. One thing was sure, though, the boy may be very powerful, but he would break him to pieces before long.
After all, he shrugged, he always reached his goal, as it was the only important thing in his life.
It would be no different with this Jedi child.
TBC in part 3: Challenges
Thanks again to everyone who has shared their comments about the first part! Your interest and kindness really means a lot to me!
Liked this new part as well? want more? You know what to do ;P
