Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
After he was separated from his guide, Luke was shoved and roughly pulled to a station where he found out (by using the force on an unsuspecting guard) that he was charged with escaping from a maximum security prison and murdering two people.
The stormtroopers also believed that the woman, who he was "escaping" with, was a rebel of the Empire and that alone was enough for her to be arrested. However, the fate that would have awaited him was stopped by a direct order to bring him to the Emperor. After a series of transfers under heavily armed guards, Luke found himself once again cuffed and escorted by guards towards the Emperor's throne room.
"You are dismissed." the Emperor informed his guards. After all the guards have left, the Emperor turned to face Luke. "Well, my young apprentice, you have been busy, haven't you?" cackled the dark force user. "In no time of all, you have managed to become entangled in the less finer points of Coruscant. But your not here to for that." The sickly, yellow-eyed ruler suddenly straightened in his chair. "You have had several days to think over my most generous offer. Join me and embrace the dark side and you shall have everything you desire. What is your answer, young Skywalker?"
"Unfortunately for you, your highness, my answer still remains no and I will never change it." calmly stated Luke.
"Very well, young Skywalker." said the disappointed ruler of the Empire. "I have given you a choice which you so carelessly threw away. You shall regret ever refusing my generous offer that would have benefited you greatly!"
Luke had a split second warning from the Force, but it wasn't enough. The Emperor started generating lightning bolts from his hand, painfully striking Luke. Within seconds of the unending torture, Luke collapsed to the ground, writhing and screaming in pain.
The Emperor smiled.
"Ahhhhh!" screamed Leia as she woke up from her bunk. Her hair was in disarray and she was sweating all over. Her wild eyes searched the small room of the Millennium Falcon for the screaming figure of Luke as he writhed before her. All she found was the bare floor of the ship. Just then, Han burst through the door. "What happened?" said Han frantically as he searched the room for anything that would have posed as a threat.
"Nothing… nothing…" replied Leia as she breathed deeply."I had a nightmare. That's all…." trailed off Leia. Then, having made up her mind about telling Han, she told him all about her horrific and realistic nightmare of Luke.
"Sit down, Han. I've got something to tell you…"
"… and then I woke up. It was so real. I could have sworn he was right in front of me and all I had to do was reach out and I would have touched him." whispered Leia looking at a cold, slightly shaking, fingers.
She looked up.
"Han, what if it was true? The Emperor is not someone who would have mercy on anyone." said the worried Leia as she thought more and more about the meaning of her dream.
"Hey. Remember what we told you? Luke is a resourceful kid. He'll find a way to let us know where he is. As for the Emperor, Luke can take him. Don't worry all right? I'm sure that nightmare was just the result of your fears. Ok?" Han gave Leia a reassuring smile and hugged her.
"Yeah. Your probably right." murmured Leia as she hugged him back. She leaned backward and gave Han a small smile back.
"That's the spirit!" replied Han as he got up from the bunk. "Want to come down with me to grab some food?"
"No thanks. I haven't got the appetite." declined Leia. "You go on ahead. I'll just stay here for a few moments."
"Sure." replied the captain of the Millennium Falcon and then he turned and left to go find his first mate.
After Han left, Leia was left alone with her brooding thoughts. There was probably nothing to worry about. Like Han said, it was probably just her imagination playing tricks on her. But… there was a lingering sense of doubt. The dream seemed a little too realistic for it to just be her imagination. Luke's screams as he rolled on the ground played over and over again in her mind forming into an endless song of terror and agony. Leia shuddered and suddenly goosebumps appeared up and down her arms. No, Leia decided. It can not be true. It can not be true.
Lando was trying to be inconspicuous as he entered a dimly lit bar. It was filled with various types of aliens doing various things. One alien, who Lando could see was a strange cross between a nikto and a weequay, was drinking down bottle after bottle of a sickly green type of liquid, itself growing more and more purple with each gulp. Another alien, who Lando recognized as an Aqualish, was fighting with a drunken man. Lando winced at the crash of a table when the man collided with it.
"…. from all the information I have access to, I can determine the rumors of the second in command of the Emperor, Darth Vader himself, having a son is impossible. That is why when I heard this bit of worthless news, I immediately went right back and demanded my money back from that dirty liar…"
Lando head whirled around. Right in the corner, there was a drunken man who was rambling on and on to his sleeping audience. Quickly replacing the unconscious companion, Lando started asking questions about the whereabouts of this supposed son of Darth Vader. With some money exchanging hands, the drunken man was all too eager to keep entertaining his one person audience with rumors he thought to be lies.
When the narrator had finally succumbed into slumber, Lando quickly went back to the Millennium Falcon to report his finding.
They have at last found Luke's location… but is it the one where Luke is really at or is it all just false rumors?
AN: Thank you for waiting so long for me to update. A thousand apologies for my lateness.