Chapter 13

Echoes in the Force

Obi-wan… you must train the boy…

Qui-gon's voice. She heard Qui-gon's voice, but even as she strained to listen, it faded.

I have trained you since you were a young…

Now Obi-wan's voice, and the sound of rushing speeders. She tried to find the speeders but they faded, replaced with dead silence, then a faint sound on the wind. She thought it would chill her but instead, oppressing heat wrapped around her body. Roaring fire crackled and lightabers clashed so near that she flinched. The humming and crashing of lasers increased around her, closer and closer until it was all shattered by a deafening scream.

You were the Chosen One!

Obi-wan's voice echoed and she longed to find him after feeling the pain in the voice. She reached out, hoping to find him but instead met only blackness, and heard another voice that she did not recognize at all. An older voice, full of wisdom.

I thought I could train him as well as… I was wrong…

Leia snapped up in her seat, feeling a hand on her shoulder. Trickles of cold sweat ran down her forehead as she looked up at Winter. Noting the concerned look, Leia pulled herself up and rubbed her eyes, still unsure of what just happened.

"Are you alright your Highness?" Winter said. "You were thrashing about."

"Just a dream," Leia said. "But what worries me is that I don't even remember falling asleep. How long was I out?"

"Well," a hint of a smile came to Winter's mouth. "You fell asleep almost the instant you sat down. And you've slept nearly the entire way. Biggs said that we'll be coming in on Alderaan in less than an hour."

"Less than an hour?" Leia shook her head. "I really didn't mean to sleep."

"You've been running non-stop for the last few days," Winter said. "I think it was rather unavoidable."

Leia brushed off the blanket that Winter must have put over her and stood. She'd wanted to try and contact the Alliance during their journey, maybe even her father, but that had gone by the wayside. She was just going to have to content herself with showing up home with Obi-wan at her side as a surprise. Of course, then she remembered the fact that getting Obi-wan was only half her mission.

"We're still in grave danger," she said. "The Empire has Artoo and the Death Star plans."

"I know," Winter said. "But hopefully now we can regroup and make another attempt at getting them. And at least they don't know where our base is."

"It might not matter," Leia shook her head. "All the Empire has to do is destroy a planet or two that's known for harboring the Alliance and we might soon find ourselves chased from every port and every civilized star system. We may already be too late."

"Then I suggest we move quickly," Winter said. "I'll let Biggs know to land directly at the palace."

"Very well," Leia said as she started down the hallway with her own task in mind. Yet she paused and looked back at her friend. "Winter… before I forget, thanks for everything."

"It's my pleasure your Highness," Winter smiled knowingly.

Leia smiled back and made her way through the ship. She passed Fett working on the jetpack G0-T0 had strapped to his back. No telling if there were working components in it or not, Leia supposed. She just hoped that he was still on their side should he discover that the missile functioned. No, more than that, Leia just hoped to be rid of him as soon as they got to the palace.

Coming to the door of her quarters, Leia let thoughts of Fett slip away as she tried to compose herself. C-3PO stood there, as thought standing guard, as ridiculous as that may have been. Either way she was thankful the droid was present.

"How is he?" she said.

"Master Kenobi?" C-3PO said. "He seemed fine when last I checked. I was just about to go and collect his plate."

"His plate?" Leia said. "He's awake? He ate something?"

"Several things as a matter of fact Mistress," the droid said. "It appears that whatever ordeal he underwent worked up quite the appetite."

Leia shook her head. She expected to find the Jedi Master still sprawled on the bed, only a couple of breaths shy of a coma. Yet when she opened the door, she found him kneeling with his back to the bed, his hands resting firmly on his knees and his eyes closed. In spite of knowing the droid would be just as clueless as she was, Leia shot a hesitant glance at C-3PO before quietly entering and standing before the Jedi.

After a few moments of shifting her weight from one foot to another, and glancing at the empty tray of food, Leia knelt down in front of him; wondering if he even knew she had entered the room. She listened to his slow, steady breathing, noting it almost took on a soothing quality with each exhale. She also noted the lightsabers she had gathered in G0-T0's yacht, all lined up in a neat row on his bedside. Finally, she took a breath and prepared to leave, he was obviously in a deep meditation.

"Princess Organa," Obi-wan said, his eyes remaining shut. "You're awake."

"So are you," she jumped slightly. "You looked near death when I left you."

"I assure you I was far from it," the Jedi said. "But what you must understand is that the ordeal of being thawed from the carbonite left me drained and weakened. I used the Force to reinforce my stamina while we were in combat but that only delayed and increased my need for adequate recovery."

"Which you've seem to have done remarkably well," Leia said.

"Shortly after you left, I awoke," Obi-wan nodded. "Upon waking I entered a Jedi Healing trance. Hibernation sickness typically lasts near twenty four standard Galactic hours. Given the situation we find ourselves in I knew I could not wait that long so I began the healing process."

Leia tilted her head somewhat, noting he did look much more refreshed than before, more color to his cheeks, more steadiness in his breaths. But his eyes remained closed. That perplexed her. She figured that if blindness was the principal problem, he would have healed his eyes and gotten a look at the new Galaxy around him.

"I don't know if my eyes have healed yet," he said, answering her unspoken question. "I only just finished the technique. Healing trances are tricky things you see, that is why the Order had Jedi specifically trained for the task."

The Jedi Order, what was that like? What was it like when they protected the Galaxy? What did training involve? These and many more questions jumped into her mind but she cast them aside. They needed to wait until later, when she had the time to ask them. For now she needed to focus on prioritization.

"I have so much to tell you," Leia said. "I went to Tatooine looking for you. We need your help General Kenobi, the Rebellion against the Empire is in grave danger."

"Then tell me of this threat," he said. "I need to know what has happened to the Galaxy during my… absence."

Leia proceeded to inform the Jedi Master of the horrors of the Empire and of what the Death Star was rumored to be. A massive super weapon capable of obliterating an entire planet. She told him of her mission, of stealing the Death Star plans, of her search for him, ending up in his hovel in the desert.

"The Force must have led you there my dear," he finally said, stroking his beard. "Which also explains how you have this…"

One of the lightsabers jostled slightly from the bed before sailing through the air and into Obi-wan's waiting hand. Leia shook at the sight but her heart pounded for more reasons than simply seeing a lightsaber float through the air. Something… she felt something stirring deep inside her, as if she was waking up.

"My father's lightsaber," Leia said.

At this, Obi-wan raised a brow though his eyes remained closed. Leia couldn't help but smile. In spite of his blindness he'd somehow managed to stay a step ahead of her in this conversation, surprising her with his insight and talents. Seeing him looking a bit baffled was rewarding.

"How did you know it belonged to your father?"

Leia's smile faded. She knew she had to tell him but she had no idea how he would respond.

"I… you see…" she looked for the right words, so unused to talking about such…ethereal things. Finally she just decided to be out with it. "Master Qui-gon Jinn told me."

"Qui-gon?" Obi-wan's eyebrows shot up and his eyes nearly opened. "I don't understand. Master Qui-gon died long before you were born."

"He appeared to me as a spirit," Leia said. "He told me what had happened to you and that he had undertaken your… vigil on Tatooine. He also told me that you would train me in the ways of the Force."

"Master Qui-gon appeared to you…" Obi-wan muttered the tone of disbelief unmistakable in his voice. Then he lifted his head almost as though looking at her. "Then that means… my mission… What… what was he like? Did he look well?"

"I don't know what you mean?" Leia said. "He looked like a ghost. Probably no different than any time he appeared to you before you were captured."

Obi-wan shook his head. "I have seen Qui-gon's spirit only once and that was before my self-imposed exile. I had just established communication with him during my studies of the Way of the Whills."

"That's the technique that you Jedi use to cheat death right?" Leia said.

"It's not cheating death but rather embracing it," Obi-wan said. "However, I never completed the training. If I am killed now I would simply become one with the Force rather than become a spirit like Master Qui-gon. But such things don't matter…"

Obi-wan then held out her lightsaber. "It's yours my dear. Qui-gon was right. Should you choose it, I will train you in the ways of the Jedi."

Leia eyed the lightsaber. In the past she found herself terribly protective of it. She held onto it like a precious jewel. But now that it came attached with a commitment to a long dead Order, she hesitated. She was an Imperial Senator, she was a princess, she was a leader in the Rebellion. Did she even have the time to undergo this training?

"I'm… I'm not sure," Leia said.

"Learning the ways of the Force is your destiny Leia," Obi-wan said, taking her hand and placing the lightsaber in it. "Deny it, and you're denying yourself."

"I'll have to think about it," Leia said. "We still have the Empire's super weapon to deal with."

"Yes of course," Obi-wan said, letting the tension of his offer hang in the air.

The comsystem beeped and Biggs announced they would be arriving at Alderaan any moment. Leia stood up, a thrill running up her back at the prospect of getting home and completing at least part of her mission. Obi-wan slowly stood, his eyes still closed.

"I suppose if we're reaching our destination there's no sense in prolonging the inevitable," he said. "May as well get a look at you Princess Organa."

Leia nodded, and stood straight. Her breath caught in her throat as she waited for the Jedi to open his eyes. He almost seemed hesitant at first but slowly his eyes opened, the same sea blue color they'd been before. For a moment she watched as his pupils tightened and his eyes darted around, as if touching parts of her face.

"You look like…" Obi-wan started saying then seemed to catch himself.

"Look like what?" Leia said.

"Like I expected you to," Obi-wan said.

Leia couldn't help but smile at the Jedi. "Forgive me General, but I am a member of the Imperial Senate, I know when someone is dodging a question."

Obi-wan eyed her for a moment and rubbed his beard, as though carefully weighing his options. Finally he reached out and gripped her shoulder with one hand. Slowly her eyes met his and she saw an almost painful wistfulness in them.

"Your mother," he said. "You look like your mother."

"You knew my mother?" Leia said. "My real mother?"

"Yes, I knew her since I was a padawan," Obi-wan said. "I met her while on a mission to liberate her planet from a blockade."

"My parents… my adoptive parents never told me anything about my mother," Leia said. "Sometimes I think I can see her face, almost like something out of a dream. How did she die?"

Obi-wan took a breath and his eyes fell from hers for a moment before returning. "A young Jedi by the name of Darth Vader-"

"Darth Vader!?" Leia said, a chill washing over her as she heard the name of one of the most reviled and feared men in the Galaxy."

"Yes," Obi-wan said. "He was a pupil of mine before he turned to evil. He betrayed and murdered your mother."

"I…" Leia shook her head, thinking of the Emperor's right hand man killing the woman she knew from the shadow of a memory. He had killed her. "I wish I had known her."

"She was perhaps one of the fiercest supporters of freedom and democracy in the Senate. When she spoke she spoke with passion and dignity, and though she abhorred violence she was brave and cunning in combat. And she was a good friend."

Leia nodded, still troubled about learning of how her mother died but feeling somewhat heartened by the kind words and warmth that Obi-wan shared with her about a woman that deep down, Leia had always wanted to admire.

"I'm sure she would be proud of you," Obi-wan said. "I'll be happy to tell you more about her, but later. Right now we have a mission to complete."

"Is it done?"

"Affirmative ma'am," he said, bringing the comlink to his lips. "The wookiee gave us some trouble but we put it down."

"And Solo? You made sure he's dead?"

"Yes ma'am," he said. "He seemed suspicious about the repair team but it didn't do him any good."

"Very well," she replied. "Clean things up then report to your usual stations. I'll be sending a real repair team down there shortly. I want that hyperdrive fixed."

"Yes ma'am, over and out."

He sighed and switched off the comlink before sliding it in his pocket. His eyes went to the dead man at his feet. Dressed a typical smuggler's jacket, shirt, and red striped pants, he very much looked like he deserved the fate he received.

Then from around the corner, a wookiee's growl drew his attention.

"Yeah, I don't know if she bought it Chewie," Han said and stepped over the corpse of the officer that had tried to kill him.

"But I think we at least bought ourselves some time," he shrugged as Chewie came back around the corner and dropped the body of the stormtrooper he'd assaulted onto the pile.

It was a nice trick. Send a fake repair team up, conceal their weapons with their equipment then wait for the two dunces that owned the ship to let their guard down. Unfortunately for them, Han Solo never let his guard down. Half of them were dead before the first guy had fallen to the ground. Han and Chewie finished the group off just about the time the two stormtroopers stationed at the loading ramp came up to see what all the ruckus was about. Chewie got them before they could even ask.

The wookiee grumbled quietly as he went to the ramp before coming back and voicing his concerns to Han.

"I don't know why she didn't come here herself or why she didn't just send a regular squad," Han said. "Though the way she interacted with Vader, odds are she's being watched. Either way I can tell Luke that his girlfriend tried to kill me."

Han frowned at the next few growls and rumbles from his long time friend. "No I'm not going to go out and look for him. I'll contact him like I said and that's it. Besides, we have bigger things to worry about. You had a chance to look at the hyperdrive yet?"

The wookiee waved one of his massive paws and Han followed him, feeling a bit uncertain about leaving the pile of dead bodies lying around but not really having a choice until they got things in order. Chewie showed him the damage again and explained what it was going to take to fix it.

"Look…" Han went back into the main hold and began removing stormtrooper armor from one of the corpses. "After we put these bodies, except for the one I dressed in my clothes, in the smuggler's compartments, you're going to get to work on that hyperdrive. All we need is enough for one jump. That's it."

Chewie folded his arms over his chest and gave an inquisitive bark.

"I'm going out dressed like one of the locals," Han said. "We won't get far unless we take out that tractor beam. I'm going to poke around and see if I can't figure out how to do it. If anyone comes, just hide, they'll see that body and think it's me and do the clean up job for us. Got it?"

Han removed a breastplate and sized it against his chest as Chewie grumbled about his plan and how he needed to be careful. In response to his friend, Han just gave him a lopsided grin and pointed to himself.

"Hey, it's me!"

Obi-wan followed just a step behind Leia as they made their way through the ship. At first glance it looked familiar, and as they stepped through the corridors he grew more and more certain. This ship belonged to Padme before she died. In fact, it was the very ship he'd stowed away in when she went to Mustafar to confront Anakin.

A brief pang of sorrow rolled off him as he thought of those events. Then a shudder raced up his back to think that those memories actually happened nearly twenty years ago instead of the mere two that he recalled.

Even through his meditation he had yet to fully come to grips with what had happened. He saw visions of things that were, things to come, and even things that perhaps should have been. Yet he did not come to an answer as to why the Force had allowed such a thing to occur.

Privately he'd worried about Luke; at least until Leia's revelation of Qui-gon taking up his vigil. Though deceased, the Jedi Master would have ensured nothing would have befallen Luke, who hopefully was still with his family on Tatooine. When the immediate crisis had passed, Obi-wan knew he would return and try to establish contact.

The pair came into the main hold and Obi-wan laid eyes on the bounty hunter that had helped the Princess escape. Given the armor he wore, he looked every bit like Jango Fett, though from what Leia had told him, it was none other than the bounty hunter's son. Boba, just a lad the last time he laid eyes on him.

The bounty hunter looked up at them but didn't speak, his helmeted head expressionless yet hateful at the same time. Obi-wan felt waves of anger rolling off the man and suddenly realized it would be a poor idea to turn his back on him.

Finally they came to the cockpit and Obi-wan met Biggs and Winter, both members of the rebellion and friends of the Princess. It took a few moments for Obi-wan to realize it, but as he took his seat, it dawned on him how they were looking at him. The way their eyes widened and their jaws hung open just a bit as they hung on his every word, they didn't see him as him but rather someone out of a legend. He could only hope that would fade in time.

The destination signal went off, signaling they would be dropping out of lightspeed momentarily and Obi-wan took a breath. His mind swirled with the idea of seeing Bail again, seeing his friend after twenty years and now suddenly being much younger than him. What would that be like.

Then, the hairs on his neck stood up and alarm rang out through the Force, Obi-wan snapped to his feet the moment they went out of hyperspace. He was too late to do anything about it. The viewport instantly filled with massive rocky debris, as though they'd come out of hyperspace in the middle of an asteroid field.

The ship jostled with impacts as Biggs wrestled with the controls. A massive impact threw Obi-wan back into his chair and alarms blared all around them. Another massive impact and the lights flickered out before coming back on.

"What's going on!?" Fett ran into the cockpit.

"I have no idea!" Biggs' threw his hands across the controls, trying to stabilize a ship quickly going into a tailspin. "We came out of space right in the middle of an asteroid field! It's not on any of the charts!"

"Osik!" the bounty hunter muttered as he sat a nearby console.

"We've lost stabilizers and engine one!" Winter said from the copilot seat.

"Oh my!" C-3PO shrieked, the last one to enter the cockpit. "What happened!? We're doomed!"

"Shut him up or shut him down!" Fett yelled. "Shields are completely gone kid! You have to get us out of this asteroid field now!"

"I can't even tell where out of it is!" Biggs said. "This shouldn't be here at all!"

"But it is," Obi-wan said. "You're a pilot, concentrate. Use your training and get us to safety before we get pulverized."

"Pulverized!?" C-3PO gasped.

Biggs nodded and pulled up on the controls. The ship lurched, rocking with each impact, and for a moment it looked like they would escape with no further damage. Then a massive rock veered directly in their sights, filling up the viewport as it seemed to race right at them.

"Evade, evade!" Winter cried out and Biggs threw the controls to a hard right.

Unfortunately it was too late. While Biggs managed to get them out of the direct path, the rock smashed into one of the ships 'wings' and sent them hurtling out into space. The power blinked out as they were thrown across the cockpit, Obi-wan felt cold metal smack against his body realizing it was the droid again before the ship went topsy turvey yet again and someone else landed on top of him.

Finally the settled into a slow spin and the buffeting from the asteroids stopped. The ship lay in cold dark silence save for the occasional shudder from the bulkheads. None of them dared to breathe for a minute, fearful that any extra movement would cause the ship to tear apart.

Then the emergency systems kicked in and red lights bathed the room. Obi-wan looked up to see that the bounty hunter had landed on him during the commotion. Boba Fett's helmeted head stared directly into the Jedi Master and for a moment Obi-wan feared he would have to fight him right there in the cockpit.

"We need to get a signal out to Alderaan," Leia said as Fett shoved himself off of Obi-wan. "Darklighter, see if we can't transfer emergency power to the commsystem. Alderaan can't be more than a couple of lightyears away."

"I didn't get the coordinates wrong," Biggs said. "Alderaan should be right in front of us!"

"Check you readouts again!" Leia said.

"The princess is right," Winter said. "There's no asteroid field this far into the system. You must have gotten it wrong."

"They didn't get it wrong," Obi-wan said, his eyes straying to the debris field they'd just passed through. "There is no Alderaan anymore."

"What?" Biggs said.

"I can sense it even now," Obi-wan furrowed his brows. "Waves of pain and agony echoing through the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and then were suddenly silenced. The Empire has destroyed Alderaan."

"No, that can't be…" Winter said her voice shaking with emotion. "… The Empire would never destroy Alderaan… it's peaceful, we have no weapons!"

"Don't kid yourself," Fett said. "Alderaan may be a world of useless philosophers but it's also well known as a key sympathizer of the Rebellion. If the Empire really wanted to make an example that would shake the rest of the Galaxy in line, Alderaan would have been a perfect target."

"All those people…" Leia said staring off into the space where her home should have been. "My father…"

"You're father's probably dead then," Fett said. "Which means…"

In an instant the mood of the cockpit changed. In the blink of an eye it went from somber and shocked to tense and hostile. Biggs spun around and aimed his blaster at the bounty hunter and Fett was no less quick on the draw. Leia and Winter's grief and barely held back tears disappeared as the two tried to decide what they needed to do with the sudden revelation.

"Now I think everyone just needs to calm down," Obi-wan said.

"Getting paid has been the only thing that's kept him from turning the Princesss in," Biggs said. "We can't trust him."

Fett didn't respond right away, he merely curled his finger a little tighter around the trigger of his blaster. Finally he spoke in an even, unyielding tone. "You know you want to be putting that blaster away boy. It won't end up well for you."

"How can we trust that it won't end well for the Princess if we don't do anything?" Biggs said.

"That's a good question," Fett said. "Maybe instead of committing suicide by bounty hunter, you should be coming up with reasons for me to not blast the lot of you and turn your heads in for the bounties."

"Survival for one," Obi-wan said.

"What?"

"Take a look at the ship around us," the Jedi gestured at the burnt circuits and dim red emergency lights. "Given the amount of damage we sustained it would be a miracle if we have any engines to even attempt to fix. You'd have a devil of a time trying to effect any repairs by yourself."

"Even if…" Leia said after taking a breath. "...Even if my father is dead… the Alliance can still pay you the fee you're owed."

"And how am I supposed to trust that they'll deliver?"

"Because the Empire is our enemy and is more powerful than ever," Leia said. "The last thing we need is to add you to the list. I promise that you'll get your money."

"I'd better."

"You will!"

"Very well," Obi-wan said. "With that out of the way we still need to ascertain what damage was caused to the ship and to see if we can't fix it. Also, while we're on the topic of matters that should concern us more than the bounty hunter's fee, have any of you noticed that small moon getting closer to us?"

The four turned to the viewport, only just now seeing the pale sphere growing before their vision. Biggs immediately went to the controls while Winter worked on the sensors. Obi-wan kept staring at it, feeling a cold… darkness wash over him. He knew exactly what it was, he barely even needed the Force to tell.

"It's the Death Star," Leia said quietly.

"I thought our engines were shot," Fett said. "So why are we still moving toward it?"

"We're locked into the tractor beam," Biggs sat back and folded his arms. "Even if we had engines we couldn't get away now."

"Then I suggest we begin formulating a plan as to what we're going to do once we're aboard," Obi-wan said. "As I've just passing the last seventeen years as a wall decoration, I don't particularly relish the idea of capture as a way of spending my first day of freedom."

A J-type Nubian Star Skiff.

Or at least what was left of one.

It sat in the shuttle bay, parts of the engine dangling near the floor where an impact had almost taken it clean off. Stormtroopers and officers assembled near by it, ready to storm it if necessary, others stationed as escort; even if Vader hardly needed protection.

The Dark Lord stared hard at the ship. As much as he loathed to think on it, he could not escape noticing it was the exact ship that… she had used. Bitterness squeezed tighter around himself as he thought on it and remembered seeing it land on Mustafar, of seeing his wife with their unborn child run down the ramp to greet him.

Even to this day, some twenty years, later it burned him.

Vader approached the ship, musing a little as he did; the Force was indeed mysterious. Even as they destroyed a planet full of traitors, a ship shows up matching the one belonging to his wife and had carried both her and his old mentor, both traitors. And before that, Mara Jade, the Emperor's slave, appeared and with her, a boy swirling with the Force.

The commanders and technicians had done as Vader had asked and given the boy a physical, including the blood sample. Vader had taken it and had it analyzed for midi-chlorians and confirmed his suspicions'. The only person he'd ever known with a count that high was himself. Sunrider was no mere pilot for the woman. He was a recruit for the Emperor. Vader wanted to know why.

Also… there was something else, something just barely on the edge of his senses about the boy that he had not yet learned. He would remain on the Death Star until Vader knew what it was.

"Our scans show several lifeforms aboard, Lord Vader," the commander said as he approached. "Though radiation from the damaged engines have made it difficult to determine how many."

"Have they responded to hails?" Vader said, pulling his thoughts from Luke and focusing them back on the ship. Something was… stirring in the Force.

"They attempted to but it seems their communications are damaged. I've ordered them to come out and have a team standing by to storm the ship if necessary."

"Very good commander," Vader said. "Let us see who is aboard."

The ramp began to lower as they approached. For a moment, Vader caught himself thinking he might see Padme descend the ramp again. Instead, he found himself surprised to see none other than Princess Leia Organa walking down with a servant girl at her side and a protocol droid shuffling as closely as possible. Behind them, Boba Fett stalked, holding a blaster rifle ready to fire.

The stormtroopers took aim and Fett urged the women forward, completely unfazed at the prospect of a detachment of soldiers pointing their weapons at them. Casually, the bounty hunter walked past his prisoners and approached the dark lord.

"Lord Vader," Fett said. "I've come to collect the bounty on Princess Leia Organa."

Vader narrowed his eyes at the bounty hunter. Stranger and stranger that the Force would bring him here.

"And how is it you knew the Princess was still sought after, let alone that I was here?" Vader said.

"We both know I don't use… official channels," Fett said. "Easy enough to learn that you never really thought she was dead as reported, even easier to hear that something big had gone down on Alderaan."

"Very well," Vader said. "We will take custody of the Princess then we will discuss your fee."

"No good," Fett said. "I'm not letting this schutta out of my sight until I have credits in my account."

Vader almost smiled behind his mask. Few in the Galaxy dared talk to him like that. Often he found it refreshing, other times it tempted him to be rid of the bounty hunter altogether. However, in this particular case, the honor of reporting to his master that he had Leia Organa in custody outweighed any annoyance he might have with the bounty hunter's demands.

"I will make arrangements. In the meantime, if you wish to… escort your prisoners to the detention level you may do so. When you return I want a full accounting as to how you apprehended the Princess and how you came about this ship."

"I'll be up to see you as soon as I do," Fett said. Vader nodded to the commander, who signaled his men to escort the prisoners.

"The Imperial Senate won't stand for this!" Princess Organa spat at Vader as they began leading her away. "You can't just destroy an entire planet!"

"We made an example of traitors," Vader said. "As we will of you once you tell us the location of your hidden base."

"The more you tighten your hold," Princess Organa said. "The more star systems will slip through your fingers."

"Take her away," Vader said. "And take the droid to the maintenance bay, have his memory checked for any information concerning the rebellion."

The soldiers and officers voiced their compliance and proceeded to carry out their orders. Vader took a final moment to stare at the ship, his eyes wandering again to the loading ramp. He blinked, and for a second, he thought he saw his old master there as he had twenty years ago; casting a judgmental glare down at him.

Vader turned away and then it hit him. He looked back at the ship but Obi-wan wasn't there. Not on the ship anyway. But the tremor in the Force was unmistakable. He hadn't simply imagined his old Master. He had felt him. A presence he had not felt in nearly twenty years.

Silently, Vader left the shuttle bay, his hand drawing near his lightsaber. This was indeed a momentous day. They would crush the rebellion. And Obi-wan had returned to him at last to die.