Imperial Memories and Forgotten Dreams

I do not own anything Star Wars. Han, Leia, and Luke are all borrowed characters, obviously, with Samantha Heart and Komiak being my own creation.

I wrote this a LONG time ago so please be patient as I "update" it...lol. Enjoy!

Chapter Eleven

Arrival of Ghost

Luke stares out at the dark woods around the camp, eyes never ceasing their sweeping movement of the trees. His three companions watch him, not trying to hide the fact as they stare at him. Finally Komiak sighs and grabs a small rock.

Luke does not even flinch, stopping the rock in mid air just inches from the side of his head. He does not even look her way. Komiak practically growls and grabs another, bigger rock, and throws it. Again Luke catches it. Komiak scowls, then rises, moving to stand beside him. The rocks drop to the ground as Komiak cuffs him soundly over the back of the head.

"You can block the rocks but you can't block me, Jedi. Get your head back where it belongs." She growls. Luke does not look at her or anyone else as he rubs the back of his head. Komiak's angry expression softens slightly and she seats herself on the log beside him. "She's not going to come back, Luke. We all know that. It will be better in the end if you just accept it." Han and Leia across the campfire both nod. Luke sees this and suddenly rises. His hands are clenched into fists and he scowls at each of them in turn.

"You may have given up on her, but I won't." He says heatedly before stalking off into the woods.

I guide Nakita through the woods, easily moving down the slope of the hill. Nakita beneath me is tense, her ears constantly swiveling.

Are you sure about this?

I told you what I saw, Nakita. We have to check it out.

Then can we go back? She asks hopefully. I sigh. It has been three days since the incident in the snow, and I had not seen the group since, following them only through the force. Nakita has continually asked, begged, and prodded me to return. I sigh, shaking my head as we pass the last of the trees and step into the clearing.

Maybe. I send to her. Nakita pauses in mid step, looking back at me. I pat her neck and smile slightly and she seems to take that as a reassurance and snorts slightly, walking a bit faster toward the looming wall of the base just ahead of us.

We have been spying on the base from afar for the last two days, moving in closer the more we discover. Being able to move faster and easier, Nakita and I have circled the base many times, with the rest of the group staying more toward the northern slopes, keeping a safe distance from the base.

As I stare up at it now, it amazes me.

The wall of the base, once gleaming steel, is scarred with signs of battle. A considerable portion of the wall is gone as well, and I dismount near the entrance, leaving Nakita a short distance back as I step inside.

I stand in shock a long moment, then begin making my way deeper.

The buildings around me are in ruins, many have completely collapsed. Scorch marks mar the ground all around the compound.

What happened here? I send to Nakita. I hear her stepping through the rubble around the whole in the wall as she comes toward me.

A battle, but with who? Where is everyone? Shouldn't there at least be bodies? I nod.

Lets keep looking around for a bit longer, then we need to report this to the group.

"Ghost, it is good to see you again." I tense and whip around, lightsaber in my hand and on in an instant.

A solitary man stands not far away, near the corner of a building. He leans against it, arms across his chest. His outfit is much like mine, but with no gloves or cloak.

"Imperial Commander Croviack.. Pleasure to see you again." I say, sarcasm clear in my voice. The man merely laughs, not moving from where he leans against the building.

"Just call me Micheal, like you used to, Ghost." I scowl as he shifts his gaze to Nakita behind me. I feel her tense and I back up to stand near her, reaching out a hand to her shoulder. "Hello Nakita. I know you can understand me. You look well." He glances back at me with a grin. "You both have developed so well."

"What's going on here." I demand. "What happened here?"

"You know I won't tell you that." Micheal states, pushing off of the wall and walking toward me slowly. Only Nakita's presence behind me keeps me from bolting.

Micheal Croviack. Imperial Commander of this base and head of the program the Jedi worked for. My hands begins to tremble slightly as the man approaches me. I can sense other Jedi around me, moving to surround me. I can feel at least ten other presences on the campus.

I switch off my lightsaber and put it back to my belt. Micheal pauses, watching me curiously.

"You do not intend to fight?" I turn my back to him, stroking Nakita's muzzle. She stares at me, ears riveted on me.

Get out of here.

I'm not leaving you.

Go out of the compound and wait in the woods. Just far enough away so they won't see you. I'll meet up with you as soon as I am done here. Nakita suddenly rears her head, snorting in anger and slamming her front hooves into the ground on either side of my legs.

No! I refuse to leave you here! Her anger slams my mind repeatedly, driving me to my knees as I clutch my head. Her anger amplifies the pain already in my body, residual pain from the near turning experience up on the snow pass as well as the last few days making my body rage in pain against the onslaught.

Suddenly it stops, and all I hear is Nakita's angry snorting over my head. After a moment even that subsides. I feel her soft nose brush against the back of my head.

Samantha? Please get up. Nakita begs. I'm sorry. Please. Get up. I move slowly, using her for leverage to get to my feet. I lean against her for a long moment before stepping back,

Commander Croviack watches the whole exchange silently.

I pat her neck, trying to keep my hands from shaking as I nod toward the wall.

Go, please. I'll be there soon. I promise.

As soon as Nakita has disappeared the jedi begin emerging from their hiding places all around me. They stay well back yet have their weapons at ready. I keep my gaze on Commander Croviack.

"So what now?" I ask. Croviack smiles.

"We take you back. We take Nakita and Komiak back as well, and we kill the three rebels that you brought here." I stare at him, careful not to let my expression slip. So he doesn't know who they are.

"You know I will fight you." As I say that the group circling me moves a few steps closer.

"Then they all die." From behind him a large white form appears, and for a moment I think it is Nakita before I recognize the scales.

The white female Talar stares back at me as she stops beside Croviack. Her unflinching gaze chills me and Croviack smiles.

"I know you two have met before. Does she remind you of someone?" I stare hard at the Talar, then my hands clench.

"You created another." Croviack nods.

"Nakita harbors the counterbalance to the light side within you. So obviously there had to be a dark. This female Talar was engineered specifically with your genetic code, to enhance your dark side's abilities." I stare at her, then glance back at Croviack, then all the Jedi around me, the despair and hopelessness in me rising. After a time I nod.

"All right. But on one condition." Croviack nods.

"All right."

"You allow me to return to my group. I report to them that there is nothing here, that it is completely abandoned. I ensure that they are off planet, then I will return here."

"What of Nakita and the she-wolf?"

"They remain free." I state. After a long moment Croviack nods.

"Done, but we will be coming to get you. Three days from now at sunset, at your home. Is that sufficient time?" I nod and turn to leave. The jedi part before me, giving me a wide berth. Imperial Commender Croviack follows my departure with a smile on his face.

Luke stalks through the woods, irate at his companions. Not far he stops and backs up, pushing his back against the bark of a tree and staring straight up at the boughs. What they had said and the sound of Samantha's voice keeps ringing in his head.

I find Nakita shortly, or more like she finds me. I feel her muzzle bump my head from where I am sitting against a tree trunk, head my knees. My arms are wrapped around my legs as I rest.

Samantha? I lift my head to see Nakita literally standing over me.

I'm all right, I'm just not feeling to well.

It is the darkness within you. She states as she kneels down beside me and helps me get up onto her back. I lean forward, against her neck as she starts off through the woods. Sleep now, Samantha. I will get us back to the camp.

Luke hears a crashing in the woods near him, the sound of something large moving through the brush toward him and he stops, scanning the woods.

Seeing a flash of white his hand slips toward his lightsaber, but he stops when he recognizes Nakita. The horse looks straight at him, as if sensing he is there, and calls out to him.

It is dangerous to stray far from camp this deep in enemy territory, Jedi. She remarks. Luke is about to say something smart back at her but stops himself, his heart nearly stopping when he sees the prone form on Nakita's back.

"Samantha!"

I wake when I hear a voice call my name and I lift my head as hands grip my arm. It takes my eyes a minute to focus and I smile slightly when I see Luke staring up at me.

'Luke." I whisper. He smiles back and nods, reaching up toward my face.

"You are all right. I've been so worried about you." He releases me and I sit up, though to fast. The world around me spins wildly and I feel myself falling.

Luke cries out in surprise as Samantha starts to fall and he catches her before she hits the ground. Nakita simply watches, her eyes sad.

"Samantha? Nakita, what's wrong with her?" Luke asks. Nakita turns slightly toward him.

The dark side within her is making her ill. The light, even with me, is to weak in her to protect her body from it anymore. We should get her back to camp so she can rest.

Back at camp everyone sits watching, stunned, when Luke suddenly strides into camp, Samantha in his arms, and heads without a word straight into his tent. Komiak rises and hurries after him, her concern clear on her face.

Luke does not look up at Komiak comes in, and he does not back away as she stands over the cot.

"Samantha?"

"Quiet." Luke says, his voice somewhat harsh. Komiak starts, staring down at Luke. "She's resting." Komiak glowers darkly at him, but her anger fades as she studies the raw emotion on his face. After a moment she nods.

"Watch over her for me, Skywalker." Komiak says quietly before slipping out of the tent.

Outside the tent Han and Leia avert their eyes when Komiak starts stripping off her clothes, but when they turn back, she is gone. In the woods they hear the mournful cry of a wolf growing more distant.