Hope Denied
Chapter Three
Mara Jade stood in the hoverlift, scrutinizing her appearance in the highly-polished metal. Her shoulder-length hair fell loose around her pale face. Her green eyes still held the open gaze of youth, though they had long ago lost their innocence. She ran her hands down her black jumpsuit, pausing for a moment over her lightsaber. The lift slid to a stop and her face instantly hardened in determination. The door slid open to a darkened chamber, though what little could be seen was clearly of the highest quality.
Nothing second-best was permitted in the throne room of the Emperor.
She strode past the crimson-robed Imperial guards, coming to a halt before an ornate throne. She fluidly dropped to her knees, bowing her head and allowing her red-gold hair to fall down around her face.
"You summoned me, Emperor?" she said.
"Ah, yes, my young Hand," the aged voice echoed strongly in the otherwise silent throne room, "You may rise."
She stood, brushing her hair back. Her green eyes unflinchingly held the yellow stare of her master. A hideous smile twisted his face as he studied the teenager.
"Tell me, my Hand, have you reviewed Lord Vader's latest communiqué?" he asked.
"Yes, Emperor," Mara responded.
"And what do you think of it?" he urged.
"If you do not think it too bold of me…he is hiding something," she said firmly.
He smiled in approval.
"Very astute, my Hand. I wish for you to go to the Death Star and observe both Vader and his Rebel prisoner. Report to me anything you deem worthy of note," he said.
Mara bowed from the waist, then turned and left the throne room behind. She would not disappoint her Master. If Vader thought he could hide anything from the Emperor and his Hand, he was sadly mistaken.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Han Solo's grip on the armrests of his chair was tight. His tanned face had become unnaturally pale as he surveyed the asteroid field which was all that remained of Yavin IV. In the copilot's seat, Chewbacca yowled mournfully.
"I can't believe they're gone," Han whispered.
Suddenly, a proximity alarm went off. Han slapped at the sensor, silencing the alarm and rapidly warming up the engine.
"Do you see it, Chewie?" he asked.
The Wookie grunted a negative.
The com unit beeped, signaling that whoever it was was trying to contact them. Cautiously, Han flipped the switch.
"Solo, is that really you?" a voice crackled over the speakers.
Han's brows drew together and he shared a glance with his copilot.
"Who is this?" he asked.
A battered X-Wing swooped into view in front of them, followed by a handful of other fighters and a single, aged battle cruiser.
"This is Wedge Antilles, one of Luke's friends," the lead X-wing answered.
Han instantly straightened in his chair, shooting a glance toward Chewbacca.
"Luke...is the kid all right?" he asked.
There was a long silence on the other end of the com. At last, Wedge spoke, "Look, Captain Solo, we've set up a temporary base on Yavin II. Why don't you follow us there where we can talk in person?"
Han sighed, any hope he had felt for Luke's survival draining away to nothing. He leaned forward closer to the com.
"All right, Wedge. Lead the way," he said.
An hour later, Han sat at a table across from Wedge. Chewie stood protectively behind him. The pilot lifted a cup of caf to his lips, wrinkling his nose at the bitter smell. Holding his breath, he took a gulp of the strong liquid. He stifled a cough. Wedge grinned.
"Sorry, should have warned you about that. We pilots like it strong enough to clean blast scores off the hulls of our fighters," he said.
Han waved the apology aside and said, "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
The Rebel's grin quickly faded and he looked down at his hands.
"The Empire dealt us a serious blow when they destroyed Yavin IV, but they haven't completely taken us out of the fight. The Rebellion has friends in high places who are currently developing weapons which will allow us to fight on even ground with the Empire. In the meantime though, I have been commissioned to lead missions to distract the Empire from our plans. I came back to Yavin IV hoping to find some recruits who survived the battle...I found you."
He looked up at the last sentence to meet Han's gaze. The smuggler set his cup down, shaking his head.
"I've been through this already, Wedge. I don't want to join the Rebellion!" he said.
The Rebel looked pained.
"Last time you said that, I lost everyone who was important to me. You might not want this, but sometimes we have to do things we do not want to do. I think the Rebellion needs you, Captain Solo," he said quietly.
The words hit Han like a physical blow. Reeling from it, he stood and walked to the door.
"Let me...think about it," he said. Chewie started to follow him, but he held up a hand, "I need time alone."
Chewbacca yowled mournfully as the door slid shut behind him.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Luke tried to concentrate on evening out his breathing and to settle into the meditative state which Ben had taught him. The Force had failed him when he needed it most, but there was no way he could get out of this situation without it. A tendril of the power brushed against his consciousness and he tried his best to grab hold of it. As always, though, it slid through his hold like a handful of sand. He bit back an exclamation of anger.
'You are not too different from me.'
"No," he said, jerking against his cuffs.
As anger swirled in him, the Force rose easily to match it. Without thinking, he formed it into a hammer and drove it against his bonds. Shattered, they fell to the bed and he sat up. He was filled with sudden horror. Ben had not spoken much of the Dark Side, other than mentioning it in connection to Lord Vader.
"Maybe I am like him," he whispered, hating the very thought of it.
But there was no time to dwell on that now.
He stood and slipped into the hallway, surprised by the lack of security. Vader must be underestimating him. He looked either way, but both ends of the corridor appeared identical.
"I wish I had Artoo," he whispered.
There was nothing for it but to choose a path and continue on until he came to something he recognized. Had Vader placed him in the prison area, he could have easily found his way to the docking bays, but he had no idea how to get there from the medical bay. He closed his eyes, taking a breath, then moved quickly down the left corridor.
And I'm going to end it there because I'm cruel. n.n Wil Luke make it out, or will Vader catch him? Tune in next week for the exciting continuation of Hope Denied! Please take the time to leave me a review with what you thought!
Thanks to Anime-StarWars-fan-zach, tigermoonlight67, Balance in the Dark, Jade Pilot, Ceto, Zigflorian, Xenia Marvolo, ILDV, and Lilith Kayden for reviewing!