Chapter 17

Luke was sulking, no doubt about it.

Leah was gone. Leia hated him. The Emperor was laughing at Luke's misfortune. Everyone was gossiping about how Vader had killed Bail Organa. Pooja wasn't ready to leave. Luke was sulking.

He wandered out of the main hall and quickly found himself stopped by a couple of stormtroopers. Apparently the rest of the Palace was off limits, so Luke just mind-tricked them into letting him pass and ducked into the walls.

The secret passages in the palace were by far the most used. Luke could hear the shuffling of little spy feet coming from every corner, but he carefully avoided them. He didn't have any place he actually needed to go and instead just went wherever the was no one else. It was peaceful in the corridors. Each step he took brought him further from Leia and her cruel words.

She had been right of course. Nila had told Luke to send the droids back where they came from. Nila had known the connections Vader would make, but Luke hadn't. He'd just been a dumb kid thrilled to have some droids. When he'd heard of the senator's accident a few days later… well he'd been too much of a dumb kid to think much about it. It was very clear in hindsight, but all things were.

So Luke had killed Bail Organa. Sure his father had done the deed but Leia was right about Luke's part. He should have just left well enough alone and everyone would have been fine. But he didn't. Luke messed with people's lives and his father ended them.

On some level Luke knew he should hate Leia as well. After all her father was part of the reason Luke had been stolen. Sith or not Vader had the right to his son and so many people had tried to keep them apart. Luke despised that, and so he should despise Bail Organa.

And maybe he did despise Bail, but he didn't hate Leia. She hadn't known. She might not have even been born when it happened! Luke had a part to play in what happened to Leia's father, but Leia didn't have a part to play in what happened to Luke. He could never hate her because of what Bail did, but Luke didn't thing she was wrong to hate him for what Vader had done.

"Well I always suspected that Sith scum had killed Organa."

Luke paused as he heard two voices coming from the other side of the wall. Peering through a crack Luke saw two men, senators perhaps, standing in the Imperial garden. They were right next to a fountain which probably would hide their words from others around them, but it did nothing to disrupt Luke's hearing. The secret passageways had been designed specifically for that.

"We'll have to inform Mon Mothma," the second man replied, and Luke could see him shaking his head. "I'm surprised she didn't come tonight, for Leia."

"It's best that they appear to have no connection," the other one reminded. "That way when one falls the other will not."

"Leia is too young. She's going to get herself killed." Luke did not like the sound of that. Sure Leia hated him, but Luke didn't hate Leia, and he certainly did not want to see her dead.

"Only if we fail. Only a Sith can read her true intentions. Now you're sure Vader is heading to the Death Star?"

Death Star? That didn't sound good. Actually none of this sounded good, or legal, to Luke. "Tarkin informed the whole crew of his upcoming inspection and our guy told me. Do you think they can really do it?"

"I think they must. Palpatine is bad enough but if a Sith was to be Emperor we're doomed. Vader must die."

Luke took a step backwards and slammed himself against a wall. The two conspirators stopped, as if they had heard, but could not see Luke.

His heart pounded. They're Rebels. They're Rebels in the Senate. Someone is going to kill my father.

Luke didn't think about about doing the logical thing, like finding the Emperor and telling him what Luke had learned. No, no Luke did the rash thing and took off at a run while dialing his ComLink. He got no answer from his father and cursed. Pooja had given Luke a ride, and it would take him at least an hour to get back to his apartment. By then his father could already have left for this Death Star…

Thinking quickly Luke dialed Admiral Cassel. It rung a few times and Luke was terrified he'd get no answer, but finally he heard the Admiral's voice. "Admiral Cassel here."

"It's Luke," the teen breathed a sigh of relief glad someone capable was going to help him. "I was at a party at the Palace with my cousin and…"

"Are you alright?" The Admiral interrupted jumping to conclusions. "Did you have something to drink? Are you drunk? It's okay if you are I'll have someone pick you up your father doesn't need to know."

"No! No!" No for once Luke wasn't the one in trouble. "I heard some people talking they're planning on killing my father and now he's not answering his ComLink and…" Luke was panicking. He knew he needed to remain calm and think but all he could think about was the fact that there were people trying to kill his father.

Luckily the Admiral was not so frantic, and he spoke in smoothing tones. "Luke your father is fine I just saw him. He was getting in a shuttle to head offworld which is probably why he's not answering."

"He's going to the Death Star!" Luke hissed wondering how the Admiral could be so calm when Luke was telling him about a planned assassination attempt on his father. "There are Rebels there who are going to kill him please. Stop the shuttle."

"Luke your father will be fine," the Admiral reassured. "Even if what you heard is correct, and I doubt it is, your father can take care of himself. Now get back to your party I have to go."

The Admiral shut down the connection and Luke cursed. Yes he knew his father could take care of himself, but he had a very bad feeling. His father needed to know there was danger. He needed just to not go.

The shipyard wasn't nearly as far as Luke's apartment, and so he did the rashest thing he could think of and waved down a passing speeder. Multiple people ignored him but finally a person of some species Luke didn't know stopped.

He looked a bit mean, and Luke wondered if the species had some relation to the Hutts. He was big, green, and wrinkly with a kind of smooshed in face. Luke knew it was a bad idea to trust this guy, but he had stopped when no one else did and…

"Where do you need to go kid?"

"The shipyard, please hurry," Luke told him climbing into the speeder. The driver shot off at breakneck speeds, and Luke quickly felt a bit sick quickly.

"What's got you so desperate to get offworld kid?" his driver asked as Luke tried his father's Comlink again. "Your parents are going to worry about you."

"I need to get to my father before he leaves. Please hurry."

If Luke had not been so desperate and well, terrified, he might have picked up on the driver's ill intentions. It wasn't until the driver made a turn that would take them in the complete wrong direction that Luke remembered why you weren't supposed to hitchhike.

"You're not taking me to the shipyards, are you?"

The pilot laughed a deep inhuman laugh, and shook his whole upper body. "You think I'm a fool kid? The only reason anyone ever runs out of the Imperial palace and tries to get to the shipyards is if they're wanted. So what are you wanted for? Did you attack a Senator? Kiss one maybe? Or are you Rebel scum? Either way I'm sure someone will reward me for bringing you in."

Luke did not have time to be brought down to the station, detained, and then discovered by the Admiral. Luke had to get a message to his father before he arrived at this Death Star, and time was running out. That's why he did it. Luke knew it wasn't a particularly Jedi thing to do. It wasn't even a particularly bright thing to do. It was simply that in his panic Luke moved enough that he felt his lightsaber, and acted without thinking.

His captor screamed when the green blade burst out of Luke's saber. He was so terrified that they almost crashed into the speeder in front of them, and probably would have had Luke not used the Force to push them out of the way.

"You're… you're a Jedi!"

This man was obviously native to Coruscant and believed the stories about the Jedi because Luke had seen people look less terrified when facing Darth Vader himself. A part of Luke felt bad reinforcing this man's ideas, but he had to get to the shipyard. "We're going to the shipyard. Now!"

The pilot nodded and sped off towards Luke's destination the same time Luke remembered he could have just used a mind trick and gotten the same result. Well it was too late now, and Luke just shut off his saber.

When they arrived at the airfield Luke saw a transport flying away. He knew his father was on that transport. He knew he was too late, but he jumped from the speeder anyways. "You'll forget you ever saw me," Luke suggested of the pilot, not even taking the time to see if his mind trick had even worked before running deeper into the shipyard.

"Hey kid, stop!" a couple stormtroopers yelled. Luke slowed down, not because he was actually scared of them, but because they could probably tell him what he already knew. "Where do you think you're going?"

Luke held his hands up, his lightsaber already safely tucked away in his pocket. "No need to blast me. I was looking for my father, Lord Darth Vader. Has his shuttle left yet?"

A couple of the troopers looked between each other before one finally laughed. "Sure kid, you're Vader's son. Just as I'm Vader's son."

Luke had no idea why everyone found it so hard to believe, but in this instance he was not amused. Luckily he spotted his father's aid and ran over towards him. (The stormtroopers started to blast him of course, but Luke was running on a level of pure terror, and the Force guided his movements enough that he could easily sidestep their poor aim.)

The aid caught sight of Luke and the pursuing troopers, and waved his hand to call them off. "Your father just left. Is something wrong?"

Luke considered telling the aid the truth, but he didn't really like this one. (Actually Luke didn't generally let himself grow to like his father's aids because they tended to disappear…) No, no Luke wasn't going to tell this aid anything. "No it's fine. I'll just… call him later. Thanks anyways…"

Luke didn't know what to do. By the time his father called him he'd already be on the Death Star. Luke had no way of knowing if the rebels planned on attacking right when he arrived or later. It might be fine or…

Luke was a Skywalker. Comparatively speaking he was a sane Skywalker, but a Skywalker none-the-less. That was why he snuck towards the back of the shipyard and climbed into the first Tie-Fighter he saw.

Inside the cockpit Luke was baffled. In many ways it was like Luke's speeder, but in others… A saner person than Luke would have given up, but if Luke was ever sane he was not in that moment. No. Luke might have been a powerful Jedi but in many ways he was just a teenage boy and his father, well his father might just die if Luke didn't find a way to him.

It took a bit of fidgeting, but Luke quickly figured out the controls. Carefully he rose higher and higher in the sky, hoping that even without shielding the ship would hold against the frantic stormtroopers trying to stop a teenager from stealing a ship. Luke didn't blow up, so he was assuming it did, and he found his way past all the ships and traffic into space.

Despite the dire circumstances, Luke still allowed himself to be awed by space. He's been it in before, as recently as only a week really, but it was different when Luke was the one piloting. It was the most beautiful thing in the galaxy.

Or perhaps the second most beautiful thing in the galaxy. In that moment the most beautiful thing to Luke was his father's flagship, the Exactor, still sitting in orbit. He could have jumped for joy if the Tie-fighter wasn't far too small for that.

Luke flew closer to the ship and was impressed with how well the Tie moved. He wasn't so impressed with his own lack of planning. Just because the ship was there did not mean Luke knew how to get on it. Luckily for Luke he didn't have to figure it out because a voice rang through the short-range Com system. "Stop there. This is LSF-4. I have just received reports of a stolen Tie. What is your operating number?"

"Please don't shoot!" Luke cried scrambling around as if this Tie's owner might have left it written anywhere. Obviously he hadn't, and Luke noticed the Exactor's turrets were now aimed right at his ship. "Poodo," Luke swore completely oblivious to the fact his Com was still on. "Look this is just a big misunderstanding…"

"Step away commander," another, deeper voice said on the other end. "Luke, is that you?"

Luke could not believe his luck. His father was right there on the bridge! He wasn't going to be shot down. (Probably. Luke could feel his father's anger through their bond, but surely he wouldn't go that far.) "Father? Thank the Force you're still alive."

"That will make one of us once you are on this ship," Vader's voice sounded truly ready to kill, but Luke was just thrilled. He'd gotten to his father in time. Everything was going to be fine. "Commander turn on the tractor beam and bring that Tie in. Once it's inside move to hyperspace. We're already running late."

Luke gladly relinquished control of the ship as the tractor beam pulled him in. He was slightly worried because his father was very clearly angry, but surely he'd understand, even be proud, once Luke explained what he knew. Luke could very well have saved his father's life by being brave enough to fly a Tie into space.

He didn't feel very brave under his father's gaze once Luke jumped from the ship. Vader was furious. Luke wasn't sure he'd ever seen his father so angry before. "Of all the stupid, selfish, reckless things to do. You're lucky I heard your pitiful pleas for mercy before that commander blew you up! Stealing a Tie! I thought you were at some party with your cousin."

"I was at the party." Luke was whining a bit, and attempted to make himself sound more mature. Maybe then his father would take him seriously. "I was at the party, and I overheard a couple people talking. They were rebels! And they said you were going to something called the Death Star and that they had a spy there feeding them information. And there was a team heading there to kill you! I tried calling your ComLink but the shuttle must have interfered with the signal. I knew I had to tell you that there were rebels on the Death Star planning on assassinating you so when I couldn't call you…."

"You thought it would be a good idea to steal Imperial property, risk your life attempting to fly a ship for the first time through Coruscant traffic and into orbit, and then just show up here on a Star Destroyer heading to a base you're not even supposed to know exists."

Well when he put it like that... "I was just trying to save your life," Luke sighed looking thoroughly downcast. He was just trying to help his father, and now his father was making Luke feel like some stupid child. He wasn't stupid, and he certainly was not a child.

"I appreciate the sentiment but that is not your job. Especially not when it involves risking your own life to do so. You are the child. I am the parent. I am supposed to protect you, not the other way around."

Luke's cheeks were bright red, and not just from embarrassment. (Though there were many people of all ranks listening in.) "I'm not a child and you don't need to protect me! You need to know when there is a rebel assassination attempt with you as the target!"

"Luke, no rebel assassination attempt could actually harm me. If I was truly in danger I'd sense it in the Force."

"But I heard…"

"I do not doubt what you heard," Vader interrupted making Luke feel completely useless. It had taken a lot of effort to bring his father this news and he didn't even care. "Though I am curious who it was you heard it from. If there are Alliance members in the Senate I would much appreciate knowing their identities. The fact remains that you risked your life and now, because I am running behind schedule as is, you will have to come with me to the Death Star."

That didn't sound too terrible to Luke, except it meant he'd have to spend more time with his father and at that moment he wanted to be as far away from his father as possible. "I'm sorry."

"Good. Now, I am needed on the bridge and you need to go to call your cousin and inform her that you have not managed to get yourself killed. I will have someone show you to my quarters and bring you a cot to sleep on. Do not still be awake when I get in there or you will like that conversation even less than you liked this one."

With that Vader stalked away, his cape flapping behind him. Luke stood with his head hanging until some captain led him towards his room for the night. It was sparsely decorated, or well not at all, but simply had a hyperbaric chamber a (presumably newly added) cot. There was also a long-range communications device which Luke used to call Pooja.

She sounded frantic when she answered and Luke felt bad. His cousin had been very good to him. "Pooja it's me, Luke."

"Luke? Thank the Force! Where are you? I've been looking for you everywhere but no one has seen you since your confrontation with Leia… I'm sorry about that by the way I wouldn't have brought you if I'd known."

With everything that had happened afterwards Luke had basically forgotten about Leia himself. "Don't worry about it and, uh, well I'm actually on my father's Star Destroyer heading to some secret base. It's a long story."

"Luke!" Pooja cried clearly horrified. Obviously she could deduct that he hadn't gotten on the ship in the most traditional manner. "Luke I get you're upset but that was so selfish and reckless of you!"

Selfish. Apparently trying to save his father's life was selfish. Luke didn't know if he'd ever felt more like the world's biggest idiot than in that moment. "Yeah, so I've heard."