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CHAPTER 2 - Secrets
Location: Dantooine
His muffled cries had drawn her to his bedside only an hour after his retreating to find some well deserved rest. She found him lying on his back; his body tense and damp with perspiration.
Clearly his sleep provided no haven for a mind so haunted by recent events.
Her touch on his shoulder to stir him was gentle, but he reacted with such violence that she took a few steps backwards to avoid being hit. And, when it seemed he would not settle, she wondered if it was a good idea to wake him up after all.
Yet…it seemed cruel to leave him like that.
Torn, she hovered there indecisively for a moment, eventually moving forwards to try again.
But – at that exact moment – his eyes flared open; his body contorting as if surfacing from water. His eyes – seemingly dazed at first – snapped across to focus on her; his breathing still sharp and ragged in his lungs.
Perhaps – if he'd had a moment to collect himself without her there – he would have crushed down the emotion left churning inside of him. As it was, the opportunity for that wasn't granted. She was there, watching over him when only a moment ago she had been dying in his arms…
He tried to sit up, tried to speak, but the words caught up in his distress and went unheard.
And, to his shame, he buried his face in his hands and wept.
He was so tired. So very tired. The exhaustion felt so heavy that it seemed impossible he would ever feel well rested again. That feeling alone would have been bad enough, but joined with his fear and uncertainty, it was completely unmanageable.
Juno's good arm was around him now, holding him close, his face buried in her shoulder; unwilling to let her see the tears on his face. She murmured softly to him, though he could not distinguish any words past the sound of his own, uneven breathing.
He cried and it hurt. His sides burned, his lungs constricting around each rasping breath that was muffled against Juno's shirt. And, even when the sobs subsided, he was unwilling to move; to meet her eyes. So he stayed there, quiet, still and ashamed, until he fell into another exhausted sleep.
Juno stayed where she was, ignoring the complaint of her twisted spine as she held him to her, unwilling to move in case she woke him. She closed her eyes and a hot tear slid down the soft curve of her cheek.
She had never seen him cry before and she knew - even then - that she never would again.
Eventually she was forced to part from him, drawing the thin sheet across his sleeping form and retreating quietly from the room.
PROXY had taken over the monitoring of the systems in her absence and he turned expectantly as the door slid open and she stepped inside.
"He's sleeping." She informed him, wondering how long it would be before she'd get to rest. The pain in her shoulder was beginning to throb again and she stretched the knots out of her spine before taking up her seat once more. "I think he'll be feeling better when he wakes."
"We will be exiting hyperspace in approximately 1.24 hours." PROXY updated.
"Thanks, PROXY. I just hope everything goes smoothly once we arrive. Galen is in no condition to go running around playing the hero."
"Lord Vader probably isn't in any condition to play villain, either."
She supposed that was true enough. Even still she couldn't help but feel on edge. This was too good to be true. In her experience, something had to go wrong. The question was; when?
She ran a diagnostic of the ship for something to take her mind off of those troubling thoughts and found comfort in the stream of statistics presented to her.
As it was, the Rogue Shadow emerged out of hyperspace a few seconds before the rest of the ships. Its nose dipped, granting them a breath-taking view of the planet below them.
"Dantooine." Juno introduced needlessly.
"That's correct." PROXY responded. "A remote planet within the Raioballo Sector. A good location for a secret base, if I do say so myself."
"I take it the Alliance hasn't been here for long?"
"I do not know." PROXY replied.
"I suppose it doesn't matter. Let's just hope they're prepared enough to receive their newest 'guest'." She edged the ship lower and circled lazily, waiting for the two other ships that had followed them to this location to make their move. She was under strict orders to remain airborne until summoned and that meant waiting until the other two ships had docked.
But how did one prepare for the captured Dark Lord, exactly?
"Would you like me to wake my Master?" The holodroid asked.
"No. Give him a while longer. He won't be needed for a bit." Biting at her bottom lip, she continued. "We could be up here for a while."
"I doubt they will have us wait too long."
"Long enough." Juno brought the conversation to an end with a sharp look. The look was followed by a brief silence until she broke it again, being careful to change the subject. "What do you know about Dantooine?"
"That depends on what you want to know." The droid answered. "Currently, Dantooine is – for the most part – a planet of farmers. It is also the native planet for a number of well-known species. I can provide details if you wish." At Juno's declination, he continued. "Before the Rebel base this planet had seen no advanced technology, though it once housed an Enclave which trained Jedi in the time of the Great Sith War. A great number of its students, however, fell to the Dark Side and it was one of those wayward students that eventually brought about the Enclave's destruction."
"Wonderful."
"Would you like me to continue?"
"No. That's enough. Thank you. I'd rather hoped this planet would have had a better past than that."
By now the first of the ships – the huge freighter that Kota had boarded – was making to land. Its huge mass moved slowly; its hull aglow, its sides painted crudely with the emblem of the Alliance. Juno fancied that it was a design influenced by a powerful and noble bird; its head and wings raised to the sun. Few knew of the emblem's origin. She wondered if anyone had given it any thought.
"There seems to be an issue with one of the engines, Captain." PROXY pointed out, breaking her from her thoughts.
She swung her chair around to take a look at the screen.
"Running at only forty percent on the port side." The droid added.
"She's taken a bit of a battering. I'll have to look into getting some repairs made once we land." She stood, hefting a toolbox in one hand. "I should be able to get some power transferred. It'll probably hold, but better safe than sorry." She made for the doorway. "Are you okay watching the controls for me, PROXY?"
"More okay than if you were to send me to make repairs on the ship."
"Is that an attempt at a joke?"
"Yes. Was it good?"
"Uh, you're getting better." She threw him a teasing smile and moved out into the corridor.
The mass of wires behind one of the removed panels would – to the untrained eye – look an unorganized, unintelligible mess. To Juno the mess was familiar and thoroughly memorised. With nimble fingers she made short work of locating the correct combinations, changing and checking as she progressed.
So engrossed in what she was doing, she jumped out of her skin at PROXY's touch on her shoulder.
"The Commodore is attempting to communicate with us, Captain."
She wiped her hands on an oil-stained cloth and leapt to her feet. "Looks like we're about to make our move." Clapping the gangly droid on the shoulder she headed back to the cockpit to respond.
"Commodore Viedas to Rogue Shadow. Come in Rogue Shadow."
She made the link. "Commodore Viedas. This is Captain Eclipse. Receiving."
"You having problems up there, Captain?"
"Nothing I can't handle, Commodore. An engine suffered some minor damage during the jump but nothing to be concerned about."
"Good to hear the situation is under control. I'm sending through coordinates for your landing. They should be coming through now."
Juno swung the chair around, fingers rapping across the keys. "Message received." She hit the 'accept' code and twisted a dial, setting it deep into the console. "Co-ordinates set."
"Safe flying, Captain. Viedas out."
The link severed and Juno began the descent; angling the nose down through the atmosphere. The planet revealed itself a moment later. Endless fields; a patchwork of dusty greens and golds. Where the horizon ended and the sky began, a lake glimmered like a mirror and, as if to keep its beauty a secret, tall trees fringed its edge.
It had been a long time since she had seen something so…natural. So…untouched.
For some reason she was not able to shake the horrible feeling that bringing Vader here would taint this land beyond recognition. Her hands trembled, tortured by memories she had tried – and failed – to bury.
The Rogue Shadow tilted gently as Juno navigated down through a cleft of rock and followed the natural curve down through a beautiful gorge. Perhaps ten minutes later and the land fell away to reveal a stretch of incredibly flat land; broken by a silver, coiling river. There, bathed under the glow of the sun, sprawled the Rebel base.
As much as it pained her to admit it, the presence of those ugly buildings spoiled the surrounding natural beauty. Transports traveled back and forth from sector to sector and a line of five small ships – two being commandeered Imperial ships – waited idle. A number of crude buildings had been set up to provide temporary accommodation for the new arrivals.
Out on the platform, close to where the Rogue Shadow had been designated to dock, were a large number of armed troopers. Kota's lean figure was among their numbers.
"PROXY, would you be able to—oh." She realised, then, that she was alone in the cockpit and wondered how long it had been that way. She just hoped that the droid had gone to wake his master.
Power to the engines drained, dissipating with a rejected whine until nothing but a comforting hum remained. The Rogue Shadow set down gently and, flicking the switches to close the fuel lines, Juno opened the hatch and heard the steady tramp of booted feet on the metal grids.
"Take no chances. Do you hear me? Stand to attention."
"Yes, sir!"
"Let's go, men. You, you and you; stay here. The rest of you: with me."
With great reluctance, Juno dragged herself up from her seat and left the safety of the confined cockpit. From the doorway she could see a number of armed guards taking their places along the corridor, blocking her exit. One of the doors slid open and PROXY stepped out, Galen following close behind. He looked up and their eyes met as he moved to join her – much to her relief.
He took her hand and laced his fingers with hers.
"Feeling better?"
His grip tightened. "Honestly? I don't know how I feel."
"It's in their hands now."
Even still, Juno was certain that even if a thousand armed soldiers had been there to see the transportation of the Dark Lord, she would not have felt safer. She had seen what the powers of the Force could do, and those men…they would be no match for Vader if he escaped. In fact, the only thing that kept her rooted to the spot was her faith in the strength of the man at her side.
The echoes of loudly spoken orders could be heard where they stood and, perhaps five minutes later, the doors slid open to allow passage. Every gun was pointed in the Dark Lord's direction as his mobile prison was slid down towards the loading ramp. Even bound, the man seemed to flow with imposing strength and darkness. Even in this calm and passive state he seemed dangerous and unpredictable.
The hands of some of the Rebels shook, fingers twitching fearfully on the triggers of their weapons.
The skull-shaped helm of the Sith Lord angled very slightly towards Juno and Starkiller, but seemed unable to make the full turn in order to see them properly.
Then, he was gone. Out of the ship and down into the bowels of the base where he would be interrogated…and provoked.
"They won't get anything out of him." Galen spoke without warning.
Juno released a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding. "I think that, right now, they're hoping that they can stave off attacks if they have him as a hostage."
"That won't work, either. Vader is as disposable as I was."
A young man ascended the loading ramp and hurried towards them. He was one of Kota's men, the armor he wore bearing the scars of the battle on Kamino. "Captain Eclipse?"
"Yes? What can I do for you?"
His eyes slipped across to look at Galen before snapping back to her face, clearly nervous to be in the presence of a Jedi who had reaped such destruction on the cloning facility. He cleared his throat.
"We've just had word. Princess Leia Organa has arrived. Her convoy is setting down on the far side of the complex."
"I almost wish she hadn't. It's not safe here." Juno replied. "She wishes to meet, then?"
"I don't think she intends to stay long. I've been asked to escort you."
"Wait for me outside and I'll be with you in just a moment."
He gave a sharp salute and moved back, giving the pair a brief moment of privacy that seemed to be all they would ever get.
"I don't like this." Galen spoke first.
"I know. I don't, either, but we don't have a choice."
"Keeping out of sight means keeping away from you."
"But you won't be far away." She reasoned. "Besides, I'm not completely helpless, you know. I'm sure I can hold my own until back-up arrives." She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his mouth. "Will you be staying here? Maybe try and get some sleep."
"I'm done with sleeping." He replied, his face drawn tight.
"If you'd rather me not go…"
"No. Don't worry about me. I'll be here unless I'm told otherwise."
She smiled fondly, though the worry lines on her face did not fade completely. "I'll see you later." Looking past his shoulder at the droid who stood just behind them, she added. "Take care of him, will you, PROXY?"
The convoy had contained a dozen small ships, old and new, no two the same. Some looked so old that it was surprising they still worked at all, let alone helped transport and hide the daughter of Bail Organa. Juno supposed that was the very reason why they were used. Appearance could be deceptive.
On closer inspection, the ships looked to contain supplies such as tools, food and medicines. Perhaps these ships had flown back and forth from the planet for many, many years and had only recently been adopted by the Alliance. It would certainly help mask their presence from outside eyes who might be watching. Though, in reality, if someone was keeping watch over their goings on, it wouldn't take them long to figure something was amiss, especially since the arrival of the huge freighters.
One of the pilots, in particular, seemed to have flown too close to the bordering mudflats, the sides of the long-bodied ship almost completely covered in the stinking muck. Cleaning that would be neither a quick nor pleasant job.
The rebel soldier dropped back to match her step, still brandishing his weapon.
"At ease, soldier. You're holding that blaster so tight you're likely to pull the trigger."
He relented his grip reluctantly and holstered the weapon, taking a deep breath.
"How much further is it?"
"Not far, Captain. Just through those doors up ahead."
She walked wordlessly the rest of the way and seated herself beside the door of the conference room to wait. A small red light flashed above the door; a clear indication that the room was occupied. Inside she could hear the murmurs of voices, one more tepid than the other.
Twenty minutes later and the door slid open.
Juno only just managed to stifle her surprise as Garm Bel Iblis swept from the room. He acknowledged her only with a nod of his head before retreating down the corridor. A moment later and Leia stepped into the doorway, gesturing for Juno to follow her inside.
"I'm sorry about that, Juno. I wasn't expecting him to corner me the moment I arrived."
"That's quite alright. He…didn't seem very happy, though."
"He's not but it's something he needs to take up with my father." She seated herself at the head of the small table. "Please, take a seat. I'm glad you could make it."
Juno settled into the chair, grateful to take the weight off of her feet. She was utterly exhausted from her ordeal and, in truth, wanted nothing more than to get back to Galen and sink into a deep, uninterrupted sleep.
"Welcome to Dantooine, Juno Eclipse." Leia smiled. "It hardly seems possible that you should be here after everything that has happened."
Juno nodded. "If it wasn't for Kota, I probably wouldn't have."
"I will be sure to give the General my personal thanks." Her features softened. "I understand how tired you must be so I'll try to keep the debrief short. Start from the Imperial attack on the Salvation and I'll stop you if I need more detail."
Juno drew in a deep breath and began to account as much detail as her fatigue-fogged mind could conjure. She blundered through the details of her capture by a bounty hunter and, when asked by Leia why she was taken as a hostage, floundered for a long moment.
Could she really not tell Leia that Galen was alive? That he had saved her and brought Vader to face justice?
"I can think of no reason but my rank." A weak lie that she was certain Leia had seen straight through. She felt the colour come to her face and battled to keep it away.
She kept the rest of the details vague, mentioning only what was truly necessary. "The cloning facility and all of Vader's experiments were destroyed. Sucked into the sea. So, in a roundabout sort of way, the mission was a success."
"It certainly was." Leia concluded.
"But was it wise, Princess, to bring Vader here?"
"It's the best place for him at the moment. The base you see here is only meant to be temporary. Plans are already underway to move into a stronger and more convenient location. Dantooine is being used to compile some of our resources before the move and help throw Imperials off the scent. It's risky, certainly, but this was always going to be a dangerous situation no matter the course we took."
"That's good to know."
Leia stood. "Well, if that's all?"
"It is."
"Stay close by, Captain. I have a feeling you may be needed in the coming days, especially if what Garm Bel Iblis says is true."
"I will." She turned to leave, too tired to be curious.
"Oh, and Juno."
The blonde woman paused.
"If you need someone to talk to. I'm here."
Juno felt a flare of panic in her chest. For all that Leia was young, she was certainly perceptive and wise. She might not yet have guessed what it was that Juno had omitted from her account but it wouldn't take her long to start stringing the clues together. And what then? Would she think that Juno and Kota had joined forces with the betrayer that was the revived Starkiller? Or…would she be more accepting than that?
"Thank you, Leia."
To be continued...