Hoth rapidly shrank as the Millennium Falcon sped away into space until at last the ice planet looked little more than one of the billions of light specks scattered throughout the black void. But the Falcon was not alone as it quickly found itself being pursued by an Imperial Star Destroyer, and a squadron of TIE fighters as it fled into deep space.
Chewbacca howled over the roar of the engines as the ship was buffeted by flak.
"I saw them! I saw them!" Han shouted.
"Saw what?" Leia asked.
Han pointed out the cockpit window at two distant objects, "Star Destroyers, two of them, coming right at us."
"Sir! Sir!" C-3PO shuffled back into the cockpit, "Might I suggest..."
"Shut him up or shut him down!" an irritated Han told Leia, before turning to Chewie, "Check the deflector shield!"
Chewbacca barked a reply before readjusting an overhead switch. Up ahead, the two Star Destroyers had almost come within firing range of the Falcon, while the pursuing Star Destroyer, and TIE fighters were rapidly gaining.
"Great. Well, we can still outmaneuver them." Han said as he suddenly took the Falcon in deep 90-degree dive.
Though the TIE fighters were easily able to follow the Falcon's maneuver, the massive Star Destroyers suddenly found themselves on a collision course, and alarms blared inside the three ships as their crews scrambled to preform evasive actions.
Below the colliding Star Destroyers, the Millennium Falcon continued it's flight further into space. Though things had calmed down a bit, the ship was far from out of the woods yet as it was still tailed by the TIE fighter squadron, their laser cannons flashing in the pitch-black skies.
"Prepare to make the jump to lightspeed." Han instructed Chewie.
"But, sir!" C-3PO tried to protest.
"They're getting closer!" warned Leia.
Han smirked with a wicked glint in his eye, "Oh, yeah? Watch this."
The smuggler threw the hyperspace throttle forward, and expectantly looked out the cockpit window. Nothing happened! The stars should have become mere blurs of light as the ship went to lightspeed, but instead they just sat where they were. Han and Chewie exchanged a look of concern.
"Watch what?" Leia asked impatiently.
Han tried the hyperspace throttle again; still nothing, "I think we're in trouble."
"If I may say so sir..." C-3PO interjected, "I noticed earlier that the hyperdrive motivator has been damaged. It's impossible to go to lightspeed!"
"We're in trouble!" Han said, as as laser blasts from the TIE continued to rock the ship.
Leaping up from their seats, Han and Chewbacca raced down to the ship's main hold, and began to work frantically to repair the malfunctioning hyperdrive. Unfortunately, the task was made almost impossible due to the ship rocking with each blast of flak from the TIE fighters.
"Horizontal boosters!" Han worked in the maintenance pit, while giving orders to his co-pilot.
Chewie barked; the part looked fine to him.
"Alluvial dampers!" called Han, before receiving another bark from Chewie; that part was in place to, "No, that's not it. Bring me the hydrospanners!"
Chewbacca rushed over to pit with the container of tools and placed them on the edge.
"I don't know how we're going to get out of this one." Han mused as he grabbed one of the hydrospanners.
It was at that moment that R2-D2 scooted over to a control panel and started working on the hyperdrive circuit board.
"Hey, droid! Get away from that!" Han exclaimed, "You don't know how to fix the hyperdrive, and the last thing we need right now are delusions of grandeur!"
Ignoring the smuggler, R2 worked swiftly, relying on nothing but mechanical instinct. At last, the droid moved a circuit on the control panel, and it suddenly lit up, while a new and powerful hum resonated throughout the ship from the hyperdrive engines.
Han's mouth fell open in disbelief, "You did it!"
Up in the cockpit, Leia didn't hesitate to press the hyperspace throttle. Thrown back into her seat as the ship shot forward, the princess saw the stars outside turn to blinding streaks of light as the Falcon soared victoriously into infinity.
They had escaped.
"I'm gonna have to borrow that droid sometime!" Han said as he and Chewie triumphantly re-entered the cockpit.
"Oh, I never doubted R2 for a second! Wonderful!" C-3PO exclaimed.
Leia sighed, for any relief that she may have felt was tainted by the reminder of what their escape had cost them.
"Not for all of us." she said sadly.
"Mistress Leia?" C-3PO inquired, before he to remembered, "Oh... My poor Master Luke..."
The atmosphere in the cockpit immediately grew somber; Chewbacca let out a low mournful howl, while Han himself just didn't know what to say.
Collecting his thoughts, he sighed, "There was nothing we could've done. But we'll find him, Leia..."
For a long moment, Leia said nothing. The events of the day had at last caught up to her, and she finally realized just how exhausted she was, both physically, and mentally. With the loss of Luke, the princess was at the end of her tether.
At last, Leia got up from her seat without saying a word, and began to make her way back to the ship's hold.
"Leia..." Han reached out to her.
"Han, I just..." she insisted, "I just want to be alone for a little while..."
Han lowered his hand; he understood.
As Leia entered the Falcon's main hold, R2-D2 scooted up to her, and whistled sadly. She took a moment to place a hand on the droid's done before continuing on in the direction of the crew quarters as tears began to well in eyes.
As much as Leia wanted to believe what Han had said, that they would find Luke alive, the outlook wasn't very positive. Luke was the Rebellion hero who had destroyed the Death Star. Even assuming that Vader hadn't just killed him after they left, the Empire would likely want to have him killed in a public execution as an example to the rest of the galaxy. Or worse...
For the first time since the destruction of her home planet of Alderaan, Leia felt nothing but despair.
As the Millennium Falcon made its escape, an Imperial shuttle landed in the hanger of the Super Star Destroyer Executor. A squad of stormtroopers moved into formation before the craft as Admiral Firmus Piett strode up to the base of the shuttle ramp, which opened with loud WHOOSH to reveal only darkness.
Then, there came the sound of heavy footsteps, and mechanical breathing as Darth Vader made his way down the ramp.
"Lord Vader..." Admiral Piett began to say.
But Vader ignored him, and instead turned his attention back up into the shuttle entrance. After a long moment of silence, everyone in the hanger watched as Luke Skywalker slowly walked down the ramp, escorted by four stormtroopers. A pair of binders were clasped around his wrists, and the stump of his right hand was covered by a protective medical cuff.
Luke's gaze remained downcast, but he could feel the countless Imperial eyes upon him. To virtually everyone here, he was the Rebel pilot who had destroyed the Death Star. Here, he was a hero to no one, and nothing more than low-life Rebel scum.
Luke didn't care; the pain and shock of the last several hours had left him drained, and numb to it all. His body was battered and exhausted; his spirit was broken, and resigned. Resigned to the horrible truth...
Ben, why didn't you tell me?
"Come." Darth Vader said simply.
Almost robotically, Luke followed Vader as the Dark Lord led him through the hanger, and further into the ship's interior. After making their way through various hallways, and corridors, they came at last to a heavily secure holding cell. Upon entering, the stormtroopers promptly removed the binders around Luke's wrists before strapping him into an interrogation chair. A few moments later, a medical droid came into the cell, and began to treat the stump of Luke's severed hand.
But again, Luke barely seemed to notice anything that was happening around him, for he was too preoccupied with his thoughts and emotional turmoil.
As much as he wanted to believe that Darth Vader was lying to him, he could somehow feel that he wasn't. And if Vader was telling the truth, there no way Ben couldn't have known, and that in turn, could only mean one thing...
That it was Ben who had lied to him.
Why?
Were all of Ben's teachings, as well as Luke's own strivings for good, and everything he had fought for no more than a lie? Did the answers even matter anymore?
Luke was suddenly shaken out of his thoughts when he realized that Darth Vader was standing before him. For an eternally long moment, the two of them only stared at one another, neither saying a word, the silence broken only by Vader's mechanical breathing.
"I shall return." the Dark Lord said at last.
With that, Vader turned, and strode out of the room, leaving only the medical droid to tend to Luke, and the stormtroopers to keep him under guard.
His father...
Luke slumped against the interrogation chair. There was no reason to fight anymore; there was nothing left to believe in.
"Ben..." he whispered in utter despair, "Why didn't you tell me?"
Ben gave no answer...
Leia lay upon one of the bunks in the Millennium Falcon's crew quarters. But in spite of her attempts to get some rest, she quickly found her efforts to be futile. There was just too much swirling around in her head. At last, she gave up, and swung her legs over the side to sit on the edge of the bunk. As much as the princess wanted to just fall asleep, and wake up to discover that the events of the past several hours had only been a nightmare, she knew that she couldn't kid herself.
Leia couldn't pretend it had only been a bad dream. It had happened. It had ALL happened…
Again, she felt her emotions well in her eyes, threatening to spill out in tears, but this time, she didn't fight it. Letting the tears come, Leia held her head in her hands, feeling more lost than she'd ever felt before.
Alderaan was gone, destroyed by the Empire; the Imperial Senate was disbanded, taking any semblance of bureaucracy with it; the Alliance was on the run, outmanned, and outgunned ten thousand to one; and to top all of that off, Luke was lost to them.
Luke, the Rebellion hero who destroyed the Death Star, and more importantly, her friend. No, more than friend. Since the beginning, Leia had always felt some kind of connection between them, though she could never really tell just what that connection was. Not as a lover; it felt deeper than that. Though she had kissed him, it was mainly just to make Han jealous, and now, Leia felt as though she had used him.
She remembered the first time she'd met Luke, when he, Han, and Chewie had rescued her from the Death Star. And in the end, not only had she used him to make Han jealous, she had not even been able to rescue him in return. She had failed him...
I'm sorry, Luke. I'm so sorry...
Great sobs spurted out of her. For the first time since she'd joined the Rebellion, Leia didn't know what to do.
How long she stayed there she didn't know. Half an hour? An hour? But after some time, Leia suddenly felt a strange sensation wash over her. Like the presence of someone standing right before her...
"Luke's fate is not your failing, Leia." said a voice Leia felt as much as heard.
Leia looked up, and to her shock and disbelief, standing there before her was the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
"Obi-Wan...?"
He smiled reassuringly, "Luke's choices were always his own, and because of his choices, you now have a chance to change everything."
Leia blinked tears from her eyes, "I...I don't understand."
"Go to the Dagobah System." Obi-Wan instructed, "Find Jedi Master Yoda. Complete the training that Luke began, Leia. You are our only hope."
And just like that, the apparition faded, and was gone.
"Ben! Ben, wait!" Leia called out.
"Ben?" Han's voice suddenly came from the doorway, causing her to jump.
"Han, I..." Leia stammered; she wondered how long he'd been standing there.
"Uh, are you all right, princess?" the confused smuggler asked, "Just who exactly did you think were you talking to?"
"I...I can't explain it." she said at last, "And you wouldn't believe it. But..."
She trailed off as Obi-Wan's last words continue to resonate throughout her head.
You are our only hope.
She had once said more or less the same words to Master Kenobi in her message to him before the destruction of Alderaan. Hearing those words again reminded Leia of what she was fighting for, and now, a new resolve filled her being.
"Han, we need to change course." she said intently.
"What?" Han blinked in surprise, "But what about meeting up with the others at the rendezvous point?"
"We'll worry about that later." Leia insisted, "We need to get to the Dagobah system."
After leaving the cell that his son was now being held in, Darth Vader had gone straight to the Executor's bridge for a full debriefing with Admiral Piett.
"Seventeen transports destroyed." Piett reported, "We don't know how many escaped."
"And the Millennium Falcon?" Vader asked, though he already suspected the answer.
Piett swallowed hard, "It was sighted fleeing the system by the Star Destroyer Avenger, but the ship was able to jump into lightspeed before we could..."
Vader gestured for Piett to stop talking. The Dark Lord had expected as much, but ultimately, Vader considered the Millennium Falcon's escape to be a fair trade in exchange for the capture of Luke Skywalker. Princess Leia, and Han Solo would be dealt with in due time.
"Set your course for Mustafar. Immediately." Vader ordered the admiral.
"A-As you command, my lord." Piett bowed, clearly relieved.
"Good. Now leave me." the Dark Lord said as turned to exit the bridge, "I would meditate."
However, as Vader headed in the direction of his personal quarters, he was already reflecting on the events of the past several Empire had won a great victory over the Rebellion, and at last, Luke Skywalker, his son, was his.
However, the Dark Lord knew that there was no time to lose. He had to get Luke to his castle on Mustafar as soon as possible, and above all, he could not allow his son's existence become known to the Emperor.
Everything depended on that.
In fact, Vader found that he could not dispel a feeling of unease from his mind as he entered his chambers. In spite of his victory, the Dark Lord could still sense a clear disturbance in the Force, as though there still remained a great danger...
Stepping inside his meditation chamber, the Dark Lord knew that he would have to tread carefully in the days to come.
As the meditation chamber closed, the top half lowering over him like a jagged-toothed mechanical jaw, Vader reached out through the Force.
"Luke..." he called.
Meanwhile, back inside in son's cell, Luke slowly raised his head, and after a very long moment of silence, finally gave his answer.
"Father..."
The Millennium Falcon came out of lightspeed to find itself approaching the atmosphere of the planet Dagobah. The planet was uncharted, and virtually unknown to the majority of the galaxy, but somehow, the crew of the Falcon had found their way to it. Gazing out of the cockpit window, Leia could see parts of the planet's surface through a thick cover of clouds and couldn't help but feel that it had been more than just Han and Chewie's navigation skills that had guided them here.
Chewbacca grunted a question at Han.
"Yeah, that's it. Dagobah." the smuggler confirmed, "Looks a little grim, doesn't it? Like the garden spot of the galaxy minus the garden." he turned towards Leia, "Would it be too much to ask just what we're doing here again?"
"I'll told you." Leia said, "We're here to find a great Jedi Master. His knowledge may be invaluable to us."
Han rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say, princess. Hang on, the ride's gonna be bumpy."
With that, Han and Chewie plunged the ship down through the planet's atmosphere and into the white blanket of mists.
The clouds raced by as the ship descended towards the planet's surface. They couldn't see a thing as the dense whiteness pressed cockpit windows, and completely obscured their vision. When an alarm began to buzz in the background, R2-D2 began to let out a series of frantic beeps, and whistles, as Chewbacca let out a panicked roar.
"I know! I know!" Han shouted, fighting the controls of the ship, "All the scopes are dead, I can't see a thing! Just hang on, and start the landing cycle! Let's just hope there's something underneath us!"
Leia felt her stomach plunge as the ship rapidly began to drop. Bracing against her seat, she steeled herself for any possible impact. Suddenly, there came an awful sound as if the limbs of trees were being snapped off by the speeding ship, and then, there came tremendous jolt as the the Falcon finally came to a halt.
Certain, at last, that they were on the ground, everyone slumped back into their seats and sighed with relief.
"Oh, thank goodness, we're all right." C-3PO remarked.
"I don't think we should start celebrating just yet..." Leia pointed out.
A few moments later, the Falcon's top hatch opened (the entrance ramp was still jammed), and the ship's occupants all climbed out onto the hull to survey their surroundings. They found themselves surrounded by a thick fog, which was barely pierced by the ship's landing lights. It quickly became obvious however that the Falcon had landed in a body of water and as everybody's eyes adjusted to the gloom, they could begin to make out twisted trunks, and roots of grotesque-looking trees.
"Well, this is as good a place as any, literally." Han mused, gazing around at the dark, mist-filled bog; he didn't like the look of this place. "Now all we gotta do is find this Yoda... if he even exists. Just how are we supposed to find a Jedi Master in this mess?"
R2-D2 made a series of whistles and beeps.
"R2 says there are too many signs of life to distinguish one specific individual." C-3PO reported.
Chewbacca let out a rather pessimistic howl.
"Great. Just great." Han's voice dripped with sarcasm, " We don't even know what we're looking for."
"We'll find him, Han." Leia said firmly, "Don't ask me how, but I know we'll find him-or he'll find us."
Han sighed, "Why should I doubt you, sweetheart? A few minutes ago, you were talking to thin air."
Leia ignored that quip as she turned to give C-3PO instructions.
"3PO, you and R2 stay with the ship. We're going to have a look around."
"Of course, your highness." the droid replied.
With that, Leia, Han, & Chewie leapt down from the Falcon's hull into murky water, and began to scramble towards shoreline. Upon reaching shore, Han and Chewie began to grumble about being wet; Leia ultimately couldn't blame them as she herself tried to squeeze out as much excess water from her clothing as possible.
Han took a long glance back at the Falcon and scowled when he saw that the lower half of his ship was fully submerged in the water. He, and Chewbacca could probably get the ship out, but it would definitely take quite a bit of elbow grease.
"C'mon Han, she says..."the smuggler muttered, "Let's go to Dagobah, Han, she says..."
Ultimately, Leia decided to ignore that wisecrack to as they began to make their way into the forest foliage.
They had only gone a short distance, but Han was already getting uncomfortable. Everything looked the same in this darkness and fog. Not only that, but the shadows in the forest, not to mention the distant howls of unseen creatures were rapidly putting him on edge. He wondered if they'd even be able to find their way back to ship.
"I wished you'd stayed with the droids, princess. This place gives me the creeps." he remarked.
"It'll be all right." Leia insisted, "I don't know why, but there's something familiar about this place. Like...I've been here before..."
Han eyed her incredulously, "And you came back willingly?"
Leia shook her head, "I don't know. I just feel like..."
"Feel like what?" came a sudden, strange voice behind them.
Han and Leia nearly jumped out of their skin, and Chewbacca let out roar of alarm. Quick as a flash, Han and Chewbacca spun around with their weapons at the ready, looking for the speaker.
To their surprise, they saw a small green creature standing on a rock directly in front of them. The wizened little being stood no more than 2 feet tall and was dressed in gray rags in such tatters that they must have approximated the creature's age. For a moment, Han wasn't sure whether to feel threatened, or to laugh, but as Leia met the small being's gaze, she could sense its kindly nature, and relaxed.
"Away put your weapons. I mean you no harm." the creature said, gesturing toward Han, and Chewie's blaster, and bowcaster, "I am wondering, why are you here?"
"We're looking for someone." Leia said at last.
"Looking? Found someone you have, I would say, hmmm?" chuckled the creature.
Han actually found himself trying to stifle a grin, "Right..."
The small creature stepped down from the rock, "Help you I can. Lost you appear to be."
"We're not...lost." Leia tried to say.
Han arched an eyebrow, "We're not?"
"Come! Help you find your way I will! Find your friend we will!" the creature said.
"We're not looking for a friend. We're..." Leia sighed; she saw no reason to hide the truth, "We're looking for a Jedi Master."
"Oohhh. Jedi Master." The creature eyes widened, " Yoda. You seek Yoda."
Needless to say, this caught Leia's attention, and she knelt down in front of the creature, "You know him?"
"Mmm. Take you to him, I will." the creature said, letting out a laugh, "Yes, yes. But now, we must eat. Come. Good food. Come."
With that, the creature began to scurry off further into forest, laughing merrily. For a moment, Leia, Han, and Chewie just stared after him.
"Come! Come!" the creature called from off in the distance.
Ultimately, Han, and Chewie both shrugged, and began to follow their new companion; who were they to pass up a free meal? A moment later, Leia followed suit.
Before long, the little green creature brought them to a little mud house on the edge of a lake, and in the nick of time to, because a heavy downpour of rain began just as they reached the abode. Somehow, Han, Chewie, and Leia were able to squeeze inside the small house, which was perfectly scaled to it's tiny resident.
The three of them all quickly sat down, taking care not to bang their heads off the ceiling, as the creature headed into an adjoining area-his little kitchen-where he was cooking up an incredible smelling stew. The stove was a steaming hodgepodge of pots and pans. The wizened little host scurried about chopping this, shredding that, and showering everything with exotic herbs and spices. He rushed back and forth, putting platters on the table in front of his guests.
Though fascinated by this bustling activity, Leia couldn't help but feel that there was something just a little off about their host. Not threatening, just off. She just couldn't put her finger on it.
"It's smells great; I'm sure it's delicious." Leia said, trying to be polite, "But I have to ask, how exactly do you know Yoda?"
"Go a long way back Yoda, and I do." the creature answered, "Patience, child. Soon, all questions answered will be."
It was then that Han, moving with a little difficulty in the cramped quarters, sat down near the fire and served himself from the cooking pot. Tasting the strew, the smuggler found himself pleasantly surprised. After adding some seasoning to his own his bowl, Han filled two more before handing them Leia, and Chewie.
This seemed to please their host, "Good food, hmm? Good, hmm? Rootleaf, I cook."
Leia found herself smiling, "Really, we thank you for your hospitality."
"Why you wish to find Jedi, hmm?" the creature asked.
"We... We need his help..." Leia said at last, "How far away is Yoda? Will it take us long to get there?"
"Not far. Yoda not far." assured the creature as he stirred the stew pot, "Patience. Soon you will be with him. Besides, for the Jedi, it is time to eat as well."
"Yes, I'm sure it is, but..." Leia started to say.
Han suddenly grinned at her, "He's playing you, sweetheart. Don't you get it? Our little green friend here IS Yoda!"
Leia's mouth fell open as his words sank in. She looked at Han. Then she looked at their host; at last, the little creature nodded intently.
Turning back to Han, she stammered, "What... I... How did you...?"
"It takes a con man to know one." Han proudly declared.
Yoda's whole demeanor now seemed to change, "Expecting you I have been."
"But..." Leia began to ask him, "Then why didn't you..."
"Test your patience I wished to." said Yoda, "But now, short time is, and grave the situation is. Much we have to discuss. On this, the future depends."
The door to Luke's cell opened, and then there came the sound of heavy footsteps as the dark figure entered. Luke, still strapped in the interrogation chair, didn't need to look up to know who it was.
"So, you have accepted the truth." Darth Vader said simply.
Ultimately, after a very long moment, Luke raised his head to look directly at Vader.
"Yes...father." the last word left a bitter taste in the boy's mouth.
"Then you know what you must do." insisted Vader.
When Luke didn't respond immediately, the Dark Lord used the Force to remove the restraints on the interrogation chair before continuing.
"Luke, you can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen this. It is your destiny. Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son."
Luke found himself looking down at the mechanical hand that the Imperial medical droid had fitted him with to replace the one he'd lost.
He thought about how it had felt back on Hoth when the power of the Dark Side surged through him during his duel with Vader. And he couldn't deny the fact that he liked it.
From what he had learned of them, Luke knew that the Jedi weren't supposed to enjoy power like that, but now that he knew the truth about his father, he now found himself questioning if he could or even should become a Jedi.
And if he wasn't going to be a Jedi, then what was he supposed to be?
All the while, Vader's words kept repeating in his head.
You can destroy the Emperor... It is your destiny...
Wasn't that what the Rebellion was trying to do all this time? To overthrow the Emperor, and put a stop to his plans? And if Luke destroyed the Emperor, who was Darth Vader's master, then Luke would be the most powerful, and would be able to destroy Vader as well. Perhaps by learning all of the Dark Side's secrets, he could challenge it from within.
Or maybe, Luke thought, he could perhaps even try to convince his father to turn back to the Light Side, just as his father was convincing Luke to turn to the Dark side now.
Could this really be his true path?
In the end, Luke found himself kneeling before Darth Vader, unable to deny the call to the Dark Side any longer.
"Yes, father. I see now that your destiny is my own. I will join you. But I'll never join the Emperor. I wish to destroy him as you said."
Very pleased, the Dark Lord once again held his hand out to Luke.
"Now, my son..." Vader said, "It is time for your true training to begin."
END OF PART 2