Luke really did try to act like a Sith ought to. Truly he did. But in a moment of privacy after the Emperor had grant his permission to go on this mission for Darth Vader, well, Luke could not help pumping his fist in the air before heading to his hangar bay. Darth Vader had stressed discretion. So Luke called his puppets. They had reported back with similar information to Second Sister. And a little more. Not just the princess had been captured. But also an R2 unit. Quite interesting to say the least. Luke wondered what value it had to Darth Vader. But he did not want his father to know Luke had had more than just one set of ears.
Captain Solo and Chewbacca returned promptly. They landed in Luke's hangar where he was patiently awaiting them.
"Solo." Luke was already approaching as the ramp lowered. "Got a change of clothes?"
Solo frowned. "Uh, yea I guess. Why?"
Luke grinned. "I'm going under cover and my wardrobe won't do. I need... whatever that is." Luke said, gesturing at the smuggler.
"Well yea sure." Solo shrugged and shared a look with Chewbacca.
Luke rolled his eyes and jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at a decently sized box a few feet away. "Twenty thousand like I promised. Help me with this mission and you'll get thirty thousand."
The glum, cautious mood over the smugglers instantly brightened. "You're a bit generous don't you think?" Solo asked as Chewbacca picked up their pay.
Luke shrugged. "I've noticed most people work better if you offer them things they want."
"You're not wrong." Solo agreed, ushering Luke into the rickety old freighter.
Inside was as bad looking as the outside. But Luke spoke nothing of it this time as the captain led the way to his quarters. Solo ruffled around in his closet for a few minutes before throwing Luke a pair of brown pants and a V neck black shirt. "Little small for me last I checked." Solo looked Luke up and down. "Ought to fit you just fine."
Luke nodded. The pants looked a little tight for his taste but he would still try them.
Suddenly something yellow got thrown his way. Luke startled but caught the thing nonetheless. "What the bantha poodoo is this?" He exclaimed, dropping all else to survey a bright yellow leather jacket. "I'm supposed to be undercover."
Solo actually chuckled. "You're the Imperial Prince right? Everybody knows who you are ever since the big announcement and that party the Emperor threw. No prince would ever wear that thing."
Luke rolled his eyes and picked up the other two items. "It was a ball." He shook out the jacket. "I'll think about it."
"You better." Solo smirked. "Maybe cut your hair."
Luke turned a withering death glare on the insolent man. "I'll murder you."
"Okay okay!" Solo raised his hands innocently. "I'll toss the shears."
~~~
The Millennium Falcon, that is what Captain Solo called his ship, took off from Coruscant while Luke finished changing. He hated to admit he actually liked the yellow jacket. Moreover he liked that he could easily hide his lightsaber in it. Luke had spent the better part of his free years growing his hair out. The dirty blonde tones actually looked okay against the bright yellow once Luke had braided his hair. Solo had reluctantly provided Luke with a belt, holster and a small blaster inside and Luke got to keep his boots. All in all, Luke decided he could play the part of scum as well as he did Sith. Nothing could be harder than playing prince.
Luke came into the cockpit, finding Chewbacca alone at the helm. "Where's Captain Solo?"
The Wookiee gargled and barked. Luke pursed his lip. He was fluent in several languages thanks to his past. But there were not a lot of wookiees that enjoyed visiting or working on Tatooine. He nodded politely and left the hulking furball to his own devices. The Millennium Falcon was not too hard to traverse. Luke soon found Solo in the meager excuse for a kitchen.
"What's that?" Luke asked. The smuggler had something heating in a poor excuse for a microwave.
"Don't really know." Solo turned and grinned. "But it didn't smell too bad. Bet it's some sort of carcass Chewie found."
Luke raised an eyebrow, then shrugged and sat down at the bar.
"Want anything? Drink maybe?"
Luke shook his head. "No, thank you. I was actually wondering if I could ask you something."
Solo had grabbed a bottle and two glasses, coming to stand on the other side of the bar. "I guess you're entitled to ask whatever you want. You are paying me."
Luke grinned. "I was just wondering what possessed you to try and free Chewbacca."
Solo paused in the middle of twisting the cap off the bottle. "Why you wanna talk about that?"
"It's not everyday you see someone care about a slave." Luke said.
"Yeah well, we got in a bad deal. Chewie got caught and I went to rescue him." Solo poured a glass and gave the amber liquid a sniff. "Ain't that much to it. Chewie is the only one that never screwed me over. We stick together."
Luke tilted his head at the smuggler. "That's why you risked yourself for him?"
Solo shrugged. "Like I said, kid. Ain't much to it." He slid the other glass to Luke.
Luke picked it up and peered at its contents.
"You good?" Solo asked curiously.
"I'm fine." Luke conjured up a smile. "I'm sorry Chewbacca went through that."
"He'll be okay." Solo said. "Besides, with all the cash you're forking onto us we can finally pay a few debts and work for pleasure again."
Luke grinned. "Debts huh? Can't have my transportation being hunted down by angry bounty hunters."
"Don't worry about it. I've already promised to pay them off after this one."
"Who are they?" Luke asked.
"Hutt families mostly." Solo shrugged. "Ever since Jabba bit it it's been rough for them and they like to up interest whenever they can. Luckily my debts are recent and your pay will save Chewie and I's necks."
Luke nodded slowly. "I hate hutts."
"Don't we all."
~~~
The princess's screams had grown ragged and hoarse. Darth Vader had little interest in mercy. But he did not want to kill her just yet. He let go of the raw stump where her wrist and hand once were. The princess crashed to the floor, a sobbing mess as she pulled her arm back to her chest in a weak attempt to sooth the agony Darth Vader had inflicted upon it.
"I grow tired of this game, Princess." Darth Vader said. "Who gave you your lightsaber?"
The only response was soft sniffles and heaving breath.
Cracking Jedi was hard. Darth Vader knew this truth well. But Organa was especially strong willed despite the loss of her hand and the torture she endure because of it.
"Perhaps this is not a proper form of motivation." Darth Vader mused aloud. The princess remain curled up on the floor.
"You can go to hell." Organa whispered. Her voice shook with agony and anger.
Darth Vader slowly knelt beside the princess, reaching down his fingers barely grazed her teary cheek. She shied away from the touch. "Believe me, Jedi, we are both in hell together."
Another sob. Darth Vader grabbed her face and forced her to look at him. "It was Kenobi was it not? He gave you that lightsaber." He pressed. Organa was shaking her head as much as she could in his grasp, denying it. "He gave you this lightsaber and filled your head with lies. Did he tell you that you could defeat me? Bring about a new Jedi order?"
Organa sobbed again, fresh tears rolling across her cheeks and wetting Darth Vader's glove. "Kenobi has abandoned you." He continued. "Any friends you may have left will not find you. You are alone, Princess. I am your only way out now. So tell me, where is Kenobi."
The princess inhaled slowly, squeezing her eyes shut. Darth Vader subtly slipped past her weakened shields. Searching for anything that could lead him to Kenobi or other Jedi. This one seemed nearly spent. "Resist any longer and I will not hesitate to bring your family aboard as my guests. They can watch you suffer. But before your final breath you will watch me kill your mother, your father, your cousins, aunts and uncles. The House of Organa will be wiped out." It seemed that was the final straw for the princess.
"Alderaan!" She sobbed. "He- He's on Alderaan. Please leave my family alone."
Darth Vader let her go and stood. "It was a pleasure."
The Fourth Sister was outside awaiting Darth Vader. "Milord." She murmured with a short bow.
"Keep the princess here." Darth Vader decided. "Darth Illistus will decide her fate upon his return."
The Fourth Sister nodded. "Nur eagerly awaits his arrival."