Hello…

I am sorry…

That is really all I can say. Exactly 2 months of wait between chapters is A LOT. Especially at a time like this in the story. I just happened to get sidetracked by other projects, alongside Corona which did not help all that much, and everything else that followed… To be honest it was hard to muster the proper mojo to write compelling fanfic chapters on the level of what I've already produced.

Long story short, this chapter does not yet feature the exchange I know everyone is waiting for (even though I promised it in the last chapter). That moment will be for chapter 29, where I wish to come at it with a maximum of vitality and motivation to make it as impactful as it deserves to be.

So consider chapter 28 my return gift, I hope it still proves enjoyable to everyone, even those who were expecting much more in this chapter. I will do my best to get over this slight hump and return for chapter 29 with as much strength and power as possible. I'm leaving for a 10 day vacation in three days so it'll help me relax and focus on writing I hope.

Alright, let's answer some comments. So sorry I had to keep you all waiting for these replies:

- Jeda31: Man, your comment really warms my heart and makes me even more remorseful for how much I've kept you waiting for this new entry. I'm sorry that you'll have to wait a little longer for the duel between you know who, I just really want to make sure I can make it as impactful as possible. Thank you so much for the continued support and I absolutely plan to pay off all of the future events in satisfying ways ;)

- RKF22: I feel like that statement is especially true now ;) Really sorry for the wait, perhaps I truly am a Sith? May the Force be with you.

- dloold87: I like how you think I could be so crazy/sadistic to do that to Mara ;) She still has so much more she can accomplish in this story, it would be cruel not to see it through.

- Bountyhunter1977: Maybe… ;) Stay tuned for chapter 29 to find out.

- the8horcrux: It's sadly how ironic how just as we talk about my update schedule I fall of the face of the planet for 2 months. From now on I feel I need to take it one chapter at a time, but don't worry, I'm determined to get back into the rhythm. And don't worry I hate myself too sometimes… very much.

Without futher ado, let us get on with chapter 28! Please favorite, follow and review if you enjoy.

Leia tried to get her thoughts straightened out as she sat alone in her cell. After being captured by Vader, Han, Chewie, and herself had been separated. Leia had no idea where either of them were, nor 3PO for that matter; if he had not already been deactivated, or worse...

The cell Leia had been thrown into was quite large and hexagonally shaped. The walls were made out of corrugated black durasteel. The only source of light came from an opening in the ceiling at the center of the room, which cast a pale glow across the reflective surfaces of Leia's cell.

Her immediate instincts were to look for a way out, but that quickly proved to be of little use. There was nothing else in the room she could use to escape, and the only way in or out was through the main door. There were no windows, no vents, even the light coming from the ceiling was just artificial.

Once Leia was certain that escape was not a possibility, she checked her pockets and any other place where something could be hidden. The most useful piece of equipment was her communicator, although since all off-planet communications were blocked, it would not do much good. The only people she knew on this planet were either imprisoned, or traitorous scum.

Just thinking about Lando made Leia's blood boil. She regretted not having acted on her instincts sooner, or was her instinct really just a warning from the Force? Either way, she regretted not pushing Han to find a planet other than Bespin for them to make their repairs. If she had been clearer, more headstrong, more direct, more competent as the leader she was supposed to be, none of this would have happened…

Look not towards the past in sorrow. Look towards the future with hope.

Leia jerked her head up, scanning her surroundings to see where the voice had come from. Of course, she was alone in her cell, and the voice had only spoken in her mind, much like Obi-Wan's had. It did not sound like his voice though, it was much older, lower and raspier, likely not spoken by a human.

Had this person spoken to her through the Force? Leia had not really thought about the Force since leaving her room with Han. Could she communicate with people though it? Then that meant she could ask this person to call for help!

Leia eased her thoughts, calmed her breathing, and focused on hearing the voice again; trying to picture a metaphysical communicator between them that would allow them to talk. Leia felt the connections was clouded and blurry, but when she tried to push past it, the voice spoke again, much sterner and serious:

Stay hidden you must. Know about you he will! In time, learn you will, but now, hide your gift you must!

And just like that, the connection was severed; the metaphysical communicator that had started to form between them was shattered.

Leia now felt truly helpless. The rupture had been so abrupt and sudden, she wished she had been able to ask this person exactly what they were talking about. It was entirely possible this person was a Jedi, likely they even knew Obi-Wan…

Hide your gift… Leia pondered. What could he be referring to…?

It did not take long for her to surmise what this person was talking about. Leia had no outstanding gifts or abilities to speak of; at least she thought not, until earlier today. Her connection to the Force had been so sudden and surprising she had not taken a moment to ask how it impacted her. Not everyone was able to use the Force. Anyone with such an ability was an incredibly valuable ally for the Rebellion, and by extension, one for the Empire as well.

What would happen to Leia if Vader found out she was Force-sensitive? She got goosebumps just thinking about it. She could not let him know about her connection to the Force; somehow, she would have to disguise it—

AAAH!

A scream violently tore through Leia's thoughts, causing her to spontaneously cover her ears before realizing it would do her no good. A long, agonized cry echoed in her mind which she was unable to block. Through the Force she could sense the pain of this screaming person; Leia contorted on the ground, feeling everything that they were feeling.

As she desperately tried to think clearly, a sudden image flashed in her mind that pained her even more than the screams… it was Han. He was crying out from the torture, and Leia was powerless to help him. All she could do was curl up in a ball and desperately try to block out his cries.

Finally, after several agonizing seconds, the screaming stopped; as did the pain. The Force was once again calm and unreadable, as if it had all been a bad dream; but Leia knew better. That experience had shaken her to her very core

No… it can't mean Han is… dead?

The sudden thought paralyzed her with fear, but before she could react, two Stormtroopers entered her cell, grabbed each of her arms, and dragged her out into the corridor. Leia did not even have time to fight back before they shoved her into another cell. A wave of relief passed over her when she saw Han laying on a bench in front of her; very much alive.

He looked terrible, which was already an understatement. His skin was pale and clammy with sweat, his eyes were glazed over and distant. When Leia held Han's hand she could feel him trembling, although he seemed to register her presence when he gripped her finger tightly and a strained smile spread on his lips.

"We should have… taken that vacation… sooner," Han said slowly with a slight stutter.

"Let's not risk jinxing it any further," Leia replied with a smile as she tenderly stroked his hair.

Chewie stood next to them, looking at Han with a sad and concerned gaze. Leia saw the remains of C3-PO in a corner of the room, which the Wookie had begun to reassemble. At least for now, they were all together; it was not much comfort, but at least it gave Leia hope.

"What did they want from you?" Chewie growled angrily.

"They never even asked me any questions…" Han sighed in resignation.

Leia paused when she heard him say that. What was Vader's plan here? If they were interested in capturing Leia or Han to get information they would have taken them up onto a Star Destroyer for interrogation. Instead, they decided to keep them all on Cloud City to torture Han without trying to extract any information out of him?

Slowly, a thought began to form in Leia's mind; a strange suspicion she had had which now felt very plausible. It explained the sudden obscurity of the Force on Cloud City, as well as the sudden blocking of all outgoing communications… If Leia had been able to sense that Han was in pain, it meant a more attuned Force user would be able to sense it from much further away, even more so if this person knew Han personally; and there was only one person in the galaxy that fit that profile and in whom the Empire had shown significant interest…

Cloud City isn't a trap for us. It's a trap for Luke!

Just as she made this horrifying realization, the door to their cell opened and in walked Lando, flanked by several of his security guards. While Leia managed to keep her seething rage at bay as she helped Han to stand up, Chewie had no such restraint. He let out a furious roar and would have no doubt torn Lando to shreds if the guards did not have their blasters trained on him and his friends.

Han's eyes managed to focus on his traitorous ex-friend. His voice was strained but still venomous:

"Get out of here you—"

"Shut up and listen!" Lando snapped. Leia was surprised to see nervousness and even fear in his eyes. It was a far cry from the carefree and debonair playboy she had initially taken him for.

"Vader's agreed to turn Leia and Chewie over to me," Lando explained quickly, locking eyes with Han.

"What are you talking about…?" Han ground out.

"They'll have to stay here but at least they'll be safe," Lando continued.

Leia did not like how the tension in Han's shoulders relaxed when he heard that. There was a significant component missing in Lando's explanation.

"What about Han?" Leia asked.

"Vader's giving him to the bounty hunter," Lando said, disguising his frustration.

Leia was afraid of what he would say next. It sounded as if exactly what she had feared was coming true.

"Vader wants us all dead…" Han grumbled.

"He doesn't want you at all!" Lando shouted back, nervously wringing his hands together. "He's after somebody else! Someone called… Skywalker!"

"Luke…" Han whispered, slowly realizing what his friend was about to walk into; in no small part because Han had insisted on going to Cloud City. "No…"

"Cloud City wasn't a trap for us," Leia finally voiced the painful truth. "Vader wants Luke."

"Yes, and he's on his way," Lando said remorsefully, lowering his gaze in defeat. Although at this point, it was an empty gesture to Leia and Han who stared back at him with contempt.

Han pulled himself to his feet, somehow finding the strength to stay upright. His stare bore into Lando; his tone was cold and bitter:

"You fixed this up real good, didn't you? I called you my friend and you've just murdered the kid who was like my brother, you…"

As Lando looked back towards Han, he punched him square in the jaw, sending his old friend tumbling to the ground; although the effort proved to be too much for Han to handle in his weakened state as he too crumbled to the floor. One of the guards hit Han in the back of the head with the butt of his blaster while the other kept Leia and Chewie at bay.

Lando quickly jumped to his feet and held back the guard who was about to strike Han a second time. His gaze was unreadable as he put his cape back around his shoulders; his tone was resigned:

"I've done all I can. I'm sorry I couldn't do better but I've got my own problems."

"Yeah…" Han groaned between his teeth. "You're a real hero."

Lando looked back towards him and Leia with a pained expression before wiping it away and storming out of the cell.

"You certainly have a way with people," Leia whispered to Han.

"Believe me, it's better I punched him instead of Chewie," he replied with a smirk as he massaged the bump on his head.

"I could have just slapped him with 3PO's arm," the Wookie growled with a short laugh.

This moment of levity was quickly interrupted when a squad of Stormtroopers and Deathtroopers marched into the cell, just as Lando and his guards left.

Leia made sure to not reach out or even think about the Force, as she slipped her hand into Han's, who squeezed it back reassuringly.

They were escorted down a maze of identical white corridors until they finally reached an unassuming door that opened into a pitch-black room. Leia had to watch her steps as she walked down a flight of steps into a large room that reminded her of a combat arena in its layout.

The air inside was thick with a strange metallic taste, and the temperature was several degrees lower compared to outside. The dark and ominous appearance of the room was not helped by the red lights that cast sinister shadows on every surface.

As they were brought to the center of the room, Leia felt she had stepped into hell. Metal claws and tubes venting clouds of excess steam hung from the ceiling. There were strange energy cells and cables strewn all over the place which were being connected by several Ugnaught workers.

And it would not have been hell without a demon to greet them; a role which Vader seemed perfectly suited for in this environment. His polished black helmet and armor made him disappear amidst the mostly dark background, but the red accents brought out his silhouette, making it even more imposing.

Aside from Vader, his Stormtroopers, and the Ugnaughts, there was also Boba Fett, who's helmeted gaze followed Han carefully as the smuggler walked past him. In this analogy, he was the devil's loyal servant; both unable to display human emotions.

The only other person they knew was Lando. He did not even look at them when they entered, his gaze was riveted on whatever was inside that gaping hole in the floor. Leia wanted to punch herself when she almost used the Force to try to see what he was thinking about. This was absolutely not the moment to get caught! Although she could guess that whatever deal Lando had struck with Vader had backfired; such was the fate of anyone who thought the Empire could be trusted to honor their word. He was the last piece of this hellish recreation: the fallen angel, corrupted by false promises and fear.

Leia and Han's hands had not separated since leaving their cell, even though he had his hands cuffed behind his back. They stayed shoulder to shoulder, looking straight ahead, communicating all they needed to through their intertwined hands. Every squeeze or caress said more than any words could. Whatever was coming, they would face it together; that was their unspoken vow.

Leia avoided staring at Vader as he descended a flight of stairs towards the center of the room. Han, who had mostly recovered from the torture, leaned close to Lando's ear:

"What's going on, buddy?" he asked with a mix of sarcasm and scorn.

"You're being put into carbon freeze," Lando said between his teeth, barely looking towards Han.

Leia felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest. The only knowledge she had about carbon freezing was that it was used to preserve tibanna gas during long-distance travel. Doing it on a human being was insane; it would kill him! It made no sense for Vader to do this, unless…

"They're going to use it on Luke," Leia muttered despite the rising lump in her throat.

"Yes," Lando whispered back, avoiding her eyes and keeping his locked on the floor. "If Han survives, they'll do the same to Skywalker."

Chewie let out a guttural growl of anguish when he heard this. Leia could no longer control herself, and neither could Han. They both turned towards each other and she wrapped her arms around him tightly as he desperately kissed her neck and cheek.

Chewie grew more and more erratic, despite 3PO's protest, and eventually pushed the two Stormtroopers next to him over the safety railing. He grunted and cried in protest, punching and scratching at the other Stormtroopers who tried to restrain him. Leia watched in horror as Boba Fett prepared to fire on the Wookie, only for Vader to hold him back when he heard Han yell:

"Stop, Chewie! STOP!"

Chewbacca continued to roar in anger directly into Han's face, but the smuggler just stared back into his eyes with cold determination. Leia could not understand what Chewie was saying; he was speaking to Han as he had never spoken to anyone else in his life: this man was his closest and dearest friend.

"Chewie, listen to me!" Han continued to speak as the Wookie kept groaning in protest, holding his paws reassuringly. "This won't help me. Save your strength."

Chewie finally calmed down, although it was more out of resignation and crushing sadness. A couple of Stormtroopers were able to put him in handcuffs and separate him from Han.

"There'll be another time," the smuggler said solemnly, managing a charismatic smile. "I promise… there'll be another time. Please protect Leia… You have to keep her safe. You hear me?"

Chewie whimpered and cried softly, tears brimming in his wide intelligent eyes. Leia patted and petted the Wookie's fur slowly as she crossed eyes with Han.

At that moment, they both acted as one, closing the gap between them to share a single passionate kiss. This one held no pleasure or romance. It was a desperate kiss, a final kiss… a death kiss. One that ended far too soon when Han was pulled away by two Stormtroopers and placed in the center of the room, right where the gaping hole had been.

Just as Leia was about to speak, Han somehow uttered the exact words she wanted to say:

"I love you."

"I know."

Her reply had come out instinctively. Leia almost wished she had said something better, but she ignored it when she saw Han flash his charming, beautiful smile. She watched as he was lowered into the freezing chamber; the man she loved, swallowed by the pits of hell…

Leia heard the machine above him rumbling. There was a long whistle that got louder and louder; she knew in a couple seconds it would all be over…

Han suddenly opened his eyes when a small, slender body crashed into his. His eyes widened when he saw Leia standing next to him as cold fog pooled around their legs. Just as he was about to speak, she kissed him again, this time with all the love and affection their previous kiss should have had.

"I love you," Leia whispered.

"I—"

Luke tried to sense from where Han's scream had come from but something was preventing him, or rather someone was preventing him. When he had ventured inside the administrator's building, the living Force around him had become clouded and confused.

"R2, where's this carbonite-freeze chamber?" Luke asked the droid who followed him diligently.

"If we keep heading towards the center of the building, there should be a passage that leads straight to it," R2 beeped affirmatively.

Luke gripped his lightsaber tighter in his hand. Even though he sensed nothing through the Force, it felt like an invisible net was slowly tightening around him. Luke knew Vader was only interested in him; his friends were just bait to draw him in; but that only strengthened his resolve. He would not; he could not; let any harm come to them because of him. Even if he had to suffer, as long as his friends were safe, he would bear it gladly…

As he progressed forward, he began to sense a vague presence somewhere in the building. He could not make out who or what it was, but he could sense the energy it gave off: it was the Dark Side: Vader…

That monster was like a constant shadow looming over Luke. He remembered the vision he had on Dagobah; the way he murdered Leia without remorse… Luke had encountered his fair share of reprehensible people growing up on Tattooine, but Vader was lightyears beyond that. It was as if his entire being was consumed with rage and malice; that was what he had sensed when Obi-Wan battled him on Hoth…

Obi-Wan…

Luke's mind wandered back to his old master. Where was he? How was he faring? What had the Empire done to him? These were all questions that could have driven Luke sick with anxiety, but he simply released them into the Force, along with his worries. He could not help his master now; saving his friends and defeating Vader would help Obi-Wan more than aimlessly worrying about him.

"We're nearing the access point," R2 chirped quietly.

"Thanks," Luke whispered.

He hugged the wall nearest to him, staying close to it as he peeked around a corner. He had not run into a single person since entering the building, Imperial or otherwise. For the central hub of Bespin's most profitable mining colony that was very strange. Just how far had the Empire gone in setting up this trap for him?

Luke suddenly sensed several presences just ahead of him, along with the echo of footsteps, as well as a strange clinking sound, like credits being dropped on the floor. He made sure to mask his Force presence as he peered around the corner.

Just ahead of him, coming out from a side corridor, was a tall armored man wearing a jetpack and carrying an EE-3 carbine rifle. His helmet and outfit bore similarities to that of a Stormtrooper, but the color scheme and strange assortment of weapons made it unlikely he served the Empire. He must have been hired: a bounty hunter.

As this mysterious person walked by, he was followed by two Bespin Wing Guards and two Stormtroopers escorting what appeared to be a slab of carbonite. Although Luke immediately knew it was not just preserved tibanna gas. He could make out certain irregularities and bumps on the top of the carbonite slab, in addition to the fact that no one guarded tibanna gas so heavily.

Once the group had moved out of his line of sight, Luke moved to follow them. He was careful not to be too hasty to avoid being spotted. Unfortunately, R2 did not have the same reflex. He bumped into the back of Luke's legs, letting out an apologetic chirp that echoed through the corridor.

Praying that nobody had heard that, Luke proceeded forward, only to immediately fall back when the bounty hunter emerged from behind a column and fired a volley of lasers towards him. His shots were extremely accurate, but Luke was safe as long as he stayed behind the corner. Whoever this person was, they were very good; and very deadly.

When the shooting stopped, Luke took a tentative glance around the corner to see the bounty hunter moving away from him. Luke gritted his teeth when R2 began pushing against him, letting out a series of alarmed beeps:

"I'm picking up a life form on my scanners. It's so large it must be Chewie."

Luke waved the little droid away, not uttering a word, his eyes fixed on where the bounty hunter had just disappeared. He ran up to column behind which he had been hidden but no one was there, and there were three different corridors the bounty hunter could have gone down.

Luke smiled to himself. This guy has no idea who he's dealing with. He focused his energy to track where the bounty hunter had gone. Despite the clouded and jumbled living Force, Luke was still able to make out the faint presence of the masked bounty hunter.

He ran down the central corridor, using the Force to speed up his movements. He was aware of R2's protests as he trailed far behind him, but Luke simply tuned them out; his battle instincts were taking over, his body was raring for a fight.

He caught up with the bounty hunter and his group just as they arrived on a landing pad where a strangely shaped ship was parked. Luke ignited his lightsaber just as the bounty hunter fired a barrage of shots towards him. This time, however, he was ready for them. He deflected all of the blaster bolts perfectly, maintaining his momentum as he ran towards the bounty hunter.

The latter activated his jetpack, flying high up into the air, still firing shots at Luke. In addition, the Stormtroopers and Wing Guards were aiming their blasters towards him. Luke registered all of this, but there was simply no way he could deflect them all in time; at least one of those lasers would hit him. For a brief moment, Luke's entire body tensed up in fear, but in the next moment, he felt someone call out to him, telling him what he needed to do…

BANG!

When Luke opened his eyes, the four men in front of him were all dead, killed by blaster shots to the head; their own blaster shots. Luke had deflected the shots using the Force; it had saved his life. But it felt different from when he had done it with Yoda. He had not felt in control. For a moment, it was as if Luke had surrendered his body to someone else who had deflected the shots and killed these four men.

Luke felt a wave of sickness wash over him when he saw the two security guards lifeless faces; blood pooling around their heads. He wanted to throw up but held back: the bounty hunter was still here.

For some reason, he had stopped shooting at Luke. He observed the scene below him and slowly lowered himself back onto the ground, a few meters away from Luke. When he spoke, his voice was low and gravelly:

"That's a pretty impressive trick, kid. Had I been any closer that might have hit me."

Luke tore his eyes away from the dead body and tried to keep his voice steady when he replied:

"I didn't want to kill them… I… they left me no choice!"

"You don't need to justify killing to me, kid," the bounty hunter replied humorously, moving closer to the carbonite slab. "I do it for a living; you did it because you could. I've seen how you Jedi work… all that power at your fingertips, who can blame you for wanting to let it loose once in a while. Took me a while to understand that about you."

"I'm no murderer," Luke replied evenly, stepping closer to the bounty hunter. "The Jedi only use their power for…"

The words died in Luke's throat when he glanced at the carbonite slab in front of him. What he had thought were irregularities and bumps were actually fingers and faces… Two faces, who despite the carbonite freeze he could still clearly recognize: Han and Leia. They were wrapped in each other's arms; both with solemn smiles on their faces.

Luke felt a deep, seething rage bubbling in his veins. He could not think straight, the Force did not even matter to him right now. He wanted to make him PAY.

He locked his eyes on the bounty hunter in front of him, feeling his emotion quickly unraveling as he raised his sword to strike him.

"If you do that, they will die," the bounty hunter stated simply.

Luke paused. He glared at his enemy who simply held his finger above the control panel on his wrist. Luke wanted to ignore him and take the bounty hunter down now, but a small voice in the back of his mind told him to wait.

"What are you talking about?!" he snapped.

"I control the settings on this carbonite slab," the bounty hunter explained. "If I press this button, it'll overcharge the cooling system and kill your friends instantly."

Luke's stomach tightened. This threat was serious; one wrong move and his friends would be dead. Could he somehow reach the bounty hunter before he had a chance to fire a shot? No. He could not afford to take such a risk.

"What do you want?" Luke asked slowly.

"I just need to get off this planet with my cargo and deliver it to my client," the bounty hunter replied, slowly backing up towards his ship. "We can go our separate ways here and you can try to save your friends another day; or… I kill them and we fight each other to the death."

Luke flexed his jaw; tightened his grips around his lightsaber; ran all the scenarios through his mind of how he could keep this bounty hunter from killing his friends and take him down, but ultimately, Luke stayed put and deactivated his lightsaber. He simply could not risk it…

"Smart move, kid," the bounty hunter said as he walked up his ship's boarding ramp. "Let's hope we get a chance to properly throw down sometime."

"Who are you?" Luke asked, trying to keep the bitterness and anger out of his voice.

As the bounty hunter loaded Han and Leia's bodies into his ship and closed the boarding ramp, he looked back towards Luke and simply said:

"Boba Fett."

A few seconds later the ship lifted off from the landing pad, and a few seconds after that it disappeared into the infinite expanse of space to some unknown destination. Luke waited silently for several seconds, trying to get his thoughts in order. He felt pain, regret, and powerlessness, but he did his best to push it all away.

I didn't have a choice… Luke reasoned to himself. There was nothing I could do!

Is that supposed to be an excuse? a sinister voice at the back of his mind retorted. You were too afraid to make the choice that needed to be made, and you lacked the power to see it through. Was all that training truly for nothing?

Luke shook his head hard, refocusing his thoughts on the present. He needed to trust in the Force, remember his training, not let his emotions be swayed by strange visions and voices in his mind. This was no different from the cave on Dagobah; this voice was just preying on his insecurities to make him doubt his abilities.

I AM a Jedi, Luke reflected, doing his best to ease the tension across his body. I AM ready for this…

The young man's thoughts were cut short when R2 came barreling at full speed onto the landing platform. Luke narrowly dodged the incoming droid who came to a screeching halt a few feet past him.

"What were you thinking?!" R2 beeped aggressively. "I can't keep up with you like this. I was trying to tell you—"

"Hey, easy there, R2," Luke said calmly with a small smile as he patted the astromech's head. "I just… got ahead of myself. But we still need to find Chewie and 3PO. Have you been able to find them?"

"I can deduce C3-PO's location, though he's not giving off much of a signal," R2 whistled. "We need to head back the way we came; I should get a stronger signal there. Let's hope Han and Leia are with them."

It was like a gut punch when R2 said that, but Luke made sure to keep his expression neutral and focus on his breathing. Anyway, it was not like he had to worry about R2 being able to sense his emotions.

"I'm sure we'll find them soon," Luke replied, turning away from R2 and walking back inside the building. "Let's just keep moving…"

The backtracking was done in silence, neither Luke nor R2 feeling inclined to say anything to relax the atmosphere. The young man was still on his guard for any Imperials but he was beginning to realize it was unlikely he would ever run into any. This entire setup was all leading to one thing and one person; and Luke was now very much raring to spring the trap.

When he returned to the large white room where he had engaged Boba Fett, Luke was struck by just how silent this place was. Not even a distant buzz of vehicles or the sounds of the city below could be heard; it was like a tomb. Luke snorted derisively at the comparison. A tomb was for those who are already dead, this place was something else entirely; even now he could feel a dark presence tugging at his mind, begging him to listen, just like on the landing pad…

Suddenly, a sharp hiss broke the hallowed silence. A door had just opened a few feet away from Luke and R2, and when it did, the dark presence seemed to grow even louder; inviting him forward; demanding to see his abilities…

Luke walked towards the open door with determination but was cut off by R2 who quickly rolled up in front of him, blocking him from going any further.

"R2 get out of my way," Luke spoke tensely. He tried to get around the droid but he simply moved in front of him again.

"C3-PO's signal is not in this direction," R2 beeped harshly. "We're obviously being set up for a trap and for some reason, which I cannot process, you seem determined to spring this trap."

"I NEED to face Vader, R2," Luke spoke evenly, slowly losing patience arguing with a droid. "If I defeat him now there's no telling how much suffering I can prevent."

"You're joking?!" R2 screeched. "We came here to rescue our friends, not fight Vader! Let's get to them as quickly as possible and get off this infernal city!"

"I am not asking for your opinion! I will save Chewie and 3PO after I deal with Vader—"

"And what if you die?" R2's candid question made Luke pause in surprise. "What if Vader kills you? What then? Am I supposed to go free Chewie and 3PO by myself?"

"R2, I—"

"No, Luke. Please… listen. I promised Obi-Wan not to tell you anything about Vader, but… if you go through that door… I don't think you're ready to face what you might learn."

Luke observed the little blue astromech for several seconds, unable to understand why such conviction came from this droid. He felt as if his words were the words of so many others, begging him not to go through with this, pleading him not to face Vader…

"I… can't let their sacrifices be in vain," Luke finally said.

Before R2 could respond, Luke lifted him up in the air with the Force and stepped through the open door, which immediately shut behind him.

I hope it kept you entertained as we prepare for the epic climax. Until chapter 29 everyone :)