Birthright

Six months after ANH. AU

The undercover agent had been pleased with the substantial reward, and left the Star Destroyer more than eager to continue his work as a spy, doing whatever the Sith ordered him to do.

The Sith was also pleased. Vader now knew he had a chance to find his son before it was too late. He picked up an old holograph, staring at the lovely face. The face of his wife, his one true love. Yes, he'd felt love at one time, and now that he knew his son had joined the Rebellion he felt a stirring inside his heart he hadn't felt in years. Emotions other than rage, bitterness, loss... hate. His son...Padmé's child. Feelings that not so long ago would have been foreign to him were now bubbling to the surface. Protectiveness. Pride. He hadn't been able to hide this fact from the Emperor, unfortunately. Obi-Wan had betrayed him one last time when he allowed Luke to leave Tatooine and join that foolish Rebellion. So now Palpatine had discovered what Vader had kept as a secret for nineteen years, and was demanding he find his son and turn him to the darkside so Palpatine could use Luke, like he'd used Vader for all these years.

There was only one problem with that command. Vader didn't want to turn Luke over to Palpatine. He was tired of being a puppet, a pawn for the Emperor. Flicking the holo of his wife off, Vader realized he not only wanted his son by his side as he took down the Emperor, he needed Luke by his side. Palpatine wasn't the Chosen One. Anakin Skywalker was. Anakin Skywalker, a name he'd given up years ago, only now he wanted it back. All he had to do was locate his son, and that may happen faster than Vader anticipated.

The smuggler that had saved Vader from taking his own son's life was on his way to Acoda to pick up supplies for the Rebellion. The only person waiting for Solo on Acoda would be Darth Vader. There were no supplies, just a trap.

***

Acoda

The Corellian and Wookiee found themselves strolling on sidewalks down the rather narrow, winding streets as they tried to locate the proper building. A cold breeze whipped through the streets, and Han found himself wishing he'd worn warmer clothes. No one in the Alliance warned him Acoda was downright cold this time of the year. Of course, a certain Princess might have warned him, if Han wouldn't have gotten into another war of words with Her Worship right before he left on this supply run. Just thinking about the dark-haired Princess caused Han all sorts of conflicting emotions. A Princess and a guy like him... it wasn't gonna happen, just like Luke pointed out. So why did she occupy much of his waking thoughts, as well as a large portion of his dreams? He was chasing a shooting star, and he knew what would happen if he allowed himself to fall in love - he'd get burned. Better to keep up the impression he was just a cynical smuggler, only in this for the money. Chewie's bark interrupted his musings.

*Perhaps we are lost,* Chewie wuffed in concern as they struggled against the stiff wind.

"Corellians can't get lost," Han growled at his co-pilot, then broke into a large grin as he pointed toward a non-descript building. "There it is... that's the number and description Madine gave us."

No sooner had the words left Han's mouth than a dozen stormtroopers appeared from both directions down the narrow street, blocking their exit. Automatically Han drew his blaster, feeling his body tense and hoping the Imperials were looking for someone else. That hope was quickly shot down as the stormtroopers rushed toward them, firing their weapons.

The Wookiee brought up his bowcaster while Han shot back at their enemies, pushing Chewie toward a parked landspeeder.

"Get inside the speeder," Han ordered sharply. "I'm gonna hotwire this thing so we can blast our way through the Imps."

Using the sides of the craft as cover, Chewie remained outside, covering his partner. There was no way he would get inside the speeder, allowing Han to remain exposed. The Corellian opened the engine cover, desperately trying to connect wires and make the machine run. Sparks flew, forcing Han to drop the cable and he swore loudly, in several different languages.

Chewie turned his head and looked at the engine. *You need to connect that wire with - * He got no further, as a blaster shot burned into his side. The giant Wookiee roared in pain, nearly dropping his bowcaster.

Han felt his heart sink. "Chewie! Get inside the speeder... NOW!" He watched as the Wookiee pulled himself into relative safety inside the vehicle, then turned his attention back to the engine, dragging the wire Chewie had indicated over to the starter connection. The engine roared to life. With no time to celebrate, the Corellian moved to the side of the speeder intending to leap inside - he almost made it. Burning pain ripped down his left leg, and Han crumpled to the street, just as Chewie let loose another roar of warning.

Han turned his head, instantly seeing what Chewie was talking about. Darth Vader was heading toward them, another dozen stormtroopers covering his approach. "GO!" Han yelled toward Chewie. "Get out of here!"

The Wookiee reached over the side of the speeder to pull his partner into the vehicle, while Han tried to struggle to his feet, knowing Chewie would never leave without him. Clutching his leg, Han tried to fire past the stormtroopers and hit the Sith, until a second shot from close by hit his right arm, forcing him to drop his blaster. The stormtroopers quickly moved in, and the two smugglers found themselves outnumbered, outgunned, and completely surrounded. A trooper snatched up the DL-44 blaster, then pulled Han to his feet, while Chewie was forced to throw down his bowcaster and hobble out of the vehicle, his arms raised above his head. Han nearly passed out from the pain of the two blaster shots, but forced his focus on the Sith.

"I have been waiting for you, smuggler," Vader hissed at the man. "Your ship has already been impounded and taken up to the Executor."

"You got the wrong guys," Han quickly bluffed. "We're just independent shippers, pickin' up some medical supplies for a field hospital out on the Rim. Our records are in order, and we've got the disks to prove it."

For a moment, Vader only stared at Solo. Then he replied, "Your cooperation is unnecessary, Captain Solo. As long as you are friends with my son, that is all that matters." Without giving the confused Corellian a chance to respond, Vader ordered his troopers, "Take Solo and the Wookiee to the Executor and have their wounds treated before confining them."

The Dark Lord watched as the injured smugglers were hauled away. His first step toward ensuring Luke's birthright was completed.

 

***

 

Chewie regained awareness lying on his back, inside the main hold of the Falcon. For a few moments, he didn't remember how he got there, but when he sat up his side twinged, and everything rushed back. His wound had been treated, his fur was still slightly sticky from bacta. The familiar rumble of the ship's engines could be heard, but Chewie could hear nothing else inside the ship.

Cautiously, the Wookiee got up off the floor, carefully checking out every area of the ship. He was alone, and floating in space near the Acoda system; no other ship could be seen, either visually, or by checking the long range scanners inside the cockpit. It was then he noticed two disks lying on the console, both with Imperial markings. Chewie slid the tiny object labeled "The Wookiee" into a control box, hitting 'play.' The mask of Darth Vader appeared, and his deep voice filled the tiny cockpit. The Sith's orders were very clear. If Chewie wanted to ever see Han alive, he must do exactly what he was told. Terribly afraid for his friend and partner, the Wookiee headed toward the surface of the planet, knowing he had to waste precious time checking for tracking devices before returning to the Rebellion.

***

Groaning, Han put his hand up to his forehead, rubbing his eyes. His mouth tasted disgusting, like bacta. Why would -? He cut off his own thought process as he recalled the disaster on Acoda. The Corellian opened his eyes and pushed himself into a sitting position, noting the gray prisoner jumpsuit he was now wearing. Immediately he recognized his surroundings, since he'd been well acquainted with them in the past. He was in a standard Imperial prison cell onboard a Star Destroyer, and past experience had also taught him there was no escaping Imperial confinement without some outside help.

Swinging his legs over the side of the hard cot, Han inspected his injured leg, then checked his arm. Both were tender to the touch, but the bacta treatment had worked wonders. His worried mind wandered to his partner. Had they treated Chewie's wound? What had they done to his friend? Imperials were not noted for kindness toward non-humans, and the Wookiee culture seemed to be one of Palpatine's favorite targets.

Then there was the small problem of Vader. Han wondered if he'd be able to withstand the Sith's torture and not betray the Rebellion. Again, his thoughts centered around Princess Leia. He knew she had suffered a great deal during her time aboard the Death Star, and somehow she had withstood the torture, and survived. Mentally, he swore he'd do his best to resist, even if he died during the interrogation. But if they gave him the choice between watching Chewie suffer and die, or betraying Luke and Leia... Han simply didn't know what he'd do if he faced a horrible decision like that.

***

Rebel Base, two days later

Luke wished he could understand the Wookiee language, but he still had a pretty good idea what Chewie was saying. "We'll get him back, Chewie... I promise," Luke said to the loud and distraught Wookiee as he tried to read the fast moving words on the monitor that interpreted the Wookiee's words.

"Sure, Luke," the dark-haired woman mumbled, her voice tight. "How? How are we going to get him back? You tell me that!"

When she looked up, Luke was surprised at the depth of the anger and fear in her expression. Other Rebels had died or gone missing since Luke had joined the Rebellion, and while Leia had mourned them, her reaction over Han's capture was far stronger than he had expected, especially considering the amount of time the two spent bickering. For a second, Luke felt a twinge of jealousy, then pushed it aside with a rush of guilt. Han was in terrible danger, how could he be feeling jealousy toward his friend at a time like this? "We can go to Coruscant -"

"No!" she shouted at Luke. "It will be too late! Vader will kill Han... he probably already has!"

General Rieekan and General Madine had been listening quietly to this exchange. Finally Madine spoke, "We'll need to abandon this base immediately. Solo probably has already told them where we are." He flinched slightly at Chewie's angry roar, then looked over at the Princess. "You've experienced Vader's interrogation techniques, Your Highness. Can you honestly tell me Solo is strong enough, or even committed enough to this Rebellion, to hold back our location?"

Rieekan cleared his throat. "Captain Solo would not deliberately betray us, and I don't doubt his commitment to us, even if he hasn't officially joined. Unfortunately, I have to agree that it's unlikely he could hold out indefinitely under torture. I will start evacuation procedures."

"What about a rescue operation?" Luke questioned before the General could leave. "We can't leave him there as a prisoner."

It was Madine who answered. "This is war, Commander Skywalker. People get taken prisoner all the time, and we can't waste resources trying to rescue one person. It would just result in more deaths, or more Alliance members taken prisoner. Rescue attempts are seldom successful."

"How can you say that?" Luke pressed. "We rescued Leia!"

"That was luck, Skywalker. Just luck." Madine turned and walked away.

"I'm sorry, Commander," Rieekan told Luke, then looked over at a grim-faced Princess Leia. "I know Captain Solo was your friend, and he was a good man to have on our side. Unfortunately, we have no idea where Han was taken, so I have to agree with General Madine once again. Han will be missed." The General followed Madine out of the small debriefing room, leaving the three friends alone with their grief.

When the door shut, Chewie stood up. *Luke, I need to show you something important. Alone.* he woofed quietly, and somewhat apologetically toward Leia, waiting while the young man read the monitor. *Please, come to the Falcon with me.*

Leia watched as her friends filed out of the room, wondering why Chewie chose not to include her in whatever he needed to show Luke.

 

***

 

Chewie motioned Luke into the cockpit, indicating he should sit in Han's chair. Then he slid in the Imperial disk with the name, 'Luke Skywalker' written on it. Luke watched in stunned silence as Darth Vader spoke into the holo-recorder.

"Luke Skywalker," the Sith told him. "My birth name is Anakin Skywalker, and I am your father. Obi-Wan Kenobi was once my friend and mentor, but before you were born he tried to kill me. When he failed, he stole you from me as an act of revenge. But he was not successful in hiding you. I've known for quite some time you were living on Tatooine, although why the old man allowed you to keep your true name is beyond my comprehension. I suspect it was to lure me to Tatooine. Did he think I'd come for you, while he thought he was still strong enough to defeat me? Perhaps Obi-Wan thought he was being clever, living in the desert and watching over you, so I allowed the old man his illusion because it served my purpose."

"I apologize for hurting your friends, but it was necessary to capture Solo, and his injuries were his own fault. Considering the odds, Solo should have realized he could not possibly escape, and given up."

Vader gave an exasperated shake of his head before continuing. "The time has finally come for us to join together, my son. I need to speak to you in person, for there is much I need to tell you that I cannot say on this recording. Also, I sincerely doubt you'd agree to meet me without some incentive to do so. I have treated Solo's injuries, just as the Wookiee was treated. He will not be harmed if you follow my orders. Your friendship with the smuggler is puzzling, but strong, so I suspect you will do what I request. Normally I would not approve of Solo as your friend, but since he prevented me from accidentally harming you over Yavin, I will make an exception. My good will has limits, however. If you do not meet with me, it will force me to punish Solo for your disobedience. In that case, any injuries or harm that befalls him will be on your shoulders, not mine. There will be exact directions on this disk where I want to meet you. Do not be foolish enough to think you can outwit me and rescue Solo. If you do exactly as the disk orders it will not be necessary to rescue him, for he will be released when the time is right, and I no longer require his.. company."

Vader's mask disappeared, followed by a long series of numbers that Luke knew translated into hyperspace coordinates.

*Luke.?* the Wookiee asked softly, knowing the young man was overwhelmed by this information. *If you do not wish to face Vader, I will not blame you. But I will go to this system, and try to rescue Han, even if you decide not to come.*

The young man turned his haunted blue eyes toward the Wookiee. "He's lying, right? Vader couldn't be my father." It was too unthinkable to imagine Vader was telling the truth. Princess Leia would hate him, everyone in the Rebellion would think he was a spy... or shun him.

*No, Vader is not. But perhaps Anakin Skywalker was.*

"What's the difference?"

*Perhaps nothing, young one. Perhaps everything.*

 

***

Executor

Heavily guarded and with stun cuffs around his wrists, Han Solo was taken into a small room, empty except for a single chair. The troopers pushed him to sit, then left the room. Han immediately stood up, pacing around the edge of the room, anticipating the worst. It was strange that the chair had no straps to restrain him, or that no instruments of torture were lying in plain sight to intimidate and instill fear.

The outer door cycled open, and the Corellian spun around to face the Sith. "I was wondering what was takin' you so long," Han drawled. "But then, it's fashionable to be late to the party, ain't it?"

"Isn't."

"What?"

"The proper word is 'isn't', not 'ain't'."

Han gave a harsh laugh. "I never thought Vader would be giving me a lesson in grammar."

"You need to be taught many lessons, Solo. Give me enough motivation, and I may be more than willing to teach you." The Dark Lord waved at the chair. "Sit."

"I'd rather stand," Han replied defiantly. To his utter surprise, he felt his feet lifting off the floor, then his body was forcibly slammed down on the chair.

"I insist," Vader hissed, stalking up and standing behind the smuggler. He placed his gloved hand on the back of Solo's neck, sensing through the Force the smuggler fighting the urge to jerk away. "That is your first lesson. Do not defy my orders again. You are making it very difficult for me not to punish you. Is that what you truly desire, Solo? Pain?"

"For some reason, I doubt I'm gonna have much say so in the matter."

"You might be surprised, Solo," Vader answered. "My only desire at this point is to convince my son that I am only looking out for his best interests. I would like your cooperation in this, but I will not hesitate to use my considerable influence to persuade you."

"Son? I don't know your son," Han said, his confusion starting to overtake his trepidation.

"You know him. You have saved his life, as a matter of fact."

"Really? I saved the son of a Sith? I doubt it."

Vader removed his hand, then shifted his body so Han could see him. "My son is Luke Skywalker."

At first, Han was speechless. Then he laughed, shaking his head. "You're crazy. Luke is one of the nicest people I know... there is no way you could be -"

"He is my son," Vader interrupted, irritated at the Corellian's disbelief. "My birth name was Anakin Skywalker, before Kenobi tried to murder me. At the time, my wife was pregnant, and while I was recovering from his treachery, she gave birth. He stole my son, thinking he could hide Luke in plain sight...in the last place he thought I would look." Vader turned his helmet away from Han. "But I found out where he was, and I waited for the right time. Then Kenobi snatched him away again, right before I arrived to claim him." The Sith looked back at Han. "I believe it was at that point you and your copilot entered the picture."

Han stared up at the Sith. "Can you back any of these claims up, Vader?"

"Medical tests will prove to Luke I am not lying."

The Corellian decided not to point out that medical tests could be fabricated. "So you're using me as bait, right? What makes you think Luke will try and rescue me?"

"Would you try to rescue Luke, if I had captured him?" Vader returned.

"Of course."

"There is your answer, then. He will come for you," the Sith stated. "Now you will be taken back to your cell. I strongly suggest you behave, because we will be leaving the Executor very shortly. I do not want trouble from you when I come for you, since I have limited patience. Remember - you have been warned."

"What did you do to my partner?" Han asked before the Sith could leave.

"He was treated, then released so he could pass along information to my son. The Wookiee should be back at your Rebel base by now. It shouldn't take too long for them to arrive at our rendezvous."

"Why did you bother treating my injuries?" Han questioned, truly curious. It wouldn't lessen the effectiveness of a trap to keep him hurting, unless he was trying to show Luke what a good guy he was under all that armor.

"The TIE fighter you shot off Luke's back, right before Luke's shot went in the exhaust port?" Vader hesitated. "That was me. I almost killed my own son without knowing it, and perhaps that was exactly what Obi-Wan intended to happen. You saved his life, and by doing so, saved me as well. I owe you, Solo. But just because I owe you, doesn't mean I still won't punish you, if you do something that warrants punishment."

"Like trying to escape?"

"Exactly." The Sith left, and the stormtroopers quickly took Han back to his cell.

***

Rebel Base

"Where do you think you're going?" Leia's voice said from behind Luke as he tried sneaking aboard the Falcon later that night with Artoo in tow. With all the activity around them, it seemed unlikely to the young pilot that anyone would notice him carrying his bags inside the large hanger. Apparently, he'd underestimated the Princess's power of observation.

"I, um, just thought I'd help Chewie prep the Falcon." When Leia frowned, he continued on, his voice rising in pitch as he defended his actions. "He needs some help without Han around."

"Really?"

"Uh.. yes."

Leia grabbed Luke by the arm, hustling him inside the well-lit freighter. "You're leaving with Chewie, aren't you? Do you know that's desertion? You could be court-martialed!"

Luke grew still, thinking about Vader. Even if he stayed, a court-martial wasn't out of the question, and rescuing Han wasn't the only issue at this point, but it was still the most important one. "I have to help Chewie try and rescue Han. He's my friend."

"He's my friend, too," Leia replied hotly as she tried to convince not only Luke, but herself. "But Madine and Rieekan are right... you'll only end up getting killed or captured. This is foolish, especially since we don't have any idea where Han has been taken."

"We know, Leia," Luke answered.

"What!"

"Chewie couldn't say anything to Command, but Vader left him instructions on how to get Han back, and -"

"Then it's a trap!"

"Probably. But I'm still going with Chewie. If I can, I'll make it back to the Rebellion and face whatever charges they want to put on me." He looked directly in Leia's eyes, desperately wanting to tell her everything on the disk, and at the same time, horrified at the thought of revealing the information. "I can't abandon Han."

"Then will you go get my bag? It's the green one, right over by the box of medical bandages." When Luke frowned in confusion, Leia smiled. "I'm not letting you and Chewie have all the fun and glory."

The young man felt a surge of panic. If the Princess came along, there would be no way he could keep her from learning about the disk, and the claims Vader had made. "Leia, do you know how dangerous this will be? Vader will probably be there and you're right...it's likely we'll be walking into a trap."

"Yes, I do know how dangerous it is." She stood on her toes, kissing his cheek. "Don't argue with me, Luke. I'm coming."

Chewie stuck his head around the curved corridor, then pointed out the lowered hatch to get his point across. *You heard the Princess. Go get her bags.*  It pleased the Wookiee that the pretty Princess cared enough about his cub to risk going after him. He would be sure to point this out to Han once they had him safely back.

Smiling sweetly, Leia said, "And Threepio is standing right there. Bring him along, too." Chewie let out a loud howl of protest. "Chewie, we need him along to translate."

The Wookiee responded by banging his head against the wall.

***

Executor

The door opened in the middle of the 'night' cycle, waking Han out of a restless sleep. Squinting at the sudden increase in light, Han sat up, staring through bleary eyes at the tall Sith. "Now what?"

"I told you we would be leaving soon. It's time." The Sith held out binders. "Stand up, Solo."

Nervously, the Corellian stood and held out his wrists while the man clamped them around his wrists. Then Vader pulled Han by his arm, pushing him out of the cell and down the narrow hallway. "Where are you taking me?"

"That is not your concern."

"Really?" Han twisted his head so he could look up at the black helmet. "Well, I hate to tell you this, Your Darthship, but actually I am a bit concerned."

Inside his mask, the Dark Lord actually smiled. As annoying as the Corellian was, he was also somewhat amusing. Very few beings had the nerve to talk back to the Sith, and they never used sarcasm or mocking nicknames. If they would dare try, they would end up dead. "You are very fortunate I need you alive, smuggler."

"Fortunate," Han muttered. "Yep, that's what I'm feeling right now - very fortunate." Han could almost swear he heard the Sith laugh inside his mask.

***

Millennium Falcon

Leia folded her extra clothing, putting them in the drawer that Han had cleared for her use while she traveled on his ship. She tried not to think about the Corellian. He's just a friend... Sighing, Leia sat down on the edge of the bed. Han's bed. He always let her use his berth when flying her around, while he bunked with Chewie in his room. He argued and fought with her over the smallest things, yet he always made nice meals for her when they traveled. He made suggestive comments while the Rogue Squadron listened just to get her riled up and embarrassed, but never tried taking advantage of her when they were alone. He refused to officially join the Rebellion, still, he put himself in harm's way to protect her. He never took on a job without being paid, but he took on dangerous assignments with a cocky, devil-may-care attitude. I can't figure him out, so why do I keep trying?

To stop thinking about the Corellian, Leia focused her mind on Luke. Something was wrong with the young pilot, and whatever it was had happened since Chewie took him onboard the Falcon to 'show' him something in private. Some secret she wasn't important, or trustworthy, enough to confide in. The exclusion bothered her, more than she'd care to admit. Since when did people keep secrets from her? Of course, there were plenty of official Rebel secrets she was privy to, confidential information that people like Han Solo could not be told... because he wasn't an 'official' part of the Rebellion. It was so annoying that Command didn't trust the Corellian. How many times did he have to risk life and limb before they were convinced he was trustworthy? And why am I thinking about Solo, again?

***

Luke was sitting at the small game table when Chewie entered. He listened forlornly as the Wookiee gave a long series of barks, then looked over at Threepio for translation. "Chewbacca has informed us that we are now safely in hyperspace. The Rebel Command requested we return to base, but Chewbacca politely declined their invitation," the gold droid told Luke.

"I guess that makes us officially fugitives from the Alliance and the Empire," Luke mumbled, feeling disheartened. "What am I going to tell Leia?"

"Are you asking me? Or Chewbacca?"

"Chewie," Luke answered with a sigh.

After a few more howls, Threepio translated, "Chewbacca suggests you tell her the truth."  The droid cocked his head. "May I inquire what your dilemma might be, Master Luke?"

"No." Luke abruptly stood up and headed out of the hold, leaving the droid and Wookiee behind. He knew the Wookiee was right, even if his stomach felt like it was in knots and his hands were sweating. He would tell Leia what was on that disk, then she would tell him that everything would be okay, and they'd both laugh at the outrageous claim. At least, that's what Luke tried telling himself would happen. It couldn't be true, he told himself for the hundredth time since watching the holo. If it were... then Obi-Wan had been lying to him. Obi-Wan Kenobi was the last Jedi Knight. He was a war hero, a General. No, what Vader claimed was nothing more than a lie to fluster him, throw him off-guard. Vader was evil... Obi-Wan was good. He just needed Leia to reassure him of this fact.

"I truly don't understand why humans don't confide in me more often," Threepio told Chewie as he watched Luke storm out of the hold. "I am quite capable of giving advice based on all possible variances, and give an accurate probability of success and failure based on those choices."

If Luke and Leia weren't so attached to the protocol droid, Chewie would have thrown him out of the airlock.

***

The Sith led his captive into a vast hanger, then headed toward a large, very impressive looking shuttle. Shaped a bit like the Falcon, but slightly bigger, the ship had flat, wide wings that flared out. The cockpit was in the center of the curved front part of the ship, bulging outward from the dark body. Impressive, and very visible, weapons hung from the belly of the ship, as well as the wings.

"Nice ship," Han commented truthfully.

"It puts your rusty antique to shame."

"Hey!" Han skidded to a stop, glaring at the Sith. "The Falcon can make point five past light speed! I've outrun Imperial Destroyers and ..."

Vader held up his hand. "Spare me, Solo. I am well aware of the misplaced pride you have in that outdated, over-modified spice hauler. My private shuttle is a true work of art. Once you feel the power beneath your boots, you will never want to set eyes on your precious freighter again."

"I doubt it," Han said stubbornly, frowning at the insults to his ship.

Darth Vader used the Force to push the Corellian forward, toward the lowered entry hatch. "I don't care about your doubts, Captain."

Entering the ship, Han looked around as he was herded toward the cockpit. It was just as sleek and powerful looking inside as out. "What do you call her?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"The name of your ship? It has to have a name."

"Amidala. The name of my ship is Amidala."

 

***

 

Rebel Base

General Madine was furious. "I knew something wasn't right about that Wookiee's story," he railed at Rieekan and Mon Mothma. "If they were both captured, why would Vader set the Wookiee free? It didn't make any sense... we should have arrested him."

"On what charge?" Rieekan asked, his voice weary.

"Treason!"

"Arrest him on charges of treason, with no evidence? Are we the Empire, now?"

"He obviously kidnapped Commander Skywalker and the Princess," Madine shot back. "Solo and the Wookiee are probably spies... working for the Empire."

Mon Mothma shook her head. "The recordings show very clearly that Luke and Leia both entered the Millennium Falcon willingly, and with personal belongings. If Solo was a spy, Chewbacca would not have returned, and our base would have been attacked. Commander Skywalker and Princess Leia went with Chewbacca to try and rescue Captain Solo."

"If that's true, then Skywalker and Organa are both fools and deserters!"

"Or there is something more here, something we are all missing," Rieekan said quietly.

***

Millennium Falcon

The Princess jumped slightly when she heard a tap on her door. "Come in."

The door slid open, revealing a very nervous looking Luke Skywalker. For a second, it reminded Leia of when Luke was standing at her cell door onboard the Death Star. "My name is Luke Skywalker, and I'm here to rescue you." Leia smiled at the young man she felt was her dearest friend. She never felt confused or conflicted around Luke, or lie awake at night thinking about him, getting angry at herself for having fantasies that her aunts would find shocking. No, those private thoughts were reserved for someone else, someone completely inappropriate for a Princess.

"Leia..." Luke shifted on his feet, staring at the floor. "I need to tell you something important."

"Is this what Chewie wanted to talk to you about?" she asked. A few seconds before she had been irritated for having been excluded, now suddenly, she was worried.

Sometimes Luke felt transparent, especially around the Princess. Why was it he felt she could see right into his very soul? "Yes. It is." He held out his hand, showing her a small disk with Imperial markings. "When Chewie woke up on the Falcon, he found this."

Leia made no move to take the disk from Luke's hand, looking at it as though it might jump at her and bite. "I assume that's the instruction disk where to locate Han?"

"He left two disks. One was the instruction disk to Chewie, and this one was for me. Personally."

Leia stared at the disk. Something was wrong, and she had a feeling she didn't want to hear whatever Vader said on the recording. "I don't think I can watch and listen to Vader."

The young man coughed. "It would be easier than me telling you, but I understand." Taking a deep breath, Luke plunged ahead. "Vader claims he trapped Han so, so... I'd come talk to him."

"Talk?" Leia asked, her eyes wide. "Vader doesn't talk, Luke. He tortures. He kills."

"He says he's my father." There...it was said. He waited, hoping she would laugh. Instead, the Princess got angry.

"He's lying," Leia snapped, taking a step closer to the Tatooine moisture farmer turned Rebel. "He's just trying to... trying to..."

"Trying to, what?" Luke questioned quietly.

"Capture the person responsible for destroying Palpatine's death toy. Somehow, he must have found out it was you that made that shot," she returned bitterly, her eyes narrowing. "And he'll say anything to get you to do what he wants you to do."

"Why, though? Just telling us where to find Han would have been enough to convince us to try and rescue him. Why would Vader come up with something like that?"

Leia thought furiously. Luke simply couldn't be Vader's son. It's no more possible than I'm his - "Maybe he didn't think we cared enough about Han to come after him, unless he gave us some other reason."

"You didn't need another reason."

Flustered, the Princess realized Luke was right. She was heading right toward the man she feared and hated the most, all because she felt utterly compelled to try and save a smuggler she'd only known for six months, a smuggler that kept threatening to leave. Vader certainly didn't leave her a disk, only Chewie and Luke received instructions. It was very unlikely he expected her to be among those aboard the Falcon. "Are you telling me you believe him?"

"I don't know," Luke admitted. "Would you hate me?"

"What? Why would I hate you?"

"I mean... if it turns out to be true? Would you hate me then?"

The Princess looked away, unable to met Luke's eyes, and feeling sick. "I don't know... maybe."

Her admission was painful as a slap across the face. Luke turned and walked out of the cabin without another word.

***

Amidala

Han watched as the stars streaked into hyperspace blurs. Vader was right about his ship; it was impressive, fast and powerful. But it was no Falcon, and Han felt defensive just thinking about his beloved ship. He looked over at the Sith sitting in the pilot's seat. "Why did you name her the Amidala?"

"I wanted to."

"A big secret, huh?"

Vader turned his mask to look directly at the Corellian. "It is none of your business."

"Fine. Sorry I asked."

After a moment, Vader decided to question the smuggler. "Why have you stayed with the Rebellion for over half a year?"

"They pay good," Han replied quickly. It was a safe answer, much safer than the one he spent his nights thinking about.

Behind his mask, Vader smirked. The Corellian's feelings were coming through clearly. He cared about the Rebels, and one Rebel in particular. "She is too good for you."

"What?" Han snapped, spinning his chair to face the Sith, his fists clenched in his lap since the binders were still firmly around his wrists.

"The Princess. You have feelings for her. You cannot hide your emotions from me. They are far too strong."

Han felt a rush of outrage at the Sith for the intrusion into his thoughts and feelings. "She's too good for me? Are you talking about the same Princess you were about to execute?"

"She would not have been executed," Vader replied easily. "It was just another way to convince her to reveal the location of the Rebel Base."

"Sure," Han said in disbelief. "Why was the Rebel Base so important six months ago, but now you don't seem to care a vrelth's backside about it?"

"Tarkin cared. Palpatine cared." Vader shrugged. "Events have altered my priorities."

"Events. You mean Luke?"

"I mean Luke."

"I still don't believe Luke is your son," Han stated.

"Your belief, or lack thereof, is irrelevant. The fact remains that my son is coming to me... I can feel the shift in the Force already. Soon things will change, the leadership of the Empire will change. And the Skywalkers will finally gain the respect of the entire galaxy."

"Respect is earned, Vader."

"So it is, Captain Solo. So it is."

 

***

 

System 14.9367, three days later.

The Amidala dropped out of hyperspace in a very remote area of space, far past the Serpindal system. Little was known about this area of space, except that few pilots ventured beyond this point. A small, desolate planet could be seen in the distance. "There. That is the place where we will wait."

Han frowned at the murky, brown orb, absent-mindedly rubbing the binders that were back around his wrists. He was getting a bit tired of having restraints around his wrists all the time, but at least they were regular binders, and not painful stun cuffs. A very important distinction as far as Han was concerned. "What's the name of that system?"

"It has no official name. It's designated as System 14.9367. The planet has no breathable atmosphere, and no native life.. either sentient, or otherwise. During the Old Republic era, it had an artificial atmosphere dome which was operated as a scientific outpost, but it has been abandoned. The dome is where we will wait for Luke."

"How do you know this dome still is operational?"

"It is."

"Just one of those Force things I'll never understand, I suppose?"

"You are learning, even if you are incredibly slow."

"But once it sinks in, it's permanently embedded," Han pointed out with a grin. "At least that's what my academy instructors always told me."

Vader spared a glance at the cocky smuggler. "You will be lucky if I don't crush your larynx before this is all done, Solo."

"Aw, if I couldn't talk, you'd be bored outta your mind," Han returned quickly, hoping the Sith wasn't serious. Han had spent the majority of the trip locked inside a small berth that had been modified to be escape-proof. He'd only been allowed out to use the refresher. Food had been limited to water and ration bars, but the Corellian didn't dare make any complaints. At least the binders had been removed during his confinement in the berth. "Sides, if you think I'm bad, you should try hangin' around the Princess's droid for a while. Goldenrod's constant blather makes you wish you'd never been born."

"Goldenrod?"

"That's what I call him. His designation is See-Threepio, and talk about an antique. I don't think he's had a memory wipe in years, which doesn't make his prissy personality any easier to stomach."

Vader started slightly at the protocol droid's number. It couldn't possibly be the same one. Prissy? Antique? The odds of that droid being the same one were too small to even contemplate.

***

Millennium Falcon

Artoo cooed softly, trying to bring Luke out of his depression. The young man had been lying in bed for days, hardly moving or eating. When the human didn't respond, he extended his 'arm', gently poking him in his shoulder. "Breepee?"

"Just leave me alone, Artoo."

The little droid swiveled his domed head sadly. He had never seen his Master so depressed, and the astromech was becoming very concerned. Spinning around, he decided to go find Chewbacca. Maybe the Wookiee could fix Luke.

A little while later, Chewie tapped softly on Luke's door before sticking his head in the room. *We are approaching the stopping coordinates. I would like a co-pilot when we come out of hyperspace.* He looked over at Threepio, who politely translated his request.

"Ask Leia," Luke muttered into his pillow. "She's just as good a pilot as I am, anyway."

*That is not true, Skywalker. You have been moping around for three days now, not even getting out of bed. There is no excuse for this behavior.*

Luke sat up, glaring at Threepio during the translation, then jumped up off the bed. "Are you kidding me! My father might be Darth Vader! Leia hates me! How can you possibly think I don't have any excuse?"

"I don't hate you," a soft voice spoke from behind the Wookiee. Leia stepped into the berth, deep circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. "I'm sorry I said that, Luke. It was inexcusable."

"Yes, it was," Luke shot back, thinking back over the past three days that Leia had been avoiding him. Never in his life had he felt so rejected, so.. alone. "Even if Vader is telling the truth, which I don't think he is, I'm not Vader! I can't help who my parents were... or are. I didn't get the opportunity to pick and choose, Leia. Nobody does."

"I know." Leia looked at the floor, truly ashamed. She had come to this conclusion more than a standard day ago, yet had been unable to face Luke after her hurtful comments to him. "Please forgive me."

For a long while, Luke said nothing. Finally, he spoke softly, "You, Chewie and Han are the only family I have left, even if we're not a real, related family. If you push me away, or if Vader kills Han..."

"That's not going to happen," Leia stated firmly, feeling her heart skip a beat at the thought of Han dying. "We're going to rescue Han, and you're going to find out what I already know. Vader is nothing more than a manipulating liar. He's a Sith Lord, and that's what they do, Luke. Lie and murder." She stepped forward, hugging him tightly, hoping he would forgive her.

Luke nodded and returned her embrace, hoping with his entire heart Leia was right. His mind, or maybe the Force, was telling him something different.

***

System 14.9367

"Nice place," Han commented dryly as they walked around the sterile, enclosed dome. Everything looked surprisingly clean, and personal items like family holos and cups were still sitting where the owners had left them, almost like they expected to return. "Why was this place abandoned?"

"No one knows."

Frowning, the Corellian looked up at the tall Sith. "I don't understand."

"According to the recorded information, one day the scientists were working here, sending back daily reports. Everything seemed fine. Then, the next day, the reports stopped being transmitted. A supply ship was diverted to see if there was a problem. When the pilot contacted Coruscant, he said all the inhabitants had vanished. No messages. No distress signals. Nothing. They were never found, or heard from again."

"That's strange."

Vader nodded in agreement. "In fact, it was so strange that the Republic sent several Jedi to investigate. Those Jedi also disappeared. The start of the Clone Wars put an end to the investigation. For years afterwards, rumors circulated that the place was cursed, and no one would venture back here."

"That makes me feel nice and secure," Han joked.

"You don't strike me as the superstitious sort, Solo."

"A person doesn't have to be superstitious to think of other ways those scientists could have disappeared. Maybe there's a more reasonable explanation - like unfriendly pirates, or a spice-crazed hermit."

Vader was amused at that suggestion. "Spice-crazed hermit?"

"All right... pirates, then."

"Pirates, no matter how unfriendly, could not have disposed of two Jedi. And there were over one hundred scientists on this outpost. A distress signal, or some type of message, would certainly have been left behind. There was no evidence of violence."

"What do you think happened, then?"

"I have no idea," Vader admitted, as he looked out of the viewport, and stared at the reddish, rock-strewn surface. "Perhaps if we stay long enough, we will find out."

"Swell," Han muttered under his breath. "I'm starting to think I took this supply trip for way too little money."

 

***

Millennium Falcon

The old freighter dropped out of hyperspace at the designated coordinates, the shields at full power, while Chewie kept his large paw on the lever, prepared to pull the ship back into the safety of hyperspace. Silently, they looked at the blackness of space and the tiny, red system that was the meeting place.

*Sensors show this system has no breathable atmosphere. Are we supposed to wear pressure suits?*

Frowning, Leia looked over the Wookiee's shoulder. "No, look. Something is right there... on the surface." She watched as Chewie adjusted the controls. "An artificial atmosphere dome," she murmured after the object registered. "That's the only place they can be."

Luke looked back at the Princess, sensing her increasing trepidation at confronting Darth Vader. "You shouldn't have come, Leia."

"Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't do, Luke," she replied, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. "This was my decision, not yours."

Standing next to Leia, Threepio said in a low voice to Artoo, "This wasn't my decision... no one gives us droids any choice." But no one was listening as the Falcon made a swooping turn and headed for the planet.

***

Now standing in what had been the main laboratory, Vader stood facing the duraglass, watching the Corellian's reflection as Solo peeled the wrapper off a ration bar and chewed it with a look of disgust on his face. Vader was surprised that the Corellian hadn't complained about the food onboard his ship. He must have some common sense after all, he mused to himself. It had been two decades since Vader had tasted food, ration bars, or anything else. His injuries were so extensive that he was forced to drink a specialized liquid. It was full of vitamins and calories, but he longed to be able to actually taste and chew.

Then he felt a tremor in the Force, and looked up, through the high ceiling. "They have arrived."

"They?"

"Luke, your Wookiee friend and..." Vader trailed off thoughtfully. "And the Princess. Interesting."

Han's eyes grew wide with concern. "Leia? Leia's here? Why in the seven hells would she come along?"

"Perhaps your feelings are not unreciprocated, Solo," Vader responded as he faced the Corellian.

For a second Han didn't understand what the Sith meant. Then it dawned on him. "The Princess doesn't have feelings for me... other than friendship," Han argued. "If she came, it was probably to keep the kid outta trouble."

"Perhaps," Vader agreed easily, pointing to a table and chair. "Sit down, Solo. I wish for them to come to us, not the other way around. We are not hiding, so locating us will not be difficult."

Slowly, Han sat, knowing if he refused the Sith would just use his power to force the issue. He crumpled his wrapper and tossed it on the table, trying not to worry about what would happen next, and wishing he had his trusty blaster strapped to his side.

***

The hanger doors cycled open, allowing the Falcon entry into the huge space. Half a dozen Old Republic-era steel gray shuttles sat, neatly lined up on either side of the room. As the door automatically shut behind them, Chewie landed the Falcon directly behind a much newer shuttle - a shiny, black ship that appeared both menacing and out-of-place among the benign, older ships. Leia swallowed as she stared at the shuttle. It must be Darth Vader's... it looks like him, even, she thought, glancing over at Luke.

The young pilot was going through the landing procedures, his face a mask of grim determination. He looked over at the Princess. "You can still stay on the Falcon, and wait for us."

"Yes! Thank the Maker!" Threepio cried out in joy. "I would love to stay here and wait for you, Master Luke. How very kind of you to think of me!"

"I was asking Leia," Luke said dryly.

"Oh..."

Leia unstrapped her safety harness, and stood up. "I'm coming." She checked the power pack on the blaster, making sure it was fully charged.

"A blaster isn't going to stop Vader," Luke pointed out.

"You distract him with your lightsaber, while Chewie and I rescue Han. He won't be able to deflect all of our shots away," Leia insisted. "Once Han is safe, then the four of us can move in for the kill."

Leia's words echoed through Luke's mind as the group headed out of the Falcon, using a small life-sign sensor to locate Vader and Han. Move in for the kill... move in for the kill...

***

Vader was now pacing the laboratory, his body language tense, his breathing coming in much shorter rasps. Han watched the Sith in silence, knowing instinctively that if he said the wrong word now, the Sith would not laugh at his joke - he would kill him without hesitating. The Corellian glanced down at his binders, trying to think of some way he'd be able to help Chewie and Luke fight the Sith. And why... why did the Princess have to complicate things by coming? It was when he was looking down at his wrists that Han suddenly noticed something very odd. A fine, reddish mist was rising up off the floor. For a second Han thought that this was part of the rescue plan, then he quickly discounted the idea. His friends had only been on the surface for ten minutes, at the most. There was no way they could be responsible for the mist, especially since it wasn't coming from the air vents, but literally seeping from the seams along the durasteel flooring.

Reluctantly, Han decided to interrupt the Sith's pacing. "Uh... Vader?"

The Sith spun around, his hand clenching the hilt of his lightsaber. "What, smuggler? I am in no mood for your witty remarks," he hissed out in warning.

Han gave a quick nod downward. "I just wanted to point out the floor is doing something strange."

Irritated, the Sith Lord gave a quick glance at the floor, then did a double-take. The red mist was now knee high, with tendrils that appeared to be actually reaching for both the Sith and the smuggler. Nervously, Han stood up to move his face further away from the mist.

"Maybe we should leave this room," Han suggested. "This outpost is a big place, we can wait somewhere else."

"Perhaps you are correct." Vader grabbed the smuggler by his bicep, pulling him toward the exit. The door, which had opened so easily and obediently when they entered, remained shut. Vader pressed the buttons. Still no response. Giving an exasperated hiss, the Sith turned on his red lightsaber, driving the humming beam through the metal door. The metal started slowly melting, but as far as Han was concerned, it was too slow. Although he could not smell any odor, he was becoming lightheaded and his vision was starting to dim.

"Could you please hurry? I think I'm about to pass out..." Then Han's legs folded, and he went down in a heap to the misty floor.

Vader ignored the Corellian, cutting away at the door until it slowly gave way. Using the Force, he pushed it outward. It clanged to the ground with an extremely loud thud. The Sith noticed the hallway was also filled with the same red haze. He turned and hoisted the unconscious smuggler onto his shoulder, pausing a half a heartbeat to wonder why he was bothering to save the man.

The mist was now becoming thick and difficult to see through. Whether it was the Force, or the filter on his respirator, Vader had not yet been affected by the mist. Then he hurried down the corridor toward the hanger.

 

***

 

 

It was Chewie that noticed the mist first. With a series of short barks, he pointed at the floor. Luke and Leia didn't need Threepio to tell them what Chewie was saying as they looked down and saw the mist.

"Vader is doing this," Leia quickly guessed. "He's trying to drug us!"

"We need to get back to the Falcon and get airmasks," Luke replied as he looked back the direction they had just come from. The mist filled the hallway. If it was poison, or something to sedate them, it wasn't too likely they would make it back in time. "Threepio, if we pass out, you and Artoo will need to get us those masks."

Artoo gave a beep, indicating he understood, and turned to head back to the Falcon.

Less than halfway back, Leia collapsed, and Chewie reached down to pick her up. Desperately, Luke tried to use the Force to remain conscious, but with the little training he'd been given he never had a chance. Slowly Luke sank to his knees, then his lightsaber dropped from his grip as he fell face forward. Giving a howl of frustration, Chewie bent over, trying to pull Luke onto his shoulder. With his face so close to the floor, the strange fumes quickly overtook the Wookiee, leaving only Threepio and Artoo still aware of what was happening.

Threepio threw up his hands in despair. "Oh, dear... I knew we should have stayed with the ship! How are we going to save them? Everyone will die... and it will be all your fault, Artoo!"

The little blue and white droid gave an indignant whistle, and Threepio looked down through the mist that enveloped the little droid. "Of course it's your fault! It certainly isn't my fault!" Artoo rolled away from his partner, forcing the protocol droid to hurry after him, still yelling, "It wasn't my idea to come to this dreadful place!"

***

Darth Vader nearly tripped on the unconscious body of the Wookiee. Frowning, he squinted down and saw not only the Wookiee, but the Princess and Luke lying on the floor. His son was his first concern so he picked Luke up with his free arm. If he could, he would try and come back for the Wookiee and the Princess, but if not... well, they were not really his problem, he reasoned.

As he approached the hanger he immediately noticed that the Falcon was parked behind his ship, blocking the Amidala's exit lane. He shook his head with disgust, then stalked up the lowered ramp of the Falcon. An astromech droid was whistling further inside the ship, and for a brief moment, Vader thought he heard the familiar voice of... no. It couldn't possibly be him.

He didn't have time to check, quickly placing the Corellian and his son on the floor, then hurried out to retrieve the others, grateful the red fog didn't seem to be coming into the hanger - yet.

Turning the corner, he came to an abrupt halt. The mist was dissipating and solidifying, the tendrils were changing, becoming snakes that were at least three times the length of a man. The snakes were dark red, each with iridescent scales, a long narrow nose and rows of very sharp fangs. And they were slithering toward the Wookiee and the Princess.

Vader ignited his lightsaber, and the red eyes of the twenty-some snakes focused on the humming blade. Their scales rippled along their spine and they reared back, showing a silvery underside, hissing at the saber. "So you've seen lightsabers in the past," Vader remarked as he moved forward, driving the huge creatures backwards. The Dark Lord glanced down at the unmoving Princess and the Wookiee. It would make far more sense to return to the hanger and leave them here to their deaths. The Wookiee was strong and dangerous... the Princess hated the Sith, and for good reason. Vader stepped over the unconscious pair, putting himself between the huge snakes and the two fallen Rebels. The Force seemed to be compelling him to save them, so he swung his lightsaber at the snakes, severing the closest into two pieces. Instantly they dissipated, leaving no evidence of their existence other than a fine red mist that quickly faded away.

The Sith tried to focus on the creatures, to locate their life-force and destroy them from the inside, but there was nothing in the Force that indicated they were even there. Vader had no time to ponder the strangeness of something obviously living, yet without a Force-presence. The snake-creatures surged forward, hissing and spitting at the Dark Lord, trying to get him to retreat. Vader glanced over his shoulder, then noticed a second group of snakes heading toward the unconscious pair from the opposite direction. Things were not looking good.

***

Luke spluttered and gasped as the oxygen mask brought him back to awareness. Artoo gave a happy beep, rolling closer to his Master. To his utter shock, he saw that Han was lying next to him, unconscious, but with a mask over his face as well. "Artoo? How did I get back on the ship? How did Han get here?" He sat up and looked around in concern. "Where's Leia and Chewie?"

"Master Luke!" Threepio keened in despair, still holding two of the masks. "Princess Leia and Chewbacca are still in the corridor... with Vader! Darth Vader must have brought you here, because we saw him leaving the ship just as we came around the corner with your oxygen masks! Oh dear me... the Princess and Master Chewbacca are doomed!"

"Stay here with Han," Luke ordered, his voice muffled from the airmask as he staggered to his feet. "I'm going back for Leia and Chewie."

"But... Master Luke! What about the poison mist and Darth Vader?"

Luke snatched the two oxygen masks that Threepio was holding. "I'm going after them!" Threepio and Artoo watched worriedly as the young Jedi ran back out of the ship.

Luke looked around the hanger, briefly wondering why there was no mist. He rushed back down the corridor, then came to a sudden stop. The hallway was filled with huge, red-scaled reptiles, and Vader stood in the middle of them, slashing his blade in both directions, trying to drive them away.

And Leia and Chewie were still on the floor, unmoving.

***

 

Vader immediately saw his son. "Luke! It would appear I need your assistance."

Flustered, the young man shouted back, "I don't have any weapons... I dropped my lightsaber when I blacked out!"

The Sith spared a second to glance down, and saw the silver tube on the floor, near the Princess. Using the Force, he raised the saber up, then tossed it over the snakes and into his son's waiting hand. He could sense surprise radiating from Luke, but the young man instantly switched on the blue blade, slashing at the snakes.

Vader watched with pride as his son drew power from the Force, allowing it to guide him as they cut the snakes in two. Still the snakes lunged forward, their mouths open wide enough to envelop the Wookiee. That would certainly explain why there were no bodies or blood, if the scientists and Jedi had been swallowed whole. Then blaster fire rang from down the hallway as Solo appeared, also wearing an airmask, and firing a small blaster at the snakes with both hands since the binders were still around his wrists. The blaster bolts had the same impact as the lightsabers, making the snakes disappear, at least temporarily, into a puff of red smoke. Vader was thankful for the extra help, since it was apparent that the smuggler was a much better marksman than most, even with the handicap of binders. Unfortunately, for every snake they 'killed' more appeared to take their place. They needed to leave, and fast, or they would soon be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

"Perhaps you should try to revive the Princess and Wookiee," Vader suggested to Luke over his shoulder. "We need to leave - quickly."

The Dark Lord watched as Luke hurriedly put the extra oxygen masks over the faces of his friends. The fresh air worked, and Leia gave a groan while Chewie started to move, weakly raising his arm to above his face.

"You saved me and Han," Luke said, gasping for his breath as he stood up. "And you came back to get Leia and Chewie."

"Yes, I did," Vader replied, not taking his eyes off the snakes as they continued pouring down the hall.

"Why?" Luke asked, fighting back to back with Vader.

"I need for you to trust me, my son. I no longer wish to serve Palpatine, and I want to train you in the ways of the Force. And...and I want to find your mother."

Mother? Before Luke could formulate a response, Leia snatched up her blaster, aiming it at the Sith.

"Leia... no!" Luke shouted. Without thinking, he intercepted her shot with his blade, protecting Vader's vulnerable back, then reached down and grabbed the blaster from her hand before she could object.

"Luke! Why did you do that?" Leia protested in outrage, shocked at Luke's actions. "Have you lost your mind?"

"I... I couldn't let you kill him..."

Leia pushed up, while Chewie retrieved his bowcaster, directing his fire at the snakes as well. "Don't tell me you believe him, Luke! He's manipulating your mind!"

*I hate snakes!* Chewie roared unhappily, ignoring Luke and Leia's argument. *Why did it have to be snakes?*

"He saved us, Leia," Luke pointed out, trying to plead his case, while maintaining his concentration through the Force. "He didn't have to come back after you and Chewie, but he did."

"Of course he did!" Leia shot back. "He just wants us as his prisoners. He wants us alive, so he can torture us!"

Han and Chewie had cleared a temporary path through the snakes, and by this time the group had moved close enough that Han could hear the discussion over the blaster fire. "I don't think that's the case, Your Worship," Han yelled over at Leia. "He hasn't tortured me, and he sure had plenty of chances."

"If he rescued us, then he has an ulterior motive, nerf-brain!" Leia shouted back. "He's using us... and he will torture us, and kill us, sooner or later."

"I have no intentions of harming any of you," Vader told them. "I only wanted a chance to speak to my son, and that is the truth."

"Can we continue this discussion later?" Han snapped out, as he pointed down the hallway. "I see a hell of a lot more of these creatures comin' at us... and I really think we should make ourselves scarce, or it ain't gonna matter much."

"I would have to agree with the Corellian, except for his persistent use of the word 'ain't'," Vader hissed out at Leia.

Luke stuck Leia's blaster into his waistband, not trusting her enough to hand it back. Then he grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward the hanger. "Come on! We need to hurry!"

Han started to go after them, then gave a frustrated hiss as he looked down at the annoying binders. "Can you use your lightsaber and cut off these krethin' things - " The binders fell to the ground as Vader gave a slight movement of his wrist. Without another word, the Corellian ran after the Princess and Luke.

The unlikely group rushed toward their ships, only to find that snakes had now circled around both the Falcon and Vader's ship. Vader spared a glance back from where they had just come, and he didn't like what he saw. Hundreds of snakes were heading in their direction. "We will have to fight our way through to Solo's ship," the Sith ordered. "The freighter is blocking the exit for my ship, and I doubt we have time to clear a path to both ships."

"Do you honestly think we're going to take you onboard our ship?" Leia snapped incredulously.

"It's my ship, Sweetheart," Han put in quickly. "And I ain't... I mean, I'm not leaving him behind to fight these things alone."

The look Leia shot Solo would have withered a less self-assured man on the spot. "Then our deaths will be on your head, Captain Solo," she returned, her voice icy.

The group fought back the serpents surrounding the Falcon, and Han punched in the code to open the ramp. With the ramp only halfway down, he could already hear Threepio wailing inside the ship. "They're not going to make it, Artoo! We will be trapped here... forever!"

 

***

 

 

Han and Chewie rushed for the cockpit, with Vader and Luke on their heels. No one noticed that Leia headed the opposite direction, her desire to get as far away from the Sith Lord as possible.

"Captain Solo! Chewbacca!" Threepio cried out in joy as Han rushed past the droid. "I'm so very pleased you're - " Then Luke came around the bend, followed by Darth Vader. "Master Luke! Look behind you! It's... it's a SITH!"

"Shut up, Threepio," Luke yelled, pushing the droid aside. "We're busy here."

Vader stopped for a second, staring in silence at the golden droid before shaking his head and following Luke.

"But..." the protocol droid started to say as everyone left him alone. He looked down at Artoo. "For the life of my circuits, I will never understand humans."

***

The Millennium Falcon turned and headed for the door, and Solo held his breath waiting to see if the exit would open. It didn't. Chewie gave a howl, pulling back on the lever, slowing the freighter's forward progress. "It's not opening," Han muttered under his breath. "Hang on... I'm gonna blast the door apart to get us out of here."

Aiming the ship's lasers forward, and making certain the ship was shielded, Han let a volley of fire power loose on the door. When the smoke cleared, the door was damaged but still shut. "Damn it..."

"This research facility was built to withstand attacks, Solo," Vader informed the pilot. "Use your concussion missiles."

"That'll tear apart the whole dome. And probably take out the entire hanger, including your ship," Han pointed out.

"I do not relish losing the Amidala, but I would rather live to fly another ship."

"Hang on to your afterburners," Han instructed, firing the missiles. The door to the hanger blew into pieces, and a second later the Falcon shot clear of the crumbling dome.

***

Leia paced inside the small cabin, frustrated and furious at both Luke and Han. How could they protect Vader? I don't even know them anymore, she thought. Did Luke suddenly believe Vader was his father? Why? Why would he do that? And Han, what was wrong with that man? Vader had ambushed him, and shot both him and Chewie! Why did Han all of a sudden feel sorry for the Sith?

She felt the ship give a slight shudder as it made the jump into hyperspace, and a few minutes later heard muffled talking coming from the hold. Even through the door she thought she heard Solo laugh, and her fury notched up. This wasn't funny. Nothing about this situation was funny, and she decided it was past time to tell everyone exactly what she thought about them.

***

Standing in the hold of the Falcon, Vader questioned his son. "Are you frightened of me, Luke?"

"I'm not frightened of you," Luke answered truthfully. "I want to hear what you have to say, especially about my mother."

It was at that moment Leia stormed into the hold, giving a harsh laugh. "He's only taunting you with some hope of finding your mother. Luke, be reasonable. This is all nothing but lies."

"I think I am being reasonable," Luke replied slowly. "I think what he's saying is the truth... he's changed, Leia"

"Thank you, Luke. I think I have changed," Vader agreed.

"I don't think you've changed! And I don't believe a word you say, Vader," Leia sputtered at the Sith. "I hate you! I hate everything you stand for... you tortured me! You ordered my entire planet destroyed... you haven't changed!"

"No, I did not destroy Alderaan. That was a direct order from Palpatine." He hesitated, then added, "And I regret causing you harm, Princess Leia." It was the truth. Ever since he had tortured the young Princess, Vader had been having haunting, terrifying dreams. In these dreams, he was standing over the Princess as she screamed in pain, asking her over and over the location of the Rebel Base. Then the young Rebel would fall to the ground, dead. Vader would reach down and turn her over. The face and the lifeless eyes staring back at him were Padme's, not the Princess. It was a horrifying nightmare, and no matter how much the Sith tried to push it out of his mind, the image haunted him.

Stunned disbelief registered on the Princess's face. Then she flung herself at the Sith, not caring about his lightsaber, or the Force, or anything other than taking out her rage at the monster that stood by, uncaring, while billions of people died.

The Sith easily pushed her back with the Force, and she stumbled, almost falling. Han, who had just entered the hold, caught her arm. "Sweetheart," he muttered under his breath. "Attacking a Sith is a real stupid idea."

"Don't touch me," she yelled at the Corellian, pulling away from his touch. "You're just as much space-vapor as Luke!" She turned her attention back to Luke. "He's lying, Luke! He's not your father, and there is no mystery mother!"

Reaching into a small section of his belt, Vader withdrew a silver disk, then pressed a button located on the underside of the disk. A small holograph appeared, showing a beautiful, dark-haired woman. "This is your mother, Luke... the former Queen of Naboo, Padmé Amidala. And I know she is still alive."

Solo snapped his fingers together. "Amidala. So that's why you named your ship the Amidala!"

The Princess stared at the holo, her face growing still and pale. "That can't be your mother..."

"Why?" Luke questioned, stepping next to the stunned Princess.

"Because... that's... that's a holo of my mother!"

Suddenly, the dream made sense. "Twins," Vader whispered, feeling shell-shocked himself. "Padmé had twins."

"NO!" Leia gasped in rage, shock, horror... a million emotions, and none of them good. Then she turned and ran back into Han's cabin, away from the evidence that was staring her in the face.

 

***

 

"Princess?" Han called through his cabin's door. "Open the door."

"Go away," came the choked response. "I can't face anyone, so I'm never coming out again."

"Nah. You can't do that. This is my ship, and my cabin. If you stay in there too long, you'll start stinkin' the place up." When she didn't respond, he tried again. "I know the control codes to come inside anyway, ya know."

The door slid open, revealing a pale looking Princess trying to keep the tears from flowing. "He's not my father."

"It doesn't matter to me if he is."

Frustrated, Leia slammed her fist into Han's chest. "It matters to me!"

"Ow... you know, you do have a temper like he does..."

"Shut up! Just... SHUT UP!" she yelled at the smuggler, barely able to resist the urge to slap his face. "I'm not in the mood for your stupid comments!"

Han had to bite his tongue to keep from telling the Princess that Vader had already said almost that exact same thing to him already once today. "Your mother is beautiful," he said instead. "She looks a lot like you."

The Princess gave a cut-off sob, and Han stepped forward, taking her in his arms. "Maybe you're right... maybe he's lying, sweetheart. But even if it is true, that doesn't mean you're anything like him."

"You just said - "

"I was joking," Han interrupted. "A bad joke, too. Next time I say something stupid like that, just slug me."

"I already did," she mumbled into his gray prisoner suit, clinging to Solo as her world once again crumbled around her.

"Harder next time."

"If I hit you every time you say something dumb, you'll be covered in bruises."

Han gave a deep chuckle. "Then you can kiss those bruises and make them feel all better."

She pulled back, looking up at his amused expression, truly amazed how he could annoy her and make her feel better all at the same time. "Nerfherder."

***

 

Luke glanced down the hallway, toward the cabin. "Leia's really upset." The young man could feel the wave of emotions radiating from Leia. If she could barely accept that Vader had fathered Luke, how was this revelation going to affect her?

"So are you," Vader returned. "You had romantic feelings for the Princess."

The young Jedi felt his face flush with embarrassment. His sister. Had Obi-Wan known Leia was his sister? If he'd known, and allowed him to fawn over the Princess like that... "She never felt like that toward me, though. Maybe she has a better connection to the Force than I have. Besides, I think she likes Han, anyway."

"She does not have a stronger Force-connection than you," Vader replied, trying to ignore the comment about Solo. His and Padmé's daughter in love with a Corellian spice-smuggler. What would his wife think about that? "Her connection is strong, but different." He shook his head, wondering what his wife would say about the fact he had tortured his own daughter. How could he have not seen on the Death Star that the Princess was Padmé's child? The similarities between them were unmistakable, and not just in physical appearance. Would Padmé be able to forgive him? It wasn't likely, if Leia refused him forgiveness. "I should have known, back on the Death Star... I should have known then," Vader said, almost to himself. "The dark side was blinding me."

"But it's not now?"

"The pull is still strong, but I am fighting it, my son. Unless I reject the dark side, I can never be with Padmé again." Vader stopped and gave a deep sigh. "I want my family back, and Palpatine knows this."

"The Emperor knows about me?" Luke asked nervously.

"He knows about you, but not Leia. Leia is the unknown factor in all of this, Luke." Vader waved his hand toward the exit of the hold. "We need to talk in private. Let's go back to the cockpit." The Sith was pleased that Luke followed him without arguing, and the Wookiee had not intervened.

"How do you know our mother is still alive?" Luke questioned, aware that he had somehow accepted the fact that Vader, or Anakin Skywalker, was his father. It was still difficult to imagine Leia as his sister, but the more he considered it, the more it felt right. The Force was telling him this was all true; still he had so many unanswered questions.

In the cockpit, Vader sat in Chewie's chair while Luke flung himself down in the pilot's seat. "In the past few years, she has sent me messages through a vast network of droid couriers. I could only track the messages back one droid, or sometimes two droids, and then the trail either vanished, or the next droid had a full memory wipe. It has been very frustrating. For a long time I refused to believe the messages were from her, but now I am no longer so sure." After a pause, he added, "It has been eight months since her last message, and I am becoming concerned that something is wrong, or that she has finally given up on me."

"What has she told you?"

"She tells me that she loves me, and she is waiting. Waiting for me to realize what I've done, and make things right." Vader stared at his son, memorizing the young man's features, trying to see any resemblance between what he had been and the younger Skywalker. "When she sees my children - our children - have forgiven me, and that together we've disposed of Palpatine, then she will come back to me - to us. We can be a family, Luke. The family we should have always been, but Palpatine and Obi-Wan denied us." Vader gave the small disk to Luke, watching as his son turned it on, staring at the holo-portrait.

"I can hardly believe my mother was a real Queen," Luke whispered in awe as he looked at the regal woman.

"Padmé was, and still should be, a true leader. She should have been the leader of the galaxy," Vader said softly. "Both Obi-Wan and Palpatine denied her... everything. Her husband, her children, her place in history."

The thought of finding his real mother after so many years of wondering left Luke breathless with excitement. "I'll help you find her," Luke stated firmly as he handed the disk back to Vader.

***

 

"Did they have to bring Threepio?" Han muttered, rubbing his tired eyes as he walked into the hold. He had stayed with the Princess for hours, just holding her and trying to comfort her. Finally she had fallen asleep, then Han had covered her with a blanket and quietly left the room with a change of clothes. He knew he'd feel better himself once he was wearing his regular clothing.

*No disaster is complete without his running commentary,* Chewie woofed in amusement.

"Why, thank you Chewbacca," Threepio responded sincerely. "I do try to put forward my own unique perspective on situations." Threepio looked down at Artoo. "Why do you suppose Darth Vader stared at me like that? It was most disconcerting."

"Threepio, why don't you go turn yourself off for a while?" Han suggested sourly. It had been a long day, and he didn't feel like listening to the droid's endless comments and complaints. The Corellian looked over at Chewie. "Where did Vader and Luke go?"

*Back to the cockpit. They needed to talk in private.*

"Oh," Han said, looking toward the front of the ship. "Maybe I should ask his Sithiness where he wants to go, since I just laid in a course for Tatooine before we made the jump to hyperspace."

*Tatooine? Why would you pick there?*

Han shrugged. "I only had a few seconds to decide. Besides, we've already had so much fun I didn't want it to end."

 

***

 

Staring out at the blur of stars, Luke found himself thinking back to the day's events. "Why couldn't I sense those snake-things through the Force?"

"I don't know," Vader admitted. "I could not sense them, either."

"Were they even real, or just in our minds?"

The Sith considered, then answered, "They were real, but like nothing else in this galaxy. It was almost like they were some type of weapon, moving in one accord to destroy us."

"A weapon?"

"That outpost was there for a reason," Vader surmised. "It has been rumored for years there is something beyond our galaxy's borders, something we cannot understand. Those Republic scientists were trying to understand, but it appears perhaps whatever is out there does not want us looking their direction."

Luke felt a chill run down his spine, and for a brief moment he could almost see a terrible, deadly war in his mind, set far in the future. Then the vision was gone, as swiftly as it had come. Deciding to shift topics, Luke asked, "Did Ben know about Leia?"

"He was responsible for helping Padmé hide from me, so I don't understand how he could not have known."

"He should have told me she was my sister," Luke muttered glumly. "I feel like such a fool."

"Do not blame yourself. It is Kenobi's fault, not yours," Vader said, feeling a fresh wave of disgust at his former Master.

"Thank you for not harming Han," Luke told Vader, trying to ignore the fact that Han and Chewie had both been shot during the capture. "And not leaving him behind to die in the outpost."

"The Corellian is useful. He will continue to be useful in convincing your sister to understand her place in our family."

The comment worried Luke. "Useful? Like how?"

"Love is a powerful motivator, son. It can even be more powerful than hate, under the right circumstances."

The remark didn't ease Luke's concern about Vader's plans for Han. "You think Han loves Leia?"

"They love each other, although they are reluctant to admit it. But the emotion is still there," Vader replied. The Sith turned his head slightly. "Solo is coming, so we should not continue to discuss this."

A few seconds later, Han lightly knocked on the shut cockpit door, and Vader pressed the 'open' button. "Um... I need to ask you where you want to go, your Lordness. I'm just guessin' that Tatooine ai- er, isn't your first choice."

"Tatooine will be fine," Vader answered shortly.

Han's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you kidding me?"

"I do not 'kid', Solo. We will first go to Tatooine, and when we have finished there I will tell you our next destination." Inside his mask, Vader smiled at Solo's incredulous expression. "Don't you want to visit your old friend, Jabba the Hutt? I think he might be missing you by now."

"Uh... I'd rather not visit Jabba," Han stuttered out. "We're not exactly on good terms at the moment."

Vader stood up, putting his hand on Solo's shoulder. "There is nothing more I'd like to do than visit Jabba's palace with you. You would like to please me... isn't that correct, Captain Solo?"

Han swallowed hard, glancing at the gloved hand on his shoulder then over at Luke, who looked puzzled and worried. "I...I .."

"Of course you do," Vader said evenly. Then he dropped his hand and moved past Solo as he headed out of the cockpit.

Han waited a few seconds, then whispered worriedly to Luke, "Is he planning on turning me over to Jabba?"

"No." Luke shook his head, still confused. "Whatever he's planning, it doesn't involve turning you over to Jabba. Just don't ask me what he's thinking, because I sure don't know."

Luke could tell Han wasn't exactly comforted by that declaration.

***

 

Vader was highly amused at Solo's concern over 'visiting' Jabba, but the Sith had an ulterior motive. Freeing Solo from his debt to the Hutt would be one more small step toward convincing his daughter that he intended to bring his family together. So she loved a smuggler, wasn't Anakin Skywalker once a slave? Vader could easily imagine worse choices for Leia. Some Imperial toady, loyal to Palpatine; or a mama's boy prince, interested only in her title. Solo was truly in love with Leia, even if both were still fighting the fact. Yes, Vader could think of worse men. He could see the Corellian had a grudging respect for him, he understood debts and loyalty, was unquestionably brave, even if he was reluctant to face Jabba. Vader knew he could teach Solo to be a worthy son-in-law. What was it the smuggler had said? Once his training sank in, it was permanently embedded? He could see that was true, and he knew Padmé would be able to see beneath the rough exterior. And coming from a background of hardship would only serve to make him appreciate what he had, once he felt a part of the Royal Family of Skywalkers.

The Sith's musings were interrupted as he entered the hold, where the Wookiee was playing some ancient holo-board game and giving a loud series of barks at the droid. He listened as Threepio defended his move, arguing back at the huge being. Why had Obi-Wan and Bail Organa given his daughter C-3PO? It was just as strange as allowing Luke to keep the name Skywalker as far as Vader was concerned.

"Threepio," Vader started out hesitantly, watching as the droid turned his glowing eyes toward the Sith. "Do you remember your creator?"

The protocol droid's voice took on a wistful tone. "No, unfortunately, I do not remember my creator."

Artoo trilled for a long time, and Threepio tilted his head, puzzled.  "Someone named Anakin Skywalker built me?  Is he related to Master Luke?"

"Yes, Threepio, he is," Vader said, sounding amused.  "When I was a young man, my name was Anakin. I put you together when I lived on Tatooine."

Chewie let out a startled roar, and a second later Luke and Han came charging into the hold. "What's goin' on, Chewie?" Han asked in concern.

*Darth Vader built Threepio when he was a young boy!*

"Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker?" Threepio cried out in shock, while Artoo spun around in a circle, beeping loudly. "How dreadful for me!"

Han looked askance at the Sith. "Damn, Vader, you really started torturing people early, didn't you?"

 

***

 

The next four days went by rather slowly, even with Vader giving lessons to Luke in the ways of the Force. Never once did the Sith suggest that Luke draw his power from the dark side, and the lessons were reminiscent of Obi-Wan's instructions during the trip to Alderaan.

The Sith had asked if Solo had vitamins onboard the Falcon, and he only consumed the dissolved tablets in water. It wasn't ideal, but Vader knew he could survive quite a while without his nutrient drink.

Leia refused to come out of Han's cabin, except to use the refresher, no matter how much Han and Luke pleaded. She wouldn't even come into the main hold to eat, which forced Han to take her meals, most of which went untouched.

Although Luke was upset by Leia's refusal to have anything to do with their father, Vader understood. "It will take her a long time to forgive me," he told his son. "It is something I have to earn." He looked over at Solo. "Like respect."

The Corellian was checking the readings on the control board. "We'll be coming out of hyperspace in about an hour." Solo sighed. "Then what, Vader?"

"I no longer wish to be called Darth Vader," the Sith suddenly declared, surprising everyone. "Luke may call me father, and I hope that some day Leia will choose to call me that, as well."

"What am I supposed to call you?" Han asked.

"For the time being, Anakin; or if you prefer, Lord Skywalker."

Han grinned at the Sith. "I think I prefer 'Anakin' to Lord Skywalker. Too tempting to make nicknames outta Lord Skywalker."

"What would you like me to call you?" Threepio piped up. "Lord Skywalker?"

"Master Skywalker, to you, Threepio," Vader replied with a deep chuckle. "After all, I did build you."

"Unless I receive a memory wipe, it isn't likely I will forget," Threepio said sadly.

"You didn't answer my question," Han put in. "What happens after we land on Tatooine?"

"I thought I was clear, Captain. We visit your former employer."

"But I don't have the credits to pay what I owe him," Han objected. "He'll kill me."

Vader took his lightsaber off his belt, turning the silver handle in his hand thoughtfully, and feeling a certain thrill at the upcoming confrontation. "I've always been rather proud of my ability to negotiate with beings, even those as stubborn as a Hutt." Addressing Luke, he said, "Too bad your sister isn't willing to come along on this little adventure. It should prove interesting."

"I'm not staying behind while you put Luke and Han in danger," Leia said from the doorway. She wasn't smiling, and her eyes looked hard and very determined.

"Does this mean I'm forgiven for inviting Dar... Anakin onboard the Falcon?" Han asked with a wide grin.

"Not a chance, flyboy. I expect a lot more than just a few crummy meals brought to that moldy old berth."

"Moldy? My cabin ain't moldy!"

"Isn't, Solo," Leia shot back. "The word is... isn't!"

Behind the mask, Vader struggled to stifle his laughter.

***

They took two land speeders to the Hutt's palace - Han, Leia and Chewie traveled in one, and Luke and Vader flew further behind, in a second speeder. Han had his spare blaster and gun belt strapped to his leg, although he missed his original set more than he cared to admit. "I wish you would've stayed behind, Your Holiness," Han told her. "Jabba has a real taste for pretty females, and you're not gonna like the way he leers at you."

"So you and this Hutt have a lot in common?" Leia asked innocently.

Chewie gave a hoot of laughter, while Han just glared at his partner. "I'm not joking, Your Worship. This is gonna get mighty dangerous. I really don't know what Vader is thinking, coming here with only a few credits to offer Jabba."

"If we all end up dead, I'd like to point out now that I warned you this would happen, Laserbrains."

***

"I swore I'd never come back here, and half a year later, here I am... back on this pit," Luke muttered, looking around at the sand and rocks.

"I feel the same way. Every time I come to Tatooine, I leave swearing never to return," Vader agreed.

"Are you going to tell me your plan now?" Luke asked.

"What makes you think I have a plan?"

Luke's eyes grew wide at that comment. "No plan? But, but..."

"But, what?"

"I thought I was the only one that did things without a plan," Luke said, dumbfounded.

"No, son, you come by it naturally."

***

Parking in the shade of the round palace, Han helped Leia climb out of the speeder. Then he took a deep breath, and knocked firmly on the rusty door. He had an Imperial voucher in his pocket worth ten thousand credits - only a small portion what he'd been paid for rescuing the Princess, and less than half what he owed the Hutt. Chewie had slowly whittled away at the reward that Luke had promised would be 'more money than he could imagine'. Most of the time, Han ended up not only flying supply runs for the Rebels for little or nothing, but many times the Rebels were in such desperate need of financing for arms or medical supplies that Chewie bought the supplies himself. Out of the reward money that was supposed to go to pay off Jabba. The Wookiee had always promised Han the Rebels were good for it... they would eventually be reimbursed. The longer they kept company with Darth Vader, the less likely that reimbursement was looking.

"Doesn't look like your friend is home," Leia informed Han after a few minutes of waiting.

"He's home," Han muttered. "He just likes to make his company sweat - in more ways than one."

A droid 'eyeball' shot out of a hole in the door, then quickly retracted after Han identified himself. The heavy door slowly rose, allowing the three to enter the dim interior of the palace. With Leia walking between them, they cautiously wound their way through the maze of corridors until they entered the Throne Room.

Leia tried not to stare, but it was difficult. The Hutt was disgusting, with green drool oozing out of his huge mouth, and a very pretty, very unhappy Twi'lek girl chained to his slimy belly. Seeing Han and Chewie, the Hutt let out a loud gurgle that Leia could only assume was his version of laughter.

*I see you have finally come to pay off your debt to me Solo.* He eyed the Princess. *Is this female yours... or are you offering me her in payment?*

As a rusty and battered old protocol droid interpreted Jabba's words, the Princess felt a rush of indignation sweep through her, and opened her mouth to speak, but Han was faster.

"Uh... she's a friend," Han replied, growing more worried by the second. What had Vader been thinking? There was no way Jabba was going to allow him to live after he gave him the credit voucher. Was that the plan all along? Tricking Han into going to his own death, and taking Chewie and Leia with him? Nervously, the Corellian stepped forward, handing the credit voucher to the Hutt. "This is all I have right now... but I'll work off the rest. You know I'm good for it."

Leia added her input to the negotiations. "Han has been helping the Rebellion, or he would have had enough saved by now to pay you back. You certainly have to agree that the Rebellion needs the money more than you."

Han gave a low groan at Leia's attempt to convince the Hutt, which only caused Jabba to laugh loudly. *So now you've become altruistic, my boy? Or is this pretty female causing you to think with the wrong part of your anatomy?*

After listening the droid, Princess Leia's face grew heated. "How dare - " she tried again, only to find Solo's hand across her mouth, stifling her comment of outrage.

"I'll put up the Falcon as collateral," Han choked out, wondering if those words would be enough to kill him on the spot. He glanced at Leia, who was glaring lasers at him, and he quickly took his hand from her face.

The Hutt looked at the amount on the voucher, and shook his jowls in amusement. *This and your broken down old freighter? It's still not enough, Solo... not nearly enough.* He grinned widely. *But I will take the female as partial payment, and sell the Wookiee to the Imperials as slave labor. That will be a good start.*

"That's not gonna happen, Jabba," Han said in a low voice, putting his hand over the blaster handle.

*I think it will,* the Hutt replied, nodding as Boba Fett and ten other heavily armed ruffians stepped out of the shadows, aiming their weapons directly at the smugglers and Princess. *Put down your weapon, or I will order them to fire.*

The Princess and Solo exchanged worried looks as Chewie roared in anger. Carefully, Han slid his blaster out of the holster, then tossed it on the ground.

"Step back away from the Wookiee and the girl, Solo. You don't want them to die, do you?" Fett ordered through his filtered mask.

Slowly, Han backed up, his eyes locked on Leia's. He only briefly saw the startled look on her face as the floor gave way beneath his feet, sending him careening into the pit below.

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

After a stomach twisting drop into the pit, Han landed hard on his left ankle. He could hear roaring, and for a few seconds he thought it was Chewie... then he saw the creature coming at him. Rolling fast to the right to avoid the huge claws, Han struggled to his feet, sharp pain radiating up his leg. The rancor turned to look at his prey, and Han limped backwards, reaching down for a rock to throw at the beast. The round object wasn't a rock, it was a Gamorrean skull, but Han wasn't in any position to be fussy. He threw the heavy orb, striking the rancor in the nose. It served as a brief distraction while Han hurried to move out of its line of vision. The creature drooled, looking around wildly to find its meal.

Han knew if he couldn't find a way out of here very fast, he was going to end up rancor fodder.

***

Jabba allowed the human female and the Wookiee to look down through the grate at Solo's last minutes. The palace's denizens were interested in the entertainment as well, loosely keeping their weapons trained on the captives. Chewie's roar of outrage competed with the noise of the rancor and the cheering crowd. Leia didn't want to watch Han's death, yet couldn't bear to look away. He couldn't die... not like this. I can't lose him, she thought in utter horror as the scene in the pit unfolded. This is all Vader's fault. My, my birth father's fault! She shuddered at the very idea that was becoming more real, more oppressing as each day passed.

With her heart pounding in fear, she focused her thoughts toward the scruffy smuggler. Han... I love you...

***

The only one paying attention to anything other than the Corellian's struggle to survive the rancor was Boba Fett. He heard the snap-hiss of lightsabers a second before Darth Vader and a young man he'd never seen before came charging into the throne room. Fett moved to fire on this unexpected threat, but his rifle was cut in two with a blur of red before he could pull the trigger. The hunter ducked away from the red blade, barely avoiding having his head removed from his torso. The next being, a smarmy Twi'lek and the Hutt's right-hand being, wasn't so lucky.

Fett watched as the two Force-users moved swiftly through the crowd, then watched in amazement as the young blond human actually used his blue lightsaber to open the grate, somersaulting down into the pit. Vader turned around, shouting, "Luke! Be careful!"

The bounty hunter felt it was past time to leave this party, and ignited his jet pack to escape the mayhem by heading toward the upper balcony of Jabba's palace. Once safely in the upper level, the bounty hunter hurried away. Inside his mask, Fett smiled, thinking of a certain old Imperial Sith that would be very interested in listening to this story.

***

Vader felt a bit of concern as his son jumped down into the rancor's den to assist Solo. Rancors were not evil beasts, but they were strong and dangerous. Not that he didn't want his son to help Solo - he did. If the Corellian died, his daughter would certainly add the death of Han Solo to the long list of grievances against her father, and the Sith had somehow taken a liking to the cocky smuggler.

How did the Corellian manage to end up in the rancor's pit so fast, anyway? Didn't Solo know how to bargain at all? And wasn't Leia a trained diplomat? Of course, Hutts weren't the easiest beings to bargain with, but the Sith still hadn't anticipated that the situation would erupt into chaos quite this soon.

With the Wookiee and the Princess both firing weapons, the low-life employees of the Hutt were quickly dispatched or fled for their lives. Which only left the Hutt, sitting on this throne, and holding up his tiny hands in a gesture of peace. *I have decided that I can bargain with Solo after all. Ten thousand credits and his ship is quite adequate payment to remove the bounty from his head.*

"Too late, Hutt," Vader hissed as he stalked toward Jabba, enjoying the fear in the Hutt's big eyes.

***

Solo was desperately trying to crawl under a small stone ledge, trying to escape the lethal claws of the rancor when a flash of blue light came sailing down from the throne room. When the rancor failed to become distracted from his potential dinner, Luke slashed at the creature's back leg, drawing a deep slash from hip to knee. That got the beast's attention.

Swinging its bulk around to face his attacker, the rancor reached down with his front arm. It was a mistake, as the young Jedi brought the saber around, severing the creature's paw. For a heartbeat, it didn't occur to the rancor he no longer had a paw... then the pain registered in his small brain. Throwing his head back, the beast gave a deep roar of agony, then lunged at Luke again, this time with his mouth wide open.

The beast's hulking keeper watched the battle through the bars of the heavy door, and saw the injuries being inflicted on his pet. Screaming in outrage, he hit the 'open' button on the door. He drew his weapon, intent on shooting the Jedi and saving his rancor from death.

Luke heard Leia shout a warning from above, and she nearly fired at the keeper just as Han threw himself at the enraged man. The keeper's blaster fired at the same moment Luke's lightsaber drove through the heart of the rancor.

 

***

 

Jabba the Hutt died by the older Skywalker's lightsaber at the exact same instant that the rancor took his last breath by the saber of the younger Skywalker. The Sith watched in disgust as the blubbery Jabba rolled off his throne, leaving behind a trail of mucus. The female Twi'lek, still chained to the Hutt, stared at Vader, uncertain if he would kill her next. When Vader severed the chain holding her to the Hutt, she nodded in gratitude, then ran away without a word.

Then Vader spun around just as Leia shouted Solo's name. "What has happened?" Vader questioned, taking long strides and peering down the pit. The rancor lay on the ground, the body still twitching in death throes. The burly keeper lay in a heap near the door on top of Solo, a smoky trail of blaster fire wafting up between them.

Leia stared down, her mind trying to process what had happened, since everything had happened so fast. It appeared that Han had managed to grab the keeper's arm, forcing the shot to miss Luke, then Leia only had a second to readjust her blaster's aim to avoid hitting Han. When her blaster discharged, she was positive she'd hit the keeper, now she wasn't so certain. "I... I think Han might be..." Leia stopped, unable to bring herself to say the word, 'dead'. If her shot had hit Han instead, then... no, it wasn't possible, she simply couldn't bear to imagine that she had accidentally killed Han.

Below them, Luke rushed over just as the Corellian groaned and pushed the very dead, much heavier man off his sore body. A smoldering hole was obvious right below the keeper's neck. Leia's shot from above had found its mark, killing the man instantly.

The Princess felt her knees go weak with relief as Chewie gave a victory roar in the now eerily quiet palace. Vader placed his hand on Leia's shoulder. "Your Corellian never likes to do things the easy way, does he?"

Frowning, Leia first looked at the gloved hand on her shoulder, then moved her eyes up to the Sith's mask. "No, he doesn't. And he's not 'my Corellian', either," she felt obligated to clarify. Leia stepped away from Vader, not wanting him to touch her, and annoyed that he would dare presume that she had those types of feelings for Han. Maybe Vader had 'read' her mind when she was thinking about Han moments before. She certainly wouldn't put it past the Sith to invade her private thoughts.

Addressing the Wookiee, Vader asked, "The Corellian and the Princess seem to be quite blind to what is obvious to everyone else."

Chewie woofed in agreement, watching as Leia flushed with embarrassment.

***

Han retrieved the credit voucher out of the Hutt's stiff fingers, sliding it back into his pocket. Ten thousand credits was a lot of credits as far as he was concerned, and Han wasn't about to let some scavenger spend his hard-earned money. "If that was your version of negotiating with a Hutt, Anakin, I gotta say I'm less than impressed."

"We are all still alive," Vader pointed out as Solo hobbled over to Leia. "And now you no longer have to worry about bounty hunters, or a debt to some crimelord. A sprained ankle is a small price to pay for eliminating this blight from the universe."

In fact, Han did feel like an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "So now where are we going?"

"I'd like to get back to the Rebellion," Leia said firmly. "Even if Vader is no longer serving the Empire, the fact remains that Palpatine is still a ruthless dictator that needs to be evicted from power."

"That is your choice," Vader rumbled. He turned to Luke. "I would like your assistance in finding Padmé, unless you'd rather return to the Rebellion. I will not press the issue."

Luke felt torn with indecision as he looked at the Princess, then Vader. He wanted to help overthrow Palpatine, and he felt compelled to help his father locate his missing mother. Finally, he made up his mind. "I... I want to help you, father."

The Princess's body tensed, and she walked away from the group feeling betrayed. Vader prodded the Corellian gently with the Force. "You can convince her to help us. The Rebellion will be unnecessary if the Skywalkers join together. Thousands of lives, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of lives, will be saved."

Solo glared at the Sith. "Quit usin' the Force on me. I'll talk to her, but I'm not doing this for you... I'm doing it for Luke." He limped away, following Leia out of the throne room with Chewie on his heels.

Luke had felt his father drawing from the dark side as he killed the Hutt, felt his enjoyment at seeing the Hutt die, and he had to wonder - was Leia right? Was his father lying to him about rejecting the dark side? When his father professed his desire to reject the dark side, Luke thought he could sense Anakin was telling the truth. It was all very confusing to the young Jedi. "Do you think Han will be able to convince her to help us?"

"Leia has high ideals, but she will see reason. She will join us in our quest."

Luke could only hope that his initial feelings were correct, and they needed to stay together now that they had found each other.