The Road Home - Part One

by MJ Mink

When the attack came, it struck without warning. That he had no prescience of it made him wonder if Palpatine was directing the assault. Was that why the Emperor had allowed him this time to travel Home, allowed him to depart without an escort? But he had given his Master no reason to fear him, which eliminated the need for his destruction. As if captive in a hologram, Vader could only watch as his personal TIE disintegrated around him. Augmenting his enormous control of the Force with his sheer will, he sustained both the crumbling metal and his life support unit until he reached the relatively safe port of Plaet. As both his fighter and his body collapsed, a terrible thought ran through his mind: If the Force had blocked his foreknowledge and if Palpatine was not its instigator, could it be his son who directed this attack against him? As his consciousness slipped away, he felt lost in a curious fog of betrayal.

Luke came wide awake with a start. Heart pounding with nightfright, he lay very still, eyes scanning the darkness. There was no danger here; he knew it both logically and instinctively. But somewhere, someone had called out to him in fear and grief. It happened rarely; the last time had been when Han was tortured in Cloud City. Han had thought of him, and he had responded. In time, thank the stars, to rescue Han from Boba Fett and retrieve Leia from the stormtroopers' grasps. If only he'd left with them instead of confronting Vader. He'd been so certain that it was the right thing to do, despite the warnings from Yoda and Ben. His action had been ill-considered, and now he was paying for his rashness with nightmares and melancholy.

But how could he have known that he would discover such an astonishing truth? Why hadn't Ben or Yoda told him Darth Vader was his father? Ben, especially. Ben had lied to him outright, told him that Vader had murdered his father. If only he had known the truth... Luke closed his eyes. If he'd known the truth, what would he have done differently? Would he have gone to Bespin? Of course, to rescue his friends. Would he have stayed to confront his father? Probably. The promise of a father would have drawn him, no matter that the man was now mired in Darkness. Because if there was a path to the Dark, there also must be a path from it.

He rolled onto his side and drew the covers over his shoulder. At least he finally knew why Uncle Owen had labeled him bad for even the smallest infractions. He'd always wondered about his punishments, why the beatings had seemed too harsh for the small crimes of a child. Wondered why he'd been whipped for a word, an ill-timed smile, a moment of inappropriate laughter. Now he knew. It was because of his father. Somehow Owen had known the identity of his father and had feared he would become Vader.

There was a certain comfort in the knowledge. At last he had an answer to the humiliations of his childhood-indignities that had eased but not ceased when Aunt Beru came to live with them when he was fourteen. The scars remained, both the physical reminders that crisscrossed his back and the deep gouges in his spirit. But now he had a reason, and in his heart he knew that Uncle Owen had been right to fear his heritage.

The room seemed overly warm. He tossed the thin blankets aside and rose. The alarm would go off in a couple hours anyway; he might as well shower and breakfast and get it over with. There was a lot of work he wanted to do on his new x-wing-well, not so new. Its engines were built almost entirely of salvaged pieces from other fighters, but he was lucky to get anything after leaving his own fighter behind in Cloud City. After confronting his father, he'd been damn lucky to escape with his-

He stopped cold. His father. That's where the cry had come from, the desperate call that had woken him. What did it mean? It had been filled with emotions. He'd sensed rage, frustration-but it had been weak, as if it had come from a very long distance. Tentatively he opened his mind to the link that he knew connected him with Vader. Cautiously, ready to retreat at the slightest response, he tread the route. Found nothing but the barest hint of sentience. All it told him was that his father was alive. There was no indication that his inquiry was sensed. Quickly, he severed communications and fled behind the safety of his own closed mental doors. Something was wrong with Vader, but it didn't affect him. Vader might be his father, but more than that, he was his enemy. Whatever happened, Vader was his enemy, and he had to remember it. No more thoughts of saving his father, no more questions, no more longings. The Alliance was his family now.

Luke headed for the shower.

OoOoo

"What's this meeting about?" Luke asked Leia. He glanced around the conference table. It was a small group-the highest-ranking officers of the Alliance, three strangers in the uniforms of the elite Alpha White squadron, Han, Leia, himself.

"You'll see," she murmured.

Mon Mothma entered the room. Luke's eyes widened. It wasn't often that he was in the same room with the commander of the Alliance troops. He would have stood to show respect, but no one else did, and Mothma took her place at the head of the table. She placed a disk in the projector and immediately a moving holo of a planet appeared.

"This is Stenness, part of the star system of the same name. Two days ago a special droid attack force was able to shoot down Darth Vader's Interceptor as it entered the atmosphere of this planet. While they initially reported success and the enemy destroyed, subsequent reports hint that Vader eluded death and is recuperating in a small medical facility in the main metropolis, Plaet."

Luke slid lower in his seat. His father had been attacked, that was the call he'd heard. But why had Vader called to him? Had he expected assistance? Or did he think he was dying and wanted to say farewell to the son he'd never known?

He refocused his concentration on Mothma. Her soft, hypnotic voice was making him sleepy. Why didn't he feel this way at night instead of writhing through nightmares? "-comprised of several of you in this room. Captain Solo, we'd like you to fly the crew on this mission. Of course, if you accept, we would not expect you to risk your ship-"

"I accept, and I'm taking the Falcon," Han said flatly. He folded his arms and looked satisfied, for no reason that Luke could discern.

"Thank you, Captain. The group will also be composed of Rav Bender, Holist Wintz, and Trilla Anartes." The three troopers rose, two men and one woman. "They are specially trained for such assignments. Commander Skywalker, Princess Leia suggested you may wish to accompany this mission, given your confrontation with Vader several months ago." She paused and looked at him expectantly.

Luke's lips parted. Obviously, he'd missed something important. What the hell was the mission? The only thing that made sense- "Is this...an assassination squad?"

Mothma blinked once. "To be blunt, yes. Given that Vader is a former Jedi, we feel that your Jedi skills would be helpful to the group. However, if you prefer not to be associated with an endeavor such as this-"

"I'll go," he interrupted, without further reflection. The Rebels might think they had some Force-given right to assassinate an injured Jedi, but he felt differently. If Vader could be captured...

He clenched his fists. What had happened to his resolution to disassociate himself from Vader? It had been tossed aside the first time his father was in peril. Maybe he should be stronger, harder- But he couldn't continue to deny that this man was his father, nor could he deny all the implications that relationship had to his own life.

"Good. I wish I could allow you the opportunity to train together, but it is not possible. At any time, Vader might be rescued by Imperial forces and removed from Stenness. You must depart immediately. Commander Bender is directing the mission. May the Force be with you."

He must be becoming proprietary about the Force, because he resented her casual use of the benediction. The Force was with every living entity, Empire, Alliance, neutrals, as well as the nonsentient. Who was she to bless this mission using words she didn't fully understand?

Sith, he was getting righteous! If this was what being a Jedi did to him-

"Luke!" Han was standing beside him, impatiently shaking his shoulder. "Wake up, junior. Time to get this show on the road."

Luke looked up. Four people clustered around his chair. He blushed. "Sorry, I was... meditating." The perfect Jedi excuse. If he meditated as frequently as he intimated he did, he would be a Master by now.

They all reintroduced themselves. He studied Trilla with interest. She was his own age and had dark eyes that were filled with intensity. He probed her aura and those of the two men with his new skills. Her thoughts lessened her attractiveness-they were nearly religious in their fervor for the Cause-the Alliance or Death! The men were older, probably in their thirties, and he wondered if they were career mercenaries because their feelings were calmly anticipatory. Allowing no expressions to cross his face, Luke watched and listened as Bender briefly described the strategy. If these were professional killers, he would have to be careful to arouse no suspicions. He doubted that they would be receptive to capturing Vader rather than murdering him.

There was only time to throw his gear into his duffel and share brief farewells with Leia and Wedge. For his squadron, he had but a moment to wave as he entered the Falcon. It was a relief that Han was along; the other three made him uncomfortable, and he could see that Han was wary of them, too. Luke busied himself in the cockpit, pretending that his assistance was necessary, and Han maintained the falsehood. But finally Han sent him away for a meal break, and he ended up sitting at the lone table with Trilla. She flashed him an intense smile that brimmed with something he couldn't quite fathom.

"It's an honor for me to serve alongside a true hero of the Revolution."

Luke stared into his steaming cup of soup. "Uh..." He took a sip. If he pretended to be famished, perhaps he could avoid conversation.

"How did it feel to destroy the Death Star, to stamp out thousands of racist Imperial slugs?" Trilla leaned across the table. "What was it like facing the monster Vader? You should have killed him. This time you will. He's a foul scar across the face of the galaxy!"

He swallowed half the soup in one gulp and stood. "Right. Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back."

She grabbed his hand. "We'll talk again. After the mission. After we've exterminated the monster."

It was nearly a struggle to free his fingers. With a short nod he fled. Now he saw that it was more than hero worship in her aura; her intentions were openly sexual. He cringed away from the revelation and immediately felt very young and unsophisticated. He had been named a hero; it was natural that people would want to use him in any way they could.

A few hours in hyperspace and the ship emerged within viewing distance of Stenness. Luke lifted himself out of the copilot's seat and checked his gear for the last time. Then he strapped in as they made an unexciting landing in Plaet's open port.

"That was easy," he commented.

"Yeah." Han frowned. "Either they don't think we know Vader is here, or they don't think we're stupid enough to try anything. Or they don't know who we are."

"Or it's a trap," Luke offered.

"They're not that smart. Think positive, kid."

"I'll try." He paused in the doorway as Han's voice stopped him.

"And, Luke- Watch your back."

They exchanged looks, and he nodded curtly. Han would stay by the ship and protect their escape route. It was the most efficient and logical plan; still, Luke couldn't help wishing that Han was with him as he accompanied the three fast-moving assassins through the narrow, steeply curving streets of the densely-inhabited metropolis. How would he get Vader back to the ship unmolested?

Use the Force, Luke. The memory of Ben's words echoed in his head. Accessing the Force meant that he had a way to do anything. All he needed was faith.

OooOoo