This chapter had me stuck for a while, and I'm not 100% sure I'm happy with how the conversation that had me stuck went, but I'm pretty sure it's the best I'm going to get with it. Hope you like it anyway!

Chapter 12

Merlin opened his eyes once again to a blinding whiteness. For a moment he froze. Had he been caught by another one of those creatures?

His panic only lasted a moment, however, as the soft hissing of medical equipment reached his ears. Somehow, he was back at the base; though as to how he got there…his mind was blank.

Merlin blinked rapidly, and he turned his head towards the slash of colour that had caught his attention amongst the endless white decoration of the Medical Bay.

"Merlin!"

The blurs of colour swam into focus, allowing Merlin to make out the relieved faces of his friends squeezed into the small room.

"Hey guys," Merlin grinned at them as he pushed himself into a seated position eyeing Lance's twitch of aborted movement, and how he seemed to deflate somewhat with a small smile as Merlin managed the movement with ease.

"What happened out there, Merlin?" Morgana spoke up, striving to remain professional even as the others could see the absence of the tension she had carried on her shoulders over the last twenty-four hours.

Merlin's brow creased in thought. "I don't know…" he said carefully. "There was a creature… it came out of nowhere… One moment I was on the Taun-Taun, looking for a meteor, and the next I'm strung up in a cave, my head's killing me, and there's a creature eating my Taun-Taun. I… I think I got out, but I don't remember much after that. Just… It was very white… and cold."

"That's two you owe me now, Merlin." Arthur spoke up from his position leaning on the wall near the head of Merlin's bed.

"Oi!" Will cut in from somewhere near Merlin's feet. "I helped too!"

Arthur merely raised his eyebrows at him, expression blank. Merlin bit his lip to hide his smile, glancing between the two as Will began spluttering indignantly.

"If it wasn't for me you'd still be out there in the snow, you ponce!" Will crossed his arms with a huff as he continued grumbling to himself. "Should've just taken Merlin and gotten out of there… Shouldn't have bothered calling Kay to come get you!"

"Boys," Morgana chided, hiding a grin herself. "There's still work to be done. Will, the General's waiting on your report; Gwen, you and I are expected in the Command Centre; and Leon, you said something about finishing the repairs on your ship?"

At Morgana's words the group began to disband. Will and Leon left with parting assurances to Merlin as to how good it was to see him up again, while Morgana lingered in the doorway for a moment, a hint of a smirk playing about her lips.

"The General doesn't think it wise for any craft to leave the planet until we get the energy shield up and running, so it looks like you'll be sticking with us for a while longer then, Arthur."

Arthur's eyes narrowed in response to the challenging look levered at him by Morgana, and he opened his mouth to retaliate.

"You're leaving?"

The tentatively spoken question from behind him caused Arthur's retort to freeze in his throat as he spun to face Merlin, who was watching him closely with an uncertain expression. Arthur floundered for a moment when faced with Merlin's eyes on him.

Lance hid a smile behind his fist as Morgana slipped away quietly, her own smirk firmly in place.

"I…uh…" Arthur stuttered. "Well… Apparently I'm needed here more than I thought! Can't even think about leaving without someone nearly getting themselves killed. Honestly, Merlin, you really should start taking better care of yourself."

"Were you worried about me?" Merlin teased, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"No!" Arthur scoffed, unconvincingly. "I… was worried about that meteorite you saw. Thought the Empire could be onto us."

"So you came back to look for me?"

Arthur hesitated, and then sighed.

"Alright, it's true," he paused, worrying at the ring he wore on his thumb. "I went back for you because you're one of the only true friends I have, and I couldn't bear to lose you."

Merlin froze, throat going dry. He stared at Arthur a moment, wide eyed. "Really?"

Arthur looked up, his gaze locking with Merlin's for a moment with a soft expression on his face, before his eyes flickered to Lance, still sitting against the opposite wall, and a grin spread across his face.

"Don't be stupid."

Merlin huffed a laugh to himself and smiled down at his hands as Arthur turned and left the room. He knew Arthur well enough to translate his meaning.

There was silence in the medical bay for a few moments following Arthur's departure, before it was broken by a sigh from Lance as he slumped in his chair, head falling back to hit the wall with a gentle thump.

"You've got to stop doing this to me, Merlin."

Merlin looked up, turning to Lance with confusion written all over his face.

"You're always…throwing yourself at dangerous situations. First the Death Star, and now this… I'm worried that one of these days I'm going to lose you too – I thought I had lost you this time, Merlin! I can't…" Lance's words tailed off as he stared back down at his shaking hands, swallowing thickly.

"Hey," Merlin reached out to nudge him gently and when Lance looked up at him, Merin had a grin spread across his face. "Aren't you forgetting something? I have magic."

"It doesn t make you immortal, Merlin!" Lance's response came out sharper than he had intended and he winced as he saw the smile disappear from Merlin's face as he bit his lip, looking contrite.

"No," he murmured, fiddling with the bedsheets under his hands. "Lance, I-"

"Arthur was right, you know." Lance interrupted him, abruptly changing the subject in order to escape the aftermath of Merlin's failed attempt to lighten the mood.

"How so?" Merlin squinted, immediately suspicious that Lance was agreeing with Arthur of all people.

"You really do need to start taking better care of yourself, Merlin. Otherwise Arthur will just have to stick around you forever to keep getting you out of these scrapes you insist on getting yourself into. Unless…keeping him close was your intention all along? Surely there must be easier ways, Merlin!" Lance teased, grinning as he was hit in the face with a pillow.

"Lancelot du Lac!"

In the Command Centre attention was focused on the large screens displaying the readouts from the variety of scanning equipment placed across the ice planet by the rebellion's patrols. One screen held particular focus as the General's attention was called to the strong reading it held.

"There's something out there," the technician who had spotted the anomaly called.

"Could it be another one of those creatures?" Morgana wondered as she too approached the screen.

The technician shook his head. "No, it's too small. There's something coming through… it's very weak, but I think it's transmitting some sort of code. I don't recognise it though."

With a frown of confusion the technician flicked a switch on his console and suddenly the code could be heard throughout the Command Centre.

All eyes turned to Kilgarrah as the dragon-droid cleared his throat. "I am fluent in more than six billion forms of communication, but this is not one that is known to me. It is most certainly not one used by the Alliance. It may be an Imperial code."

"I doubt it's friendly, whatever it is. I'd better go check it out." Taking a step back from the screen, Morgana handed her headset to Gwen before leaving the room.

It wasn't long before Morgana's voice filtered through to the headsets worn in the Command Centre.

"I can see something," she reported in hushed tones. "It's small, but it seems to be looking right at the Shield Generator."

There was silence over the comms before the sound of a single blaster shot and a disproportionately loud explosion erupted throughout the earpieces. Shouts of "Morgana!" and "What just happened?" echoed throughout the Command Centre.

"I'm afraid there's not much left of it," came Morgana s response after a moment, a note of confusion in her voice.

"What was it?" Gwen's voice filtered through the headset Morgana had left her.

"Some kind of droid. I don't know what happened… I didn't hit it that hard but it just exploded. It must have had some kind of self-destruct function."

"An Imperial Probe Droid?" Gwen suggested, looking troubled at the thought.

Morgana hummed in response. "My thoughts exactly, Gwen. I think it's safe to say we've been compromised, General. The Empire's going to know we're here now."

"Agreed," the General nodded, turning to the technician at his side. "Sound the alarm, we must begin evacuation procedures immediately."

The destruction of the Probe Droid did not go unnoticed.

Half a galaxy away from the system containing the frozen planet of Ismere drifted the hulking form of an Imperial Star Destroyer. The infamous Executor, feared throughout galaxies for the destruction left in its path under Darth Vader's command.

With a hiss the doors to the bridge opened, revealing the imposing form of Darth Vader himself. As Vader stalked onto the bridge, heavy footsteps sounding in his wake, a single hushed conversation caught his attention amidst the usual noise of one of the fleet's main ships.

"…think we've got something, sir. The report is only a fragment from a Probe Droid in the Ismere system, but it's the best lead we've had."

"We have thousands of Probe Droids searching the galaxy. I want proof not leads!" dismissed the voice of the Admiral.

"The visuals indicate life readings-"

"That could mean anything."

"But sir, that system is supposed to be devoid of life forms-"

As Vader neared the pair he noted that the officer arguing the case was a young captain, and the Admiral was paying little attention to his efforts despite their validity.

"You found something?" Vader spoke up from behind the pair, at which they both immediately stood to attention.

"Yes, my Lord," the young captain spoke up and before the Admiral could form a word to say otherwise the captain had led Vader to the console and was showing him the image the probe had managed to transmit.

"That's it," Vader spoke up decisively. "The rebels are there."

"My Lord," began the Admiral, finally finding his voice, "there are so many unchartered settlements. It could be smugglers, it could be-"

Bristling at the condescension dripping from the Admiral's voice, Vader straightened from the console and turned to face the Admiral, cutting him off sharply.

"This is the system, and I'm sure the rebel who destroyed the Death Star is with them. Set your course for the Ismere system."

The Admiral nodded stiffly and turned to give the order, though not without a sharp glance at the young captain still hovering by the console. Hearing footsteps behind him Vader turned in time to see the General approaching.

"Lord Vader," the General greeted upon reaching him. "The Emperor commands you make contact with him."

"Very well," Vader responded with a nod. "Prepare your men, General." We have set a course for the rebels' location."

"Yes, Lord Vader."

Satisfied that preparations would be made for meeting the rebel fleet, Vader turned and left the bridge.

Upon reaching his personal quarters Vader wasted no time in heading for the communication room was dark and eerie, empty but for a single communication console. Approaching the console Vader selected a single switch amongst a sea of blinking lights before taking a step back and sinking to kneel on the platform placed before the console.

After a moment the lights on the console flickered before a beam of light appeared, stretching from the top of the console. Within the beam of light appeared a hologram forming the hooded figure of the Emperor.

At the appearance of the hologram Vader bowed his head. "What is your bidding, my master?"

"There is a great disturbance in the Force." The voice that came from below the hood was deep and raspy; a voice that sent a chill down the spine of many who had heard it.

"I have felt it," Vader replied, his thoughts turning to the young X-wing pilot who had destroyed the Death Star.

The Emperor hummed, sensing the direction Vader's thoughts had taken. "We have a new enemy – the young rebel who destroyed the Death Star is Emrys."

Vader's head rose at the name. "Is this possible? The one the Old Religion spoke of, he is here?"

"Indeed," the Emperor continued in the same deep tone. "He could destroy us."

"He is just a boy." Vader thought back to the presence he had felt when persuing the X-wing pilot, before he had been knocked off course by the smuggler's ship, Excalibur. "Gaius can no longer help him."

"The Force is strong with him," argued the Emperor. He hesitated for a fraction of a second before continuing, watching Vader carefully as he did. "I believe that this boy, Emrys, is the offspring of Balinor." Vader jerked at the Emperor's words, turning a surprised look to the Emperor. "Search your feelings, Lord Vader. You will know it to be true."

Vader's head dropped to study the floor and he was silent for several moments. The Emperor watched him carefully as the seconds ticked by without a response. "The child survived?"

"So it would seem," the Emperor responded carefully. "But the son of Balinor must not be allowed to become a Dragon Lord."

Vader was silent for another moment before he replied. "What if he could be turned?"

The Emperor paused, scrutinising Vader carefully as he considered the suggestion. "Yes…he would make a powerful asset. But can it be done?"

"Yes, master." Vader replied, looking up to the hologram. "He will join us, or die."

"Good."

With this response the holographic image of the Emperor's intimidating figure quivered before it and the beam of light shrank back down to the console and disappeared.

Vader remained on the floor a moment before he stood, turned on his heels and left the room, all without a sound.

So, there was the first glimpse into the Empire! Hope you enjoyed it, though I'm not sure if it will be cropping up again!