Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Far be it from Luke to tell the Rebel High Command that one of their decisions was a bad idea, not just once, but twice.

It shouldn’t have even been necessary to begin with because it seemed like just straight up common sense. After all, in the Desert, when some off-world idiot came along and said that there was an abandoned Sarlacc pit out in the Dune Sea, the people of Tatooine could confidently reply back that there was no such thing as an abandoned Sarlacc pit. And if, in that very rare, almost nonexistent scenario, the Sarlacc was indeed gone… then that only meant that something a whole lot bigger and meaner had come along and made itself at home.

Luke thought it was safe and reasonable to apply that general idea to any other abandoned something he came across.

Like an Imperial weapons factory.

There was no logical reason in the galaxy that the Empire would just straight up abandon an incredibly successful weapons factory overnight, leaving everything inside of it behind for anyone to take.

If the Empire had vacated the premises, then the Tatooine golden rule probably applied, and something else had moved in.

While some of the council had agreed that Luke’s theory bore strong consideration… the truth was that the Rebellion was a rag-tag group of thrown together militia and revolutionaries that were usually in sore need of supplies. And any supplies that happened to come in the form of free high grade military weapons was a prize not usually worth passing up.

It was an opportunity.                                                     

One that could have the potential to save a lot of lives in battle if all went well.

The assignment itself was simple:

Just check the damn place out. Scout the area for a lingering Imperial presence, pirates, mercenaries, or other hostile sentients. Find out why it was abandoned and what was left for the taking and then report back.

Simple.

Straightforward.

Easy.

Right. Except that nothing was ever that easy and Luke had been on a personal bad luck streak recently that seemed determined to continue. He had plenty of other things that he wanted and needed to be doing but after what happened at Bespin… it felt like he was treading in deep water with some of the leaders of the Rebellion. Nothing had outwardly changed. He wasn’t being kept on an extended leave or being restricted to homebase for psych evals. Despite the fact that while he was recovering from the loss of his hand, command of Rogue Squadron had been handed over to Wedge – he also hadn’t suffered a demotion. It was only at his own personal request, on account that he planned to leave and eventually to return to Dagobah and finish his Jedi training for however long that took, that Wedge had taken command permanently.

But something felt different.

Like… they were wary of him. Or more, that they were wary of what he knew. Wary of why he’d survived Bespin in the first place and wary of what he might have learned while he was there.

After a week or two following the incident, Luke had come to the uneasy conclusion that some of the leaders of the Rebellion knew.

They knew who he was.

They knew who Vader was to him.

And they were deeply afraid that after Bespin that Luke knew too.

Maybe he shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, everyone else had lied to him. His aunt and uncle, Ben, Yoda… really, it only made sense that these people would be lying as well.

It hurt. Luke hadn’t said anything on the off chance that his feelings were wrong… but it hurt to think that he really was just the weapon needed to win the war. That he was being used in some fashion by everyone around him. It didn’t change the fact that the Empire was wrong and that the war was still one that needed to be fought – it just hurt. Plain and simple. He would still do what needed to be done; Luke didn’t think he had it in him to run away from a fight. The vast majority of sentients in the galaxy had nothing to do with Luke being used or lied to by the people he trusted. They shouldn’t have to suffer because of it.

But maybe by doing this mission, however much of a bad idea it seemed, it might go a little ways to show that he was still loyal to the Rebellion. That he wasn’t a liability that they needed to worry about.

Maybe he could eventually walk by High Command again and not feel the hairs on the back of his neck raise up in quiet warning, telling him to watch his back.

The planet they were on had a long, ridiculously complicated name that Luke had no chance of ever pronouncing. It was located close to a red star and had a thicker atmosphere than Luke was used to, but the air was breathable and hospitable to life. The effect of the star, in combination with the atmosphere, made the sky appear red instead of blue and the plant life appeared blue and white rather than green. It was fun in a way that Luke hadn’t expected, if a little odd to adjust to. It was the sort of thing he’d always imagined encountering one day as a child desperate to escape Tatooine and explore other worlds.

But that was as far as his fondness for the planet went.

The section of the continent they were on was largely barren. It was an industrial site, so the Imperials had cut the trees down ages ago and most of the accompanying wildlife and foliage had disappeared with them. Large vehicles passing by had made visible dirt roads and massive tire tracks leading on and off the main production site. It was an eye-sore, even if it was probably necessary. Reports he’d read prior to arriving revealed that the planet had a massive doonium deposit in this area and a massive underground mining facility had been constructed as a result. The weapons factory that he and some other volunteers from Rogue Squadron were assigned to investigate was adjunct to the mines and it likewise had a metal processing plant on location so that the doonium could be hot-worked, shaped, cut, and cooled before then being transferred directly off-site to whoever or wherever it was needed.

However, none of that was really why he currently had a problem with this planet.

They had hidden their X-wings under the shelter of trees in a glade about two miles away and had hiked their way to the factory. His problem came from the fact that the second they stepped through the twelve foot tall electrified chain link gates, complete with curly barbed wire adorning the top, Luke had been smacked in the face with the strong impression that they were all being watched.

Searching in the Force for the source had yielded him nothing. Both the mines and the factory had been abandoned. It was just him and the other Rogues as far as he could tell but since the feeling persisted without any evidence to the contrary, it made him feel as though he was just being paranoid.

More than anything, Luke did not want to have to add ‘paranoid’ to his growing list of problems.

On top of his possible paranoia, the factory gave off an unhappy vibe and neither Luke or anyone else hadn’t even gone inside yet. It was as though there was a residual sense of suffering lingering in the air that was tricking his brain into thinking he was struggling to breathe.

And if Luke took a moment to be still… he swore that he could hear a faint, lingering echo that sounded a lot like screaming coming from inside.

“Still brooding then, Skywalker?”

Closing his eyes, Luke took a slow, calming breath and counted to three. Turning around, he offered a somewhat insincere smile at Cesi.

“Who said I was brooding?” He asked with a pleasant tone of voice.

“No one.” Cesi shrugged, sliding his hands into his pockets. Beyond him, Luke could see Wedge and Zach talking quietly and gesturing every so often at the massive double doors with a sign over them that read Cimiento Imperial Industries which marked the entrance to the weapons factory. They’d been left ajar when the Imperials had fled and it was pitch dark inside. They’d figured out that the main power source for the factory had been cut and Caleb was tinkering with the outside power control system trying to see if he could get it turned back on. “You’ve just been staring at this brick wall for the last five minutes. I don’t see anything that makes it look real interesting.”

Luke barely refrained from rolling his eyes. Cesi had been dogging his steps this entire trip. Luke didn’t know most of the current squadron members aside from Wes, Hobbie, and Tycho. But Wes and Hobbie had been given another assignment and beyond pleasantries, he didn’t know Tycho that well either. A lot of the newest members had been assigned while he’d been on Dagobah and while the majority of them seemed cool, Cesi in particular seemed to have it out for him.

“I was listening.”

“To a wall?” Cesi snorted and gave him a mock pitying look. “That’s a little sad, man. Are you really sure you should be out here? I mean, everyone knows you didn’t want to come in the first place. But then again, it’s normal to be a little delicate in the mind after – “

“Lieutenant.” Luke interrupted smoothly, breathing through his nose to calm the cold flash of anger that immediately leapt through him. “Why don’t you quit while you’re ahead?”

Cesi smirked. “Can’t handle a little criticism there, Luke?”

“It’s commander to you.” He said with forced politeness.

“Funny, I didn’t realize you were in charge out here, Commander. Captain Antilles is… unless you forgot, of course. But again… fragile state of mind and all.”

Diplomacy would never be his strong point in life and the only thing that kept Luke from smacking Cesi entirely was the quiet mantra of ‘there is no emotion, there is peace’ playing on repeat in the back of his mind. It wasn’t his favorite Jedi teaching and sat uncomfortably with his Tatooine heritage. But being impulsive or hotheaded in this instance wouldn’t fix anything and like he’d learned even before the start of his official Jedi training, could make him blind to what was right in front of him.

“I don’t have to be in command to rank higher than you.” Luke bit out as calmly as he could. “Now, is there a reason you came to talk to me?”

It irked all the more when the Force rang with Cesi's satisfaction as he took the topic change as a victory.

“Caleb says the power can be turned back on in the factory. He wants you to ask your droid to splice a few wires for him.”

“Why don’t you ask, Artoo?” Luke suggested, with a raised eyebrow. “I left him with you guys for a reason. And as you pointed out, I’m already busy listening to a wall.”

It was Cesi’s turn to scowl. “The little bastard shocked me and said not to touch or talk to him. Caleb doesn’t want to ask now.”

Some of the glee Luke felt at hearing those words obviously appeared on his face despite his valiant efforts to hide it because Cesi’s emotions went from smug to spiking with renewed irritation, all of it directed at Luke. Briefly touching the other man’s signature, Luke’s mind flooded with a quick flash of smug bastard-wasn’t funny-damn it still hurts before he pulled away again.

Artoo was going to get some serious pampering when they returned to base.

“Yeah, sure.” He agreed, trying hard not to laugh.

His mood lightened further after he stayed to watch Artoo fix the wires for a few minutes, listening all the while as the little droid beeped out a steady stream of insults and swear words to describe Cesi and his attitude, completely unprompted. Cesi was the only Rogue aside from Luke who understood binary and he tolerated the abuse for only a minute or two before walking away to find better company in Zach, who had moved to hide in the shade of the factory, throwing small rocks at nothing.

Artoo was without a shadow of a doubt, the best purchase that the Lars homestead had ever made, Luke thought in amazement, shaking his head.

But his amusement didn’t last long.

With a sigh, Luke turned away from the proceedings, quietly reminding Artoo not to be a pain in the ass, and glanced back up at the factory they were assigned to explore. Cimiento had been abandoned about ten or twelve weeks ago but the exterior was already so overgrown and unkept that it looked as though it could have been months. The building itself was massive and built from red-brown bricks. It had tall, arching windows all along the outer exterior walls and four larger smoke chutes and numerous shorter ones which stretched taller than the building. Only one of them, the one near the back side of the building, perhaps a quarter of a mile away, was currently billowing out any smoke.

This place felt wrong.

Not… dark. It wasn’t like Dagobah, so deeply entrenched in the Dark Side of the Force that it felt like a thick layer of fog in the mind.

It was more that the people who had been here had been unhappy.

And something else… something alive? or maybe just something about this place in general felt…. Luke bit his lip, closing his eyes and trying to pinpoint the feeling.

It felt… malicious….

That was the word.

It felt very malicious. But… wobbly. The maliciousness flickered into view in the Force every now and then before disappearing like it had never existed in the first place. It was like nothing he had ever felt or experienced before.

Luke opened his eyes again, a strong sense of unease and the feeling of being watched intensifying.

There was a damn good reason why this place had been abandoned. Going inside wouldn’t end well for any of them.

But it was hard to make a suggestion when your only point of evidence was a bad feeling. It hadn’t worked out so well for him in recent days, with his comments being more frowned at then taken seriously. High Command hadn’t put him on any kind of psychiatric leave pending the loss of his hand… but that didn’t mean there weren’t people in the Rebellion who thought that that is what they should have done. Handing command over to someone else hadn’t done him any favors in that regard either.

Despite having the best intentions in mind, it had made him look weak.

Strangers and soldiers who constantly relied on others to watch their back in battle did not look kindly on weakness.

The quiet crunching of rocks under boots caused him to turn his head, pulling him away from his thoughts. Wedge was approaching, a friendly smile on his face.

“You doing okay?” he asked.

“Oh yeah.” Luke said instantly, with false enthusiasm. “Definitely. I lost my hand two months ago, my best friend is still missing and might be dead for all I know, and this place is… just all sorts of wrong. But I can’t tell anyone that because most of the current squad thinks I’m crazy and what the hell do I know anyway? I’m just an outer rim desert brat in way over his head. Everything is just great.”

Wedge looked a little taken aback for a moment, long enough that Luke was already mentally chiding himself for letting go of his emotions so easily. It wasn’t fair to Wedge and his friend certainly didn’t deserve to bear the brunt of Luke’s complicated mess of feelings.

“Sorry.” Luke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. There is no emotion, there is peace. “I’m stressed. And I really do have a bad feeling about this place but I don’t know why.”

His friend blew out a quiet sigh and offered Luke a sympathetic expression. “Anything I can do to help?” Wedge asked gently, graciously accepting Luke’s apology.

Scrubbing his jaw, Luke slowly shook his head.

No one could help him.

That was the problem.

How could they, when Luke didn’t even dare tell anyone what was actually wrong? There was no one that he was willing to sit down with and explain in full detail the events that had happened at Bespin. There was no one that could possibly understand or fix the fact that his entire sense of self had effectively been destroyed that day on the gantry.

He had been lost the moment Vader had said “Search your feelings.”

In the following weeks, he’d only grown more and more confused as he struggled to fit pieces together to make sense of his life as he’d known it and the knowledge he now had. At the same time, Luke was trying to reconcile a new, strange sense of attachment and connection that he felt for a man who had been his enemy only two months ago.

“I know we have to be here, Wedge.” He said after a long moment. “And I don’t want to cause any problems for you. But I’m asking as a friend – when we go in there, when Caleb gets the power back on… if it looks bad or if anyone sees or hears anything… let’s just leave. Get the hell out of here. There’s no point in grabbing weapons that we need in order to save lives if we lose lives in the process of getting them.”

Given that Luke had only recently relinquished command of the squadron and seeing as how it was their first mission out since then, it was out of line for him to even ask. Wedge remained quiet, considering and Luke could only hope he hadn’t crossed a line. Cesi would have a field day if he heard that Luke Skywalker was trying to run away from a problem.

“I think that’s reasonable. And you have my word… first sign of trouble, we ship out.” Wedge finally agreed, clapping Luke gently on the shoulder.

“You mean it?” Luke asked, surprised by the easy acquiesce.

Wedge shrugged. “I’m not these other guys, Luke. You forget too easily – I flew alongside you when you destroyed the Death Star. You fired that shot blind, going off of nothing but your feelings. And you’ve accomplished some pretty crazy shit since then too. I don’t have any reasons to think you might be wrong now. So, if I’m going to trust anyone, it’s going to be you.”

It was heartening to hear and part of him was relieved that he hadn’t lost everyone’s trust. But even as heartening as it was to hear someone express confidence in him again, Luke couldn’t bring himself to enjoy it fully. He wasn’t certain that he deserved that level of trust and confidence from anyone anymore.

Would anyone trust him if they knew who he was? If they knew who his father was? Would anything that he’d done for the Rebellion or for his friends even matter in light of that damning knowledge? Or would it have all been for nothing? Would he bear the weight and punishment of his father’s sins because of blood alone?

Would anyone ever be able to forgive him for not knowing where he was supposed to stand anymore? If they knew, in light of the revelation at Bespin… that Luke could no longer bring himself to completely view Vader as his enemy?

He was almost completely certain that the answer would be ‘no’. He was also entirely certain that he never wanted to find out.

“But,” Wedge said quickly, continuing on without any knowledge of Luke’s inner thoughts. His eyes were dancing with good humor. “For the sake of impressing both of our superiors… let’s give this mission our best effort first though, alright?”

Luke ducked his head, unable to hide his own responding half-smile.

“Sounds like a deal.” He chuckled lightly. Inwardly, his instincts were screaming bad idea, bad idea, very bad idea Skywalker. “I can do that.”

“I don’t know if I’ve said it yet – but I appreciate the recommendation to High Command.” Wedge continued after a moment.

“You earned it, with or without my recommendation. There isn’t anyone else I’d have given it to.” Luke said distractedly. There were alarm bells ringing in his head again, loud and insistent. He turned to face the direction of the mines, where the Force was pulling him. There was a run-down looking entrance built into a small hill about one hundred yards from the factory and it felt… like… nothing.

Luke tilted his head, stretching out further into the Force and as he stretched closer, it suddenly felt as if he hit a wall.

It was a… void? That was the only word he could think of to describe it. It was just emptiness, as if there were no Force there at all.

“What the…?” Luke took a step towards it, confused by how that could be possible.

“Luke?”

Luke glanced back at Wedge, opening his mouth to try and explain but just then, Caleb jumped up with a victorious whoop.

Wedge looked away.

“Gentlemen,” Caleb announced with a loud voice, grabbing everyone’s attention. Artoo began beeping proudly beside him and Luke watched with something like dismay as the other Rogues began to circle round him. “Thanks to yours truly, this building… officially… has… power.” With a quick dramatic flip of a switch, the power system began to hum with energy and after a few seconds, the lights in the factory began to flicker on.

There were a few cheers and a light applause. Caleb offered them all an elaborate bow, a pleased smile on his youthful face. “You are all so welcome.”

“Well done, my man.” Zach stepped forward, enthusiastically grabbing Caleb’s outstretched hand and bumping shoulders with him, pounding him on the back. Tycho and Cesi both did the same and Luke heard Wedge offer thanks for Caleb’s help and effort. “Let’s get this show on the road!”

The alarm bells were still ringing.

Luke stood still, glancing back and forth between the Rogues and the factory now, feeling like an outsider for the first time. Force, he missed Han. He missed Leia and Chewie and Biggs - 

“Everyone get your shit and let’s do this thing.” Wedge hollered in agreement, clapping his hands together. They spread out, each of them snatching their packs off the ground from wherever they had dropped them. With his promise to Wedge in mind, Luke reluctantly stepped forward and did the same.

It can’t be worse than Bespin. Luke thought desperately, trying to convince himself. It’s just an in and out mission. We can do this. We can do this.

Whether or not that was true, there was no turning back now.

Gear in hand, they approached the large double doors as one. As they drew closer, Wedge took point and with a light push, the exterior doors swung inwards with a loud groan.

“Alright everyone.” Wedge said as they stepped inside at last. Luke felt everyone’s mood grow more somber as the smell of rotting flesh assaulted them almost instantly. They paused to take in their surroundings, which were not encouraging. “Remember, the Empire ditched this place for a reason so stay on your toes and don’t hesitate to report anything that looks funky.”

“You mean like Zach’s new haircut?”

There were a few nervous chuckles.

“Especially Zach’s hair.” Wedge confirmed.

“Ha ha,” Zach turned and extended his arms out in a wide gesture, sticking his tongue out at Cesi. It was only a little effective in lightening the mood. “Very funny. Asshole.”

“That hair style is ten years out of date. Get with the times.”

“Good things never actually go out of style.”

Luke shook his head, tuning out the chatter. The interior was a disaster. It looked as if there had been a massive firefight inside. Scorch marks adorned the walls and whatever equipment was out. The floor was littered with dirt, trash, upturned furniture, and debris. Rusty brown streaks and boot prints covered sections of the linoleum floor. Some of them ended at or near a decaying corpse. Some of the ones he could see had been torn apart.

Luke looked away from one that was little more than a skeleton now, pressing his nose into his sleeve to hide from the smell. It reminded him of Beru and Owen.

“Where to?” He asked, voice strained.

“The armory.” Zach said quietly, pointing across the main floor to another set of doors behind a large desk. “Schematics placed it on the second floor. There should be a hallway through there.”

Great.

Luke spread his awareness wide as they moved further inside, searching for anything that seemed out of place besides the obvious.

They didn’t get more than halfway before dust suddenly began to sprinkle down from the rafters far above them. They all froze as the roar of engines sounded from somewhere outside, growing louder and louder with each passing second.

“Is this what you meant when you said that you had a bad feeling?” Wedge whispered, turning to give Luke a wide eyed stare.

“Yeah, no.” Luke shook his head. “It definitely wasn’t this.”

“Those are TIE-fighters,” Tycho said nervously. He edged towards a window, trying to get a better look. “How could the Empire possibly know we’re here?”

“We don’t know that they do know.” Wedge replied quietly, stepping behind Tycho’s shoulder and peeking outwards as well. “Abandoned or not, this is still Imperial property. It could be a fly-by.”

A fly-by for an abandoned property? That didn’t sound right.

Cimiento wasn’t owned by the military either. Only contracted by them. There shouldn’t be a military presence here and there had been no sign of one when they'd arrived on the planet. What were the odds that Imperials just showed up right as they had arrived?

Was it… could they be looking for… him?

Swallowing thickly at the idea, Luke quickly turned inwards to check the bond tying him to Vader but it was still quiet. Following Wedge, Luke stepped forward until he could also see out the window.

There were four TIE-fighters flying in a welded wing formation approaching from the far west side of the building. None of them were a TIE-Advanced. Wherever Vader was, it wasn’t here.

Luke didn’t have time to feel relief because the two TIE’s leading the formation instantly began firing green laser shots at the building. They impacted hard , shaking the factory down to the foundation. Explosions were heard and blaring alarms, flashing lights, and sirens instantly went off inside. Grabbing Luke and Tycho, Wedge yanked them away from the window, diving out of sight as the first TIE's flew by and the last two TIE’s in formation began firing.

The impacts shattered glass this time and a massive chunk of the ceiling was knocked loose, falling down with a thunderous crash which had them all diving for safety. 

“They’re knocking down the building!”

“Everyone get out!” Cesi roared.

They bolted for the double doors, immediately taking refuge behind the large outer pillars and listening as the TIE-fighters circled around and began firing a second time. The shots were focused more on the opposite side from where they were this time. 

“We can’t make it to the ships!” Zach shouted above the deafening noise.

Running for the ships would be suicide. They were too far away and there was nowhere for them to hide between here and there.

The building began to groan even louder as more sections began to collapse. Chunks of red brick were flying in the air with deadly speed, being scattered around the exterior.

“The mines!” Wedge shouted, pointing to the rundown entrance Luke had seen earlier. Luke covered his ears as the last TIE in formation came through again, firing shots closer to the base of the building now. It was so loud.

As soon as it passed by and pulled up to enter a wide arch in preparation for another go around, Wedge was shouting again, “Quick, into the mines!” and then they were all sprinting across the yard.

Wedge had always been fast and he made the distance first, skidding to a halt just outside the entrance to the mines, turning and shouting at everyone to move move move, staring up at the sky with wide horrified eyes as the Imperial TIE-fighters got closer with every second. This time, they flew by without firing – which could only mean that they had all officially been spotted.

Luke was halfway there when he heard a shrill scream coming from behind him. He skidded to a stop, lifting his right arm to shield his face from the dust and dirt that blew up from the powerful residual tailwind of the last TIE in formation. Dropping his arm again, Luke watched as the Imperial pilots pulled up into a wide arch to circle back around again and then glanced back to where he could see Artoo hiding behind one of the outer pillars of the factory, trying to judge the distance between them.

“Damn it,” he whispered, before making a split second decision and bolting back the way he’d come. He could hear Wedge shouting at him to come back and to hurry, hurry just leave him! but he ignored it, pumping his arms and pushing his body as fast as it would go.

It only took seconds but it felt much longer and then Luke was ducking for cover just as the TIE came through again, shooting towards the mines. If they were originally knocking the building down, now they were definitely targeting Luke and the others.

“Artoo!” Luke shouted, feeling the sharp pain of tiny rocks hitting his face as laser bolts sent debris flying into the air again. He could hear more of the windows of the factory shattering after taking hits and falling to the concrete below in massive, jagged shards. Artoo shrieked in alarm, rolling backwards to avoid getting struck. Luke knelt down and placed a hand on his dome, his chest heaving. “Artoo, when the fighters are gone, you need to go back to the ships! Erase the base coordinates and all recent flight entries from the logs and then initiate emergency shut down protocols! Don’t answer for anyone who doesn’t have your primary activation codes, you got it?”

The little droid beeped a quick confirmation and then made a low, mournful whirling sound.

Luke shook his head, swallowing thickly. “I’ll be fine.” He swore fervently. “And I’ll come back for you. Just – stay safe!” He begged, gathering the Force around him as he stood up again. There was no time for a goodbye and Luke refused to believe that a long-term one would be necessary. Without a backwards glance, he bolted back the way he came. The roar of the TIE-fighters grew louder and louder behind him – Luke swore he could feel the ground vibrating under his feet as the powerful spacecraft dropped closer to the earth.

“Luke! Luke, hurry!”

He was so close – twenty yards – a sharp warning from the Force had him dodging to the left as a laser cannon was fired at him from behind and the resulting collision with the ground almost knocked him off his feet. He stumbled but managed not to go flying.

Ten yards.

Six.

Wedge was standing in the entrance, urging him on, shouting, “ RUN! Run, Luke – HURRY!”

One of the spacecraft began firing again just as Luke dived through the small entryway – Wedge practically dragging him in by collar and other hands too, yanking him to safety – there was no time to feel relief as the support beams above them instantly began to shudder and split as the laser cannon shots made impact into the old mining structure. Dirt started raining down on their faces and a horrible groan sounded around them.

“It’s caving in!” Someone shouted.

“Run!”

“Go! Go, go go! ”

They ran down the tunnel, only getting a few more feet when rocks and large sounding rubble began to smash to the ground. The small window of light from the outside world grew dark until they couldn’t see the way ahead and then a sound like roaring thunder exploded behind them.

Chapter Text

The deafening silence which followed was almost louder than the roaring thunder.

Luke dared not move, hardly even dared to breathe lest by doing so he accidentally tipped the cosmic scale so far out of their favor that whatever force was extending energy into sparing their lives suddenly decided the effort wasn’t worth it and abandoned them to their fate.

The sound of displaced dirt falling to the ground and shifting debris as weight tried to settle above and around them seemed unnaturally loud. Every hint of movement sent spikes of terror through his body. His heart was pounding and he was trembling from the sheer amount of adrenaline being forced into his system.

The groaning of metal shifting and bending under pressure seemed to last for a small lifetime. Distantly, Luke thought he could still hear the sound of the TIE-fighters still firing on the factory outside and the sound and feel of it crumbling to the ground.

Once he was certain they weren’t going to return, he slowly untangled his fingers from where they were clutching the roots of his hair. It took all of his willpower to convince himself to lower his arms from where they were protecting his skull. Dirt fell from his eyelashes into his eyes when he tried to blink them open. Luke hissed in response, lifting a hand in response and pinching the bridge of his nose, feeling tears prick at the corners of his eyes. He blinked rapidly, trying to flush the dirt out and then finally scrubbed his face with his sleeve, coughing.

“Is… is everyone okay?”

It sounded as though Wedge were close by but when Luke opened his eyes again, he was met with nothing but pitch black. He couldn’t even see his hand in front of his face.

“Guys?” Wedge asked again, keeping his voice low and quiet. He sounded tense.

“I think I’m okay.” Luke answered softly, slowly uncurling his body from the defensive position he’d taken against the wall as the entrance to the mine had collapsed. 

There were subtle sounds of boots shifting against dirt and loose gravel as some of the others slowly began to move too.

“I’m still here.” Cesi groaned.

“Same.”

“Still alive… I think.” Tycho confirmed weakly. He sounded farther away than both Cesi and Zach. “Anyone have a light?”

Luke almost reached for his lightsaber sitting on his belt but changed his mind. The last thing they needed was for Luke to accidentally skewer someone in the dark. “Yeah, hang on.” Shifting carefully, he instead slipped his pack off his shoulders and set it down in front of him. Fumbling blindly for a moment, he found the zipper and pulled it open. He found his flashlight cushioned between his yellow leather jacket and some MRE’s.

He switched it on and shined it in front of him.

The first thing that Luke saw after blinking against the brightness was the shining of the dust and dirt particles which were still floating in the air around them. Panning the flashlight slowly to the left, he saw Wedge pressed against the wall opposite of him. Every inch of him was covered in a layer of dirt – Luke imagined that they all probably looked about the same. Panning further, he found the others, staggered and spaced out around the tunnel they were in. Zach ignited a lantern he carried with him and then sat heavily back against the wall, breathing shakily.

No one looked too badly injured except….

“Caleb?” Luke stepped towards his companion and crouched down where he was sitting. Caleb hadn’t answered with the others and a generous amount of blood was covering the right side of his face. He was clutching tightly at his head with both hands. Luke extended a hand to try and look at the damage but Caleb winced, pulling away from him. “You okay?”

“No,” He grumbled after a moment, blinking away a few tears. They left visible streaks in the dirt that was coating his face. After a moment he looked up at Luke. “Damn rock smacked me in the head.”

“Here,” Luke dug into his backpack again and pulled his small emergency med kit from it. He carried two with him now – the second had supplies to do basic maintenance on his prosthetic if needed. Luke handed Caleb a few squares of gauze with blood clotting factors. “Keep pressure on it for a few minutes. We’ll take another look when the bleeding has stopped.”

Caleb accepted the gauze and quickly pressed it into place. In the second or two when he released pressure on his head, a new stream of blood instantly spilled down his face.

“Anyone else hurt?” Wedge asked, slowly rising to his feet.

There were a few no’s and an I don’t think so. Luke also shook his head.

Without needing verbal direction, those that could cautiously got up and started to look for another way out. It didn't take very long for all of them to realize that there wasn't one.

“Great. Just great. We are fucking trapped.” Cesi groaned.

“Lucky for us,” Tycho muttered, raising a shaky hand and taking a brief sip of whatever was in his canteen. Luke had a feeling that it wasn’t water. “Those guys were really gunning for our asses and I don’t know about the rest of you but I woke up today and chose life.”

Cesi gave Tycho a dirty look, completely unamused. “Being buried alive is a shortstop before death, asshat. The exit to the mine is completely sealed off by thousands of pounds of durasteel and concrete! If we don’t suffocate first, then we’ll starve. Not exactly what I’d call lucky.”

“Was there anything in the reports about the mines?” Luke asked, shining his flashlight down the corridor they were in. It didn’t shed as much light as he wished it would – he could just barely make out through the shadows that there was a bend in the passage. In between the bend and them, there were dangling chains just barely visible in the dim light and two support beams which had collapsed as the entrance caved in. Thankfully neither of them were fully blocking their way.

Luke had no idea how long it had been since someone had been in here, but what he could see did not fill him with confidence. It gave him the same eerie feeling he’d had outside… only it was worse. More than a little spooked, he turned back to his companions. “Anything that might give us an idea on how to get out?” he clarified.

Wedge was shaking his head. “Not really. It was just a paragraph or two about the doonium, not the mine itself.” He explained with a look of frustration on his face. “We were never supposed to come in here, so it probably wasn’t even considered relevant to the mission.”

“So, we don’t know anything about how big this thing is.” Luke concluded with a sigh.

“Nope.”

“Great.”

“Yep.”

It was silent for a few minutes, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Luke bent down and took a small sip of water from one of his canteens, just enough to wet his tongue, and then screwed the lid back on tight and tossed it back in his backpack.

Caleb finally coughed and then raised a hand. “What if… what if we just waited?” He asked hesitantly. “I mean, the Imperials probably think we died in the collapse. We could wait a few hours, give them time to scatter, and then dig ourselves out.”

Luke shook his head, redirecting his flashlight to the collapsed pile of rubble, rocks, concrete, and massive metal beams about twelve feet away from where they had gathered. “There’s no moving that without some heavy duty equipment. By hand it would take weeks.”

“What about with your Force magic?” Tycho asked quickly, his face lighting up with the idea.

“It doesn’t really work that way.” Luke said apologetically, wishing it could be that easy. “Besides,” he continued, pointing upwards. “The structural integrity of this whole corridor has been affected. Some of these beams are now being supported by the debris that fell and who knows what else was damaged on the outside. If we shift that now, this whole section could collapse on top of us.” Even as he said it, more dirt was displaced from above them and there was a light groaning sound as things tried to settle again.

He was in no way prepared to hold the weight of the entire corridor.

“But what if this was the only way out? This mine doesn’t go into a mountain, it goes underground.”

“This isn’t the only way out.” Zach said quietly, chiming in for the first time. He was still lounging against the wall, one knee drawn up into his chest. “Whatever operation they had going on here, it looked huge. The ventilation system is probably top-notch. And most planetary regulations require that mining facilities have at least two separate exits. Usually more.” When they all stared at him, he shrugged nonchalantly. “I have an uncle who works in the mines on Abraxas. He talked about the job sometimes whenever he was around.”

Wedge ran a hand through his hair, glancing down the dark tunnel and then back to Zach. “Did your uncle ever happen to mention where this other way out would be?”

“I… I think it depends on the layout of the mine. But I know they aren’t located close to each other – they’re designed that way on purpose. It’s… you know, a safety precaution. If one exit goes down or gets blocked, there’s less chance of it affecting the other exits.” Zach bit his lip and then heaved a sigh. “The surest way to find one would be to make our way to the lowest level of the mine. All the exits should be accessible down there.”

“Do you have any idea how deep these things can go?” Cesi demanded, staring at Zach like he was crazy. “Miles. These things can go down for fucking miles and who the hell knows how many tunnel systems there are which may or may not take us to where we want to go!”

Zach threw a small pebble at him. “Don’t get fucking angry at me! I’m just trying to help.”

“Enough!” Wedge snapped, keeping his voice low. “Everyone just calm the fuck down or I’ll have you all filing inventory for a month when this is over. And Cesi, unless you have a better idea to offer, there’s no reason to be a dick. Either be helpful or shut up. The last thing we need is someone starting a fight right now.”

“I was just saying,” Cesi blew air, visibly trying to calm down but obviously still rankled. “That getting lost in a mine we know nothing about isn’t exactly conducive to survival.”

“Neither is staying here.” Tycho pointed out quietly. “At least if we travel into the mine, there’s a chance of us getting out.”

“Not if we get lost.”

“We won’t get lost.” Luke interjected before tension could rise any higher. He was from the Desert – learning how to not get lost on a planet that was almost nothing except sand dunes and which had no other significant or viable landmarks more than ninety percent of the time was taught alongside reading and writing. It was Education 101. A mine might not be a desert but the rules of survival should still apply. “Not if we’re smart.”

The other Rogues gave him dubious looks, though Zach and Wedge seemed more open than the rest.

“How so?”

“We’ll mark the walls.” Luke said simply. More than one of the doubtful squad members made an oh expression, much to his private satisfaction. Despite what some of them might think, he wasn’t useless. “One of you has a thing for spray paint, if I remember correctly. We can develop a quick system – dead end tunnels can be marked with an X and we can use an arrow system for the others, either pointing us forwards or the direction we came from. If we don’t have paint, then we can make rock cairns at the appropriate intervals.”

Tycho tilted his head, considering. “That could actually work.”

“It’s better than nothing.” Zach grumbled, casting Cesi a sour look which was deliberately ignored.

“We’d be able to backtrack.” Wedge mused. “And if we’re lucky, there should be an elevator or something to take us down most, if not all of the way. If there isn’t… maybe we can try our luck following a downgrade.” He glanced at Luke. “I say we do it.”

"Might as well." Luke agreed. 

Everyone stood up, grabbing their water and double checking to make sure that they had all their things. If they were going to do this, there was no point in wasting anymore time.

“Who has the spray paint?” Tycho asked curiously, once they were ready to go.

Caleb raised a sheepish hand. “Me.”

Of course it was him. Luke had heard from Hobbie that Caleb, on top of being a pretty impressive pilot, had been a successful small-time thief prior to joining the Rebellion.

“What?" Caleb demanded. He flushed when everyone grinned. "It’s not that funny! It’s just… well, you never know when the opportunity to vandalize the Empire will come your way. I believe in being prepared!”

If they got out of this alive, Luke thought maybe he'd try expanding his circle of friends a little. The kid seemed like he'd be fun to fly with.

Luke decided that he was going to have words with whoever had written the mission report logs and had decided the mines weren’t anything of importance. Given their direct connection to Cimiento, it shouldn’t have been overlooked in the mission briefs. It wasn’t as though five extra minutes of reading was going to kill someone.

But their own lack of knowledge just might.

None of them had any clue how big this thing was. All they could do was guess – after all, what little had been in the reports had been about the doonium deposit and the massive shipments which were regularly exported from this location. Numbers didn’t lie.

If Luke had to hedge a guess, the mines were much larger than even Echo Base had been. They hadn’t been on Hoth for very long before the Empire had forced them out but it had been a complicated system of tunnels carved into a massive glacier, spanning multiple floors which often ended in deep natural caverns that they had expanded to suit whatever their needs were. The whole thing had taken the Alliance around eighteen months to build. This mine had been used for over fifty years.

This one tunnel alone seemed to stretch on forever and reminded him vaguely of his first time at the old base. The first couple of days, he'd spent time wandering around trying to figure out how to navigate unfamiliar territory, hoping that he wouldn't get lost.

Cold as it was, at least the technology they'd had on Hoth had been new. It had been designed to house life.

This place though... it was… crude.

That was the word for it.

Crude.

The walls were narrow, transitioning from red dirt to hard rock that was supported by a series of old wooden beams that were spaced out about three or four feet apart from each other. The entrance they’d entered from had been destroyed by the TIE-fighters but the further inside they went, the more they realized that the entire thing seemed to be in complete disarray. Rusted pipes and broken chains hung haphazardly from the walls and ceiling. Some form of insulation laid scattered around on the ground with various rocks, sticks, and other such debris that suggested rodents had made their homes here. The wiring for the rudimentary lighting system installed in the ceiling had been chewed through and was utterly worthless now and would have left them stranded in total darkness had they not carried their own lights with them.

The air felt stale and old and the farther along they advanced, the darker and colder it seemed to get.

All he knew was that it set his nerves on edge. Whatever danger he'd sensed outside Cimiento, it applied here too.

A short staircase made out of rusty, perforated metal took them farther below the surface. They found themselves in a much larger space that might have been used for storage of some kind judging by the old lockers and chests that were still sitting against the walls. Shining his flashlight up towards the ceiling, Luke spied that all the lightbulbs were broken. Shards of glass laid scattered around in the dirt which Luke took care to avoid. 

They all took a moment to scout the room out for anything of note. Luke took a moment to open a few of the lockers. They creaked on their hinges but there was nothing inside of any of them. In the farthest corner of the space, he found and picked up an old, dusty datapad off the floor and pressed the power button.

No luck, he thought with some disappointment. He couldn't wasn't too surprised though, given how old it looked. The datapad itself was several generations out of date. Besides, it would have been too convenient if it had worked. Putting it back down, Luke turned back towards the others.

"Anything?"

Everyone shook their heads in unison.

"Like we'd be that lucky." Wedge sighed. "Alright, let's keep going."

There was only one other way in or out aside from the stairs they'd taken to get down here, so they continued through the open door frame. Zach took a moment to mark the wall. After advancing a few yards, they found an unfinished track system for minecarts beginning on the ground in front of them. Luke raised his flashlight to see how far it went, but the passageway advanced so far in front of them that it eventually disappeared into darkness.

"Damn, I miss electricity." Caleb groaned suddenly, breaking a tense silence that had fallen over them. "This sucks. We're like idiots in a horror movie."

Despite himself, Luke couldn't help but laugh. Han would like this guy. He was sure of it. 

"Got a better idea, Cashbal?" Zach chuckled. 

"No." Was the sullen reply. "I just wanted my opinion to be known."

It was a little easier to move forward after that, with quiet chatter keeping them distracted from the worst of their collective unease. Luke mostly listened, uncertain of where exactly he fit in with these guys who'd already had time to become close seeming friends... but at least he had Wedge and they were close enough that he didn't feel completely alone. Their shared experience of surviving the Death Star had cemented their goodwill towards each other. They didn't travel together often right now but whenever they did meet up, it felt like picking up exactly where they'd left off. 

Suddenly, from somewhere far off, there was a loud crashing sound that caused all of them to jump and freeze in place. It sounded as though something big and metal had been thrown against a wall or dropped from a tall height. The accompanying sounds of smaller pieces of metal bouncing along a hard surface filtered through the air.

Luke hardly dared to breathe. His heart was pounding from how completely unexpected the noise was and he was half expecting the mine to start to groan and tremble again.

It didn’t. Instead, something else equally as loud crashed to the ground again only moments later, echoing loudly in their ears. 

"...what was that - "

Followed by one, very loud, very deliberate bang.

Someone began to swear quietly under their breath.

Reaching for the Force, Luke instantly felt dread drop like a brick into his stomach.

There was no Force.

It was gone.

It was that same void of nothing that he’d sensed outside. Just cold darkness, like staring up into the great expanse of space on a starless night.

Startled, Luke directed his attention to his companions, trying to get a read on their feelings or emotions but there was nothing. He couldn’t sense anything and how the hell was that possible? He'd never heard of such a thing before and he scrambled to regain a sense of something – anything at all.

He’d never been without the Force. He’d never experienced this complete void of life before. Had never even realized until this very moment how intricately connected to the universe he’d been until suddenly it was just gone as if it had never even existed in the first place.

It felt like someone had covered his head with a pillow and was trying to smother him.

The noise dissipated after that bang but none of them dared to move any further. They were rooted to the ground where they stood, shining their lights in front of them to chase as much of the darkness away as they could and half expecting something to lunge out at them from it. 

As he stared, glancing every so often between the other Rogues and the tunnel ahead of them, Luke suddenly became aware of something. Something that had been present for a good portion of their trip but which had occurred so slowly that he’d hardly noticed until just now.

Heart pounding a wild beat in his chest, he finally broke the silence.

“Everything is black and white. I can’t see any color.”

There was no color anywhere. Their clothing, the lantern and flashlights, even the red dirt and gravel floor underneath them… it was all just shades of black and gray, like some kind of filter on a camera lens or a photograph from a time period millennia before.

"Oh shit." Cesi whispered, twisting around suddenly to try and look at the Alliance symbol sewn into his leather jacket. It was supposed to be red. The others were startled as the realization kicked in for them as well.

Another loud bang, closer than before, froze them once again in their tracks. 

Luke slowly unclipped his lightsaber and stared at the cylinder in his hand. He looked up and caught Wedge’s eye.

He looked as frightened as Luke felt.

Dropping his flashlight, he switched his weapon on. It hummed in the air, and the black and gray shadows which surrounded them were forced to recede – but the bright green color he’d hoped to see was absent. The blade was a light gray, almost white now, bright, and harsh on the eyes.

“What the fuck?” Someone whispered.

“Are… are we dead?”

Were they dead? Had something – an accident or an attack of some kind – killed them so quickly that they simply hadn’t noticed as they passed on?

Being mindful to keep one eye on the tunnel in front of them, Luke raised his lightsaber and brought it a little closer to his face. He allowed his free hand – his flesh hand – to hover momentarily near the blade.

There was still heat coming off of it.

Encouraged by this, Luke brought his hand just a tiny bit closer than was probably wise and immediately felt the stinging burn of the nerves in his fingers responding to the incredible heat. He snatched his hand back and stared at it, rubbing his fingers together to chase the lingering pain away.

Finally, Luke shook his head, lowering his lightsaber to his side. “No. I… I don’t think so, anyways.” He whispered, hardly daring to breathe.

"But why is everything - "

"I don't know." He interrupted tightly. Ahead of them, the sound of... of feet suddenly running over loose gravel cut through the air. Whatever it was... it had sounded much closer - maybe yards away from them - though it was moving in the opposite direction now. It must have been the acoustics in the passageway though because there hadn't been anything physically in front of them.

When a few tense minutes had passed and nothing else happened, Luke let some of the tension in his shoulders ease. 

"Luke," Wedge said quietly. "Can you... feel what that was? In the Force, I mean?"

The Force. 

Luke reached out for it again and found the same black void of nothing waiting for him. He felt sweat trickle down the back of his neck despite the fact that the mines had been cool thus far. 

Swallowing thickly, he managed to shake his head. 

"No." he admitted softly. "I can't... I can't feel anything." He turned to Wedge, feeling desperate. "I don't feel the Force at all. It's gone."

This was bad. This mission was doomed from the start - he'd known it from the moment they'd walked through those damn gates.

They should have fled when they had the chance. 

“Do you think… it's connected to that... whatever that was?" Tycho asked nervously, staring down the dark tunnel. "That maybe there's someone in here with us?"

Luke could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing up straight at the thought of venturing further into this Force-forsaken maze of tunnels. 

“I don't know. But if there is… I guess we’re just going to have to find out.” Luke said quietly.

The only way for them to go was forward.

After about ten more minutes of walking, they finally came across something different – a fork in the passageway. Their color perception was, unfortunately and eerily, still skewed. Caleb looked paler than earlier. He sat down heavily against the wall with a quiet groan, cradling his head with his hands. Some of the dried blood on the side of his face was beginning to flake off.

“You still doing okay?” Zach asked with a sympathetic expression.

Caleb waved a hand. “My head is pounding. Just ignore me. I need a minute.”

There wasn’t anything new that they could do for him so, lowering their voices, they took a few minutes to deliberate which tunnel they would check out first. Both were equally dark and foreboding, though the one on the left didn’t look quite as wide as the one on the right. Finally, at Wedge’s suggestion, they decided to just kill two birds with one stone and split up into two teams: Luke and Cesi would go down one tunnel for about twenty minutes, and Wedge with Zach would go down the other. When their time was up, they would regroup and make a more informed decision from there.

Tycho volunteered to stay and keep Caleb company as he wanted a few more minutes to rest.

“Probably for the best,” Zach said sagely, trying for humor again. “I mean, if you take into consideration the plot line of almost every horror film to ever be conceived of, you’re already at a pretty severe disadvantage just for being the youngest person here.”

“Plus, you’re injured. If we just leave you alone, you’re guaranteed to die.” Cesi agreed with a solemn nod.

Caleb, being the good sport that he was, politely flipped them both the bird.

“Twenty minutes.” Wedge reminded them tightly. “Don’t be late.”

Luke offered his friend a tight salute and a solemn nod before they parted ways. 

The silence between Luke and Cesi was decidedly uncomfortable, perhaps more so because Luke could no longer pick up on any emotions from the other man. Everything felt so... flat. 

Cesi gave him a side eye. “I’m good to do this on my own if you’d rather just go sit down with the others. I mean, without the Force, you're pretty much useless, right?”

Luke clenched his jaw. "That was a little uncalled for, don't you think?"

"Not from where I'm standing."

That was it. 

He was going to keep a damn list and if it was the last and pettiest thing he ever did in his life, he was going to write Cesi up for every. single. infraction and slight that he could think of.

Insubordination. Conduct unbecoming of an officer. Disrespect of superiors. Deliberately being an asshole. Not conveniently falling down a mineshaft.

Demotion demotion demotion. 

“I don’t need the Force." Cesi continued casually. "I have everything I need to survive with a blaster in my hand and a good head on my shoulders. None of my achievements or promotions were the result of some space magic."

“That’s not what it is.”

“I don’t care. High Command only gives you so much leeway because of your Force stuff. So, really - what use are you to them or us without it?”

Luke scowled, breathing his annoyance through his nose. Whatever this... block ... was, he doubted it was permanent. He didn't know how it was possible, but he knew enough to know that the Force didn't just disappear - it existed in everything. And he was hardly the only one being affected by this place. It wasn't just him.

“What’s your problem with me anyways?” he demanded, instead of giving in to the obvious taunt.

Cesi raised an eyebrow. “You really want to know?”

Luke threw his arms out in an exasperated gesture. “By all means, lay it on me.” He said sarcastically.

“Fine.” Cesi stopped dead in his tracks, turning to face him directly for the first time. “I think you’re dangerous.” He said it with such bluntness that Luke was almost caught off guard. “I think you’re weak and I think you keep secrets that you don’t want anyone else to know about.”

Even going into this topic of conversation blind and with zero expectations for what the answer would be… that was not what he had expected.

“That's it?” Luke exclaimed, baffled by that logic. "You think I'm dangerous and that I have secrets? Everyone has secrets. I'm hardly the first."

“True,” Cesi conceded willingly. He leveled Luke with a look that he really didn't like and despite not being easily cowed by anyone or anything, something about it almost made him want to take a step back. “But you’re a little different, Luke."

"Commander," Luke corrected instantly. "And why? Because of the Force? That's stupid."

"No. Not because of the Force. It's because whatever your secrets are... you're ashamed of them. Especially recently." 

That drew him up short. It was... observant. He thought about Bespin and everything that had taken place since that awful day. About the confused mess of emotions it had created inside of him and the uncertainty he felt about High Command's feelings towards him. Luke tried not to let any hint of his unease show on his face as Cesi continued on, almost ruthlessly now. He was definitely hitting the point a little too close to home.

"Whenever you think no one is watching, you look guilty. You can think whatever you want of me, I don’t particularly care. But everyone looks to you. Everyone respects you and everyone, for some reason, expects you to save us." The look on Cesi's face told Luke exactly what he thought of that. " So, sue me for being a cold bastard sometimes, but when there are so many lives riding on the actions of one person, my own included… well, I guess I just can’t help but want to know what it is that the Hero of the Rebellion has to feel so guilty about.”

Luke thought of Vader and felt his shoulders stiffen. His throat felt dry.

“Nothing to say?” Cesi pressed, raising his eyebrows. Luke couldn't help but feel as though he were under a microscope. 

"I don't answer to you." Luke said tightly. "Think what you want. Like you said, I don't care. All you need to know is that whatever my secrets may or may not be... my loyalty has always been to the Rebellion." 

Cesi hummed, unimpressed. He allowed Luke to take the lead, strolling casually behind him.

"Never said you weren't, Commander." He called after a few seconds had gone by. "But I think it's really interesting that your first instinct was to assure me that you are. Call me crazy, but I think that says something about a man."

Luke almost stopped mid-step as he realized his own slip-up but saved himself at the last second and kept going.

Damn him, but Cesi was right. 

It was a relief to regroup with the others. 

Luke and Cesi were the last ones to appear and when he finally caught sight of the others at the fork, he lengthened his stride. 

"Hey - what happened?" He asked hurriedly. Everyone was gathered in a circle around Caleb. The gray light from the lanterns highlighted the concern on their collective faces.

Wedge clapped him on the shoulder as Luke neared, scanning him for any sign of injuries. "I don't know," He said after a moment. "Zach and I just barely got back."

“I thought…” Caleb tried to say before trailing off. He looked pale and shaken. He looked up at them from where he was still sitting against the wall. “I thought I heard… my twin brother. Quinn.” He admitted in a small voice. “I heard his voice. I swear, it was – it was him. How could it be him?"

Luke blinked and shared a look with Wedge. 

"Caleb," Wedge began, making a sympathetic expression. "Maybe... you know you got hit in the head -"

“No," Tycho interrupted immediately. "It's not that. I heard the voice as well.” He said, swallowing. “I mean… I heard someone’s voice, at least. I’ve never met your brother so I can’t confirm that it was him. But… we definitely heard something.”

Thinking uneasily of what had happened earlier, they took a moment to be still and listen.

"Well... it doesn't seem like there's anything now." Wedge said after a long moment. "But if anyone hears anything, don't hesitate. Let's just keep going for now."

"Did you or Luke find anything?" Zach asked, directing his question at Cesi. 

“No luck.” Cesi shook his head. “Ours went straight for a while but ended in a backfill. It's a dead end.”

Wedge nodded. “Then ours is probably our best shot. We didn’t find the end of it but it curved and had a consistent downgrade. At the very least, it’s the direction we want.”

"Then let's do it. I want to get out of here." Cesi said with confidence that was only a little forced. They stood up, silently gathering their things once more.

Luke glanced back around him, just to make sure that he hadn't left or dropped anything by accident... and froze.

For a fraction of a moment, in the passageway leading back the way that they'd come from, there was a terrible face staring back at him – a massive, gaping jaw, dripping with blood and flesh, and black soulless eyes peering out from the curtain of darkness –

And the next second, it was gone.

Luke swallowed, a tight pit of unease gnawing at his stomach as he stared at the spot where it had been, wondering if he was losing his mind.

“Luke?” He looked over his shoulders, at the others who were waiting for him to follow. “You coming?”

Biting his lips, Luke couldn’t help but glance back at where he thought he’d seen that… that thing… staring at him. It sent chills and an awful dread down his spine to even think about it. At the same time though, there was nothing there. All was quiet and still.

He should tell them.

But what if he’d seen… nothing? It could have been his imagination. The mines were affecting everyone differently, it seemed like. Luke drew a hand over his mouth, uncertain of what to do. He didn’t have the Force. He couldn’t sense anything and couldn’t prove anything and to top it off, more than half these guys didn’t even trust him. Without that critical piece of himself, he might as well be deaf and blind.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m coming.” Luke adjusted his backpack on his shoulders and gave Wedge a tight smile. "I'll take alpha position." he volunteered.

Later.

If he saw it again, he would bring it up.

But just in case, Luke hung back, holding his lightsaber cylinder loosely in the palm of his hand as the others advanced forwards. 

With trepidation sitting like a rock in his stomach, he followed last as they began their descent into the mines.

“Admiral.”

Firmus Piett turned, calmly scanning the Pits to see who it was that was requesting his attention.

An Ensign from the communications department stood up at attention and after sparing a glance at Lord Vader, who was standing in his customary spot in front of the Lady’s viewport on the bridge, he made his way down the short staircase into the left console.

“Ensign…”

“Doss, sir. Ensign Chanat Doss,” she finished for him. Firmus offered a brief nod, gesturing for her to continue. “I apologize for the disturbance, admiral, but we have an incoming message for Lord Vader.”

“From the Emperor?”

Ensign Doss shook her head. “No, sir. It’s coming from a small Imperial outpost in the Outer Rim territory.”

Professionalism alone kept Firmus from rolling his eyes. There were multiple calls per week from low level officers throughout the galaxy demanding that Lord Vader address their issues personally. The communications department even kept a betting pool and a tally count now. “Advise them to contact their immediate superior for any complaints or grievances which they wish to have addressed. Any further attempt to disturb Lord Vader outside the chain of command will be met with immediate disciplinary action.”

“I – I already did, admiral.” Ensign Doss said hesitantly. “But… they were quite insistent that this was an issue Lord Vader would wish to be informed of.”

Not unheard of. Still, “Then advise them to send an email. If Lord Vader decides it is worth his time and notice, he will respond as his schedule allows.”

The Ensign bit her lip. “I did, sir. They insisted, quite vehemently, that his Lordship would wish to be informed now.”

Firmus pursed his lips. That was… a little less common.

“Did they say what their reasoning was?”

“No, sir. Only that it was urgent.”

So, it was either a petty issue that any officer with half a brain cell could deal with… or it was actually urgent. He spared a glance to look upwards to where Vader still stood at the viewport, debating whether or not he should disturb him.

“Deal with it, admiral. Quickly.” Vader ordered shortly, not bothering to look away from the vast expanse of space. Thankfully, he addressed Firmus before it was necessary to make the decision himself. The Sith Lord must be a little curious. “I do not wish to be disturbed.”

“Of course, my Lord.”

Sharing a look with Ensign Doss, Firmus sighed a quiet sigh. Ensign Doss offered him her headset, though he declined her seat when it was offered – he did not plan to let this conversation last long enough for that to be necessary.

“This is Admiral Firmus Piett of the SSD Executor. State your name, rank, and reason for requesting contact with the Supreme Commander.”

“This is Captain Deklan of the 117th Squadron belonging to Opportunity Base, Imperial Outpost located on –“

“Relay your message, Captain.” Firmus interrupted smoothly. Lord Vader wasn’t the only one with a list of things to do and deadlines to meet.

“Yes, admiral.” There was a brief pause. “Sir, we found Red Five.”

Firmus blinked, feeling all of his previous irritation vanish in the span of half a second. “Are you certain of this?”

“We are, sir. We discovered the X-wing about two miles away from an abandoned weapons factory, belonging to Cimiento Imperial Industries. Red Two, Seven, Four, Nine, and Ten are also present.”

That was half of Rogue Squadron. There wasn’t a high or low ranking officer serving under Lord Vader who did not know those call signs. Especially – especially – Red Five.

“What of the pilots?” he demanded, standing up straighter now. Distantly, he was aware of the bridge growing a little quieter as other crew members tried to listen in to whatever had grabbed his attention. A few heads poked up from behind computers around the Pit to stare.

“Negative, sir. But… we believe we know where they might be.”

“One moment.” Tearing the headset off, Firmus quickly changed the audio so that it was on speaker and turned the volume up before addressing the Captain once again. “Captain Deklan, be advised, you are now addressing both myself and Lord Vader. If you would repeat your claim once more, please.”

There was a pause. Static crackled through the speakers and then, “We… we found Red Five, sirs.”

Every person on the bridge understood what that meant. It seemed as though the room grew a little colder as everyone held their collective breath. Firmus looked up once again, his heart pounding a beat in his chest.

At the viewport, Vader finally, slowly turned around.

“Where?”

Chapter Text

Cesi hadn’t been wrong to be concerned about how deep the mines went.

They followed the initial downgrade for almost an hour. Every so often, it would level out and divide into another forked passageway, which they discovered typically ended in another backfill. Sometimes it would open up into a small, natural cavern with additional off-shooting exploratory tunnels. On one level, they even found a small kitchen and eating area tucked away into a corner. There was no food when they scavenged through the cupboards for anything useful but they only found an old first aid kit that had a few stims shots and a bottle of antibiotics. The water pump still worked and they had taken a moment to fill up their canteens and to wash their face and hands of any remaining dirt for the collapse before moving on. The track system was a consistent feature, though occasionally they came across sections of it that were missing the steel rails or were otherwise strangely damaged. The deeper they went, the more they began finding abandoned minecarts filled with remnants of rock and small amounts of doonium in the more cavernous areas.

It was difficult to tell exactly how far down they had gone but as they found more and more active mining sites, Zach theorized that they might be getting closer to one of the haulage levels. Luke found himself fervently hoping so if it meant they were that much closer to finding another way out. The color distortion and lack of feeling from the Force was a constant, irritating itch that he couldn’t scratch.

It aggravated him – even when he first lost his hand and he couldn’t use the Force for a while, it still hadn’t felt like this. It had still been there for him to sense, if not access. Now… now it was just dark and empty. Morbidly, he thought it must be what being dead actually felt like.

It didn’t help that he was still more than half convinced that that… thing from earlier was following them. Maybe it had been a trick of the mind… but with the cave on Dagobah acting as the one exception, Luke had never seen anything that hadn’t actually been there. The others could think what they wanted about his mental state – Luke wasn’t crazy. Yeah, the loss of his hand sucked and Vader had certainly thrown a wrench in his life with his ill-timed revelation… but he was just as capable of doing his job as he ever was.

Luke had kept to the back of the group since the start of their initial descent, unlit lightsaber in hand, and ignoring whatever conversations were occurring between the others. He kept quiet, listening with a careful ear for any hint of movement or breathing that wasn’t their own.

Not even Cesi’s occasional digs at him were enough to distract him. Every skittering rock and rustling of clothes or movement had him glancing backwards to make sure nothing was lunging at them from the darkness –

“Oh, gross –" Zach complained loudly from the front of the group. He turned around and gave the rest of them a disgruntled look of disgust. “One of you guys has a serious problem.”

“What are you talking… about – “ Wedge paused, his face scrunching up as well. He pinched his nose shut and coughed weakly. At the same moment, the smell reached the rest of them. It was a rank, disgustingly foul odor – one of rot and decay and something else vaguely fruit-like.

It was, unfortunately, a familiar smell. Luke had first experienced it when he was nine, traveling to Mos Eisley with Beru and Owen as a child – a slave had been whipped to death and left to rot in the streets, baking under the suns. Beru had hurried him away from the scene but not before the scent and image of death and suffering had embedded itself in his memory. Once smelt, it was nearly impossible to forget. It clung to everything – clothes, furniture, walls – even in an open, airy space, it could take years for the smell of cadaverine and putrescine to fade entirely.

“That’s not….” Luke shook his head, biting back his gag reflex. “That’s something dead.”

More than one something, if he had to hedge a guess. It had to be, if the smell was this bad already. They traveled for a few more minutes, slowed only by their unwillingness to get even closer to the source of the stench but left without the option of traveling back the way they’d come.

It didn’t take them very long.

The passageway they’d chosen began to open up on the sides, slowly becoming wide enough to allow four of them to walk side by side with each other. On the right side they found another entryway and when Luke peered into it, he saw that it opened up into a room full of cells. 

There was no need to venture in. They could keep going and never have to see or know what had been left behind. And yet... Luke felt the pull of something and without thinking too deeply about it, he crossed the entryway and felt more than saw the others follow suit. 

These cells were rudimentary in design - certainly nothing like what he'd seen on the detention levels of the Death Star. 

But hard rock and steel bars were just as effective as modern forms of containment when the inhabitants of the cells were rendered with absolutely nothing.

Stepping further inside, Luke could count four cells on each side, making eight total. All of them were dark and there was no sign of movement from anything inside. 

He felt his heart ache with an emotion that didn't have a name. He'd felt it many times before, as a child and a teenager and eventually as a young adult on Tatooine. 

The closest he could come to giving it a name was pity. But it was almost more than that. No Freeborn person ever looked at slaves without thinking of the generations of lost family members and didn't think of what if. 

One of the cell doors at the opposite side of the room was unlocked. Luke let his feet take him forwards. He pulled the door open, wincing at the creaky squeal of the hinges. Even knowing what to expect, he was in no way prepared for the sight that greeted them. The ceiling in the cell was also set lower than it was outside. It was meant to force its former occupants to either sit, lie down, or crouch in an uncomfortable position until they were needed.

Luke counted thirteen rotting corpses of various sentient species which had been crammed into a room which could comfortably hold maybe eight. All of them looked to be in various stages of decomposition, with the freshest still black and bloated and the oldest entering advanced decay. Luke winced, feeling sick to his stomach for the slaves who’d survived so long is such a miserable hell. They had all been bound together by ankle cuffs connected to a long, heavy looking chain that was bolted to the far wall. The floor was nothing but dirt and pools of dark decaying liquids pooled around the remains.

The smell was putrid. 

Only a crudely dug hole in one corner was available to act as a latrine. The former occupants had little to no clothing. As Luke looked around, there was certainly nothing else present that suggested any degree of comfort or dignity had ever been offered here.

“What the hell is this place?” Caleb whispered at his shoulder, horror-struck.

Luke kept his expression carefully neutral. It had been a few years but he was no stranger to things like this. The slave pens in Mos Eisley during the auction season were equally as cruel and disgusting. The only difference was the occupants here were dead and no longer forced to suffer.

“This is where they kept all their slaves.”

Pulling his lightsaber from his belt, Luke lit it once again. The bright gray light flared to life, lighting up the cell in its every disgusting detail.

Caleb gagged and immediately fled. Luke heard him retching just outside the door. At least he hadn't thrown up inside - the dead deserved more respect than that.

“What are you…?” Wedge asked. His voice was muffled behind a piece of cloth that he was using to hide his nose. He looked two seconds away from puking.

Luke stepped forward and with great care, began to use his lightsaber to cut through the chains that bound the slaves to the chain they all shared.

“On Tatooine,” Luke answered after a long moment, stepping between rotting corpses. He was mindful not to disturb any of them beyond what was necessary. “There’s a belief that if a slave dies in chains and then remains chained… then they’ll never experience freedom. Even in the afterlife. They remain trapped, always belonging to the Masters. To break their bindings is to give them freedom.”

It was an old idea and it was a sentimentality that dead slaves were rarely gifted. They were usually disposed of like garbage or fed to beasts as fodder.

Luke had enough of the Desert in him where he wasn't able to simply turn away from this. Even if it was just sentimentality, he would do his part for these victims of the Empire. As a Freeborn, he couldn't think of doing otherwise. 

He cut through the last ankle cuff on the corpse - a Wookie, judging by the fur that still clung to parts of the body. It was the last one and the farthest away from the entryway. Just as Luke was about to turn away, something small glinted in the light of his lightsaber and caught his attention.

“Luke, I – I gotta – “ Wedge jerked his thumb over his shoulder when Luke hesitated and then, same as the others, he disappeared out the door.

Luke ignored his friend and slowly dropped into a crouch. He pressed his nose into his arm as the proximity to a corpse made the smell of rot intensify ten-fold. There it was. Luke could see it now. He lifted his hand, hesitating for a long moment. Finally, with a slight grimace, he reached his hand forward under the exposed rib cage and into the dead Wookie’s chest cavity.

The internal organs would have been among the first things to decay, and Luke was briefly grateful that that was the case. It meant that there was less rot for him to push his hand through. Fortunately, he didn’t have to reach very far – the object of his interest was resting against the middle of the spinal cord and it came away with one gentle tug.

Luke carefully withdrew his arm and looked down into his hand. The transmitter chip was small, not much bigger than his thumb. A light gray light blinked on one of the device’s sides, indicating that it was both working and still within its designated parameters. If he had to guess, Luke was certain that the entirety of the mine would constitute acceptable parameters in this case. After all, an escaped slave with a bomb inside them set to blow if they crossed a certain invisible boundary didn’t exactly conform to underground mining safety regulations.

It would be easy to lie about – slaves were property, after all. At some point, most of them lost the will to fight or escape and tried to live what life they had in compliance just to avoid unnecessary pain. And it wasn’t as if the Masters were required to tell them the truth about anything.

Lifting his eyes, Luke found the corpses’ empty eye sockets behind long, dirty strands of fur. “May you find peace and freedom in death.” he whispered.

Footsteps sounded behind him and Luke looked over his shoulder. He felt his expression fall flat.

Cesi.

Great.

Luke absently pocketed the transmitter and stood up to leave the cell. There was nothing else for them to do here and Cesi’s presence was grating on his nerves. Even more so now that Luke knew he had ulterior motives for his actions other than just being an unpleasant jerk with an attitude problem. It was uncomfortable for someone to look at him with the intent of trying to see what it was that he had to hide.

A few months ago, he wouldn’t have cared at all – would have laughed at the thought that anyone would think there was anything interesting or significant enough about his life to want to know the dirty details. Assuming that they found their way out of the mines and off this planet, Luke decided that he was going to leave. He was tired of being stared at. Tired of the distrust and whispering behind his back. Even now, it frustrated him to the point of anger.

He would help find Han but then he would return to Dagobah – to Yoda and demand the truth about everything. The Rebellion could do what it did best and Luke would seek out the answers to his questions.   

Just as Luke was side-stepping around Cesi to leave, Cesi leaned towards him, whispering quietly so that only Luke could hear. “Does it remind you of home?”

Luke froze and then turned back towards him, too stunned to react. “Excuse me?” he demanded.

The other man shrugged, sliding his hands deep into his pockets. “I heard that you come from slaves.” he continued, speaking to Luke in that same condescending tone that he always used. “This,” Cesi gestured around them with a haughty look of disgust. “Must feel like home to you. Maybe one of these stiffs is even one of your parents – "

Luke threw a punch before he even consciously decided he was going to, hitting Cesi so hard that his head snapped back and he was instantly knocked off his feet. In one swift movement, Luke drew his lightsaber, leveling the blade at Cesi’s throat, letting it hover only an inch or so from his skin. Cold fury coursed through him.

“Don’t you ever – " Luke warned, his voice cold and dangerous. He felt his chest heaving as he paused, watching Cesi stare up at him with wide eyes. He was afraid now. Good, Luke thought viciously. “– mention my family to me again. If you do, I’ll kill you. Do you understand? Do you – ?”

“Yes.” Cesi bit out tightly before Luke could finish. There was a spark of fire returning in his eyes as he stared up at Luke, still not daring to move. “I understand.”

Luke knew not to expect an apology – Cesi wasn’t the type and even if he was, Luke would never accept one. Not for this, anyways. His words and actions were far too deliberate for him to plead innocence in any of the things he’d said or done. But it rankled all the same.

There was nothing in this cell that was worth joking about.

“Luke. Luke,” Wedge’s insistent voice sounded behind him. The short scuffle had attracted the others' attention and Luke felt a set of strong hands grab at his shoulders – whether to restrain him or to support him, he couldn’t really tell through the fog of rage clouding his mind. “Let him up, man. Shake it off and let it go. He isn’t worth it.”

Let it go.

The people of the Desert didn’t just let it go.

They didn’t forget.

Tatooine taught people how to be cruel from a young age – it wasn’t kind to weakness and it didn’t forgive mistakes. But only those people who’d never truly lost someone to Masters dared to point their fingers and laugh at those who had.

Ignorance wasn’t an acceptable excuse.

Still… Luke couldn’t help but think of Vader and the rage that was inside of him – of that black, endless chasm of pain and rage he’d felt through the Force and of all the terrible things that the man who was once Anakin Skywalker did with his anger.

He didn’t want to become that.

There is no emotion, there is peace.

With all the control he could muster, Luke released as much of his anger as he could, breathing heavily through his nose. With a tight, jerky movement, he finally took a step back and away from Cesi and turned off his lightsaber.

“Keep him away from me.” He growled, snatching up his things and brushing past Wedge.

Wedge watched Luke push roughly past the others and then turned to Cesi, who was just now picking himself up off the floor.

“What the hell did you say to him?” Wedge demanded. He’d never seen Luke react like that before – hell, he couldn’t honestly say that he’d ever even seen him get angry. But to pull his lightsaber on someone and threaten to kill them? That was… unheard of.

“It won’t happen again.” Cesi said shortly, trying to dodge the question.

Wedge drew himself up. “I asked you a question, Lieutenant.” He snapped. “And when I ask you a damn question, I expect an honest answer. What did you say?”

Cesi stiffened and it took him a moment to remember how to work his mouth. “I… implied… that one of the deceased could have been one of his parents. It was a mistake,” he emphasized strongly. “It shouldn’t have happened.”

For a long moment, Wedge could do nothing except stare, his mouth hanging open in utter disbelief. “You… what the hell is the matter with you?” he demanded. If he wasn’t in a position of command, he would have decked the bastard himself. “What the hell possessed you to – who even does that?”

“I was wrong and it won’t happen again.” Cesi repeated insistently.

“You’re damn right it won’t happen again!” Wedge ran a hand through his hair, disgusted more than he could say. “You can expect to have disciplinary action taken against you. This kind of conduct will not be tolerated by anyone in the Rebellion and I swear – if you say one more word to Luke about anything for the remainder of this mission, you will never fly for Rogue Squadron again. Do you understand me?”

Cesi pursed his lips. “Yes, sir.” he said stiffly.

Wedge shook his head and huffed, biting back a number of other choice words he wanted to use. As much as it may have been warranted, now definitely wasn’t the time. He needed everyone to be able to work together as a team in order to get out of these mines and get themselves home.

Without another word, he turned around and left to find Luke.

Cesi waited until Wedge left the cell before letting out a low breath of air and easing the tension in his muscles.

“Damn it.” he swore quietly.

He was a fucking idiot.

Nothing Wedge had said to him was unwarranted – he deserved it and he knew it and would accept whatever decision was ultimately made – but the idea of losing his position in the squadron and facing action with High Command irked just the same.

He glanced backwards to check to see if anything had fallen out of his pockets when he’d fallen over but didn’t see anything. He was going to burn his clothes when this was over though – Cesi didn’t even want to think about what it was that he had fallen in.

The sound of someone clearing their throat had him lifting his head again.

It was Zach.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” he warned.

Zach raised his hands. “I wasn’t going to ask.”

There was a moment of silence and then Cesi shook his head. “I’m an idiot.”

“Yeah, you kind of are.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re not getting any support from me, buddy. Not for this one.” Zach glanced around the cell again, no doubt taking in the rotting dead and then made a face. Cesi felt uncomfortable to realize it was disappointment. “I know you have your doubts about Skywalker and maybe you’re right. Maybe he is hiding something. I don’t know. But what you said to him… that – that was pretty low.”

Cesi let out a sigh and rubbed his jaw slowly. He was certain that it would bruise. Skywalker might be short but he could pack a hell of a punch. “He’s hiding something,” he said quietly. “Something big. I know he is. And I want to know what it is.”

Zach gave him the side eye, obviously exasperated that he still wanted to pursue it despite everything. “Have you ever thought that maybe it’s none of your business?”

Maybe it wasn’t – but Cesi knew how to read people. He’d done more than his share of undercover work during his years in the Rebellion before eventually being assigned to Rogue Squadron and had personally rooted out a number of Imperial spies.

He’d been good at his job and for whatever reason, Skywalker was giving off those shifty, don’t-look-at-me vibes. As much as he probably should, Cesi couldn’t just let it go.

Cesi had given too much to the Rebellion to lose what they’d all worked for because no one else wanted to look too closely at someone with a famous name.

“Why don’t you apply that same logic to yourself and let me figure this out.” Cesi said shortly, striding forward to exit the cell.

Zach followed him, shaking his head. “It’s your funeral, man.”

Maybe it would be. But so be it.

Luke left the others, escaping out into the hallway where the air was a little cleaner and didn’t smell so much of rot and suffering. The scent still lingered on his clothes and he knew from experience that it wouldn’t ever come out.

First chance he got, Luke would light them on fire and burn them to hell. Maybe he’d throw in a holo of Cesi’s face in there with them for good measure.

Luke wanted to rip him apart and feed him to the Sarlacc.

There is no emotion, there is peace.

If Cesi valued his miserable life, he’d keep his mouth shut for the rest of this mission. Otherwise, everyone present might find out just how similar the son of Darth Vader was to his father –

His father.

Luke breathed out through his nose, frustrated and hurt and angry. He clenched his hands into fists and glared upwards at the ceiling, thinking not for the first time that his life was infinitely unfair.

What had happened to Anakin? What had happened to the Hero With No Fear?

Why had he escaped slavery on Tatooine only to fall prey to the Dark Side of the Force? Why was he still a slave? A slave to his anger, to his hatred, and maybe even a slave to the Emperor? What had happened? If he was so powerful, why was he so trapped?

And was that also Luke’s destiny? Was he, the first Freeborn Skywalker in generations, doomed to follow his fathers’ footsteps?

He didn’t know.

Luke was torn between desperately wanting to help his father and running as far away from him as he could, just to avoid sharing the same fate.

More than anything, he didn’t want to die in chains.

When Wedge approached him a few minutes later, he didn’t say anything about what had happened with Cesi and Luke was grateful. He felt like he was walking a tightrope with his emotions and the catalyst to tip him over was only a hair's breadth away.

“You good to keep moving?” he asked quietly.

Luke nodded stiffly and after taking a deep breath, they rejoined the others and left the cells behind them.

He resumed his position in the back and silently stewed, lost in thought. What little conversation there was between the others was hushed and whispered and he was content to ignore it.

They kept moving for another hour or two, navigating the seemingly endless system of tunnels. They were forced to backtrack a few times after hitting dead-ends. Eventually, and despite the fact that none of them were particularly interested in spending any longer than strictly necessary in the mines, they still needed sleep. Caleb had managed to turn the power back on in the early afternoon before this entire fiasco had started and it was nearing standard midnight by the time they decided to call it quits.

They found a slightly larger space in another cavernous area that could house them comfortably for at least a few hours. Everyone took a few minutes to set up their sleeping arrangements, kicking rocks out of the way so that they wouldn’t wake up with unnecessary kinks in their back. It was chilly, enough to fog the air with their breath. None of them had brought sleeping gear with them, so Zach arranged a number of the rocks into a small fire pit while Cesi pried some wood from the support beams along the wall.

Luke silently lit the wood on fire with his lightsaber and then sat down with the others, staring at the white flames for what felt like a long time. Finally, he leaned back against his backpack and closed his eyes, hoping to get a little rest before it was his turn to keep watch.

Darkness and the sound of tinkling chains plagued his dreams.

Zach was the occasional sufferer of chronic insomnia and given the exceptionally stressful day that they’d all had, he knew that he was far too awake and that his thoughts were running in too many directions for him to even begin to think about going to sleep right now. So, before Captain Antilles even had to ask, he willingly volunteered for the first watch. 

Two hours of sitting alone in a quiet space (even if it was in a dark creepy mine) was the recharge he desperately wanted if he was going to be forced to do another long stressful day with this particular crowd of people.

He loved his friends and would do anything for them but they could be exhausting. He had not mentally prepared himself for whatever shit show their day had turned into.

To his quiet relief, once everyone had gotten settled, no one felt much like staying up and talking to each other. Finding the slave quarters and witnessing firsthand the Empire’s callousness and depravity towards its sentient citizens was a harsh slap in the face about the reality of what they were all fighting against. That, and Cesi’s subsequent dig at Skywalker’s slave background and his unexpectedly violent reaction to it had likewise done its part in turning off whatever friendly chatter there might have been. Most of the group had gone to sleep quickly and Zach found himself grateful that none of them had the tendency to snore too loudly. He wasn’t above hitting anyone with one of his boots to make them stop were that the case.

He skimmed over the group for a moment, watching the rise and fall of their chests. Caleb was still pretty shaken by whatever it was that he’d thought he’d heard earlier – Zach didn’t disbelieve him. Not when Ty could back him up, anyways – but he thought that the idea of the kid having heard the voice of his twin brother to be rather unlikely. And Skywalker… well, he had mostly kept to himself since what had happened and Zach was privately grateful. While he didn’t personally know Skywalker well, everyone always said that he was well-liked in the Rebellion and treated everyone he came across like a friend. His outburst in the cells was… unsettling.

Cesi had pushed too far this time and Zach couldn’t really fault Skywalker for reacting the way that he had. He’d been noticeably tense all day – had been that way since the start of their mission but Zach thought that it had gotten worse after he’d lost the Force and whatever that entailed.

He’d heard stories of Skywalker’s rather famous exploits in the Rebellion, the same as everyone had, and had grown up hearing stories about the Jedi – mostly Imperial propaganda but that included a list of their supposed “abilities” so the general public knew what to look for. He tried to imagine what it would be like to lose something like the ability to levitate objects and couldn’t.

It was on the same level as him knowing what it was like to be blind or deaf. He just didn’t understand.

Still. Zach didn’t think it was a good enough excuse for him to just withdraw from the group. Skywalker certainly hadn’t made very many efforts to try and fit in. He’d kept quiet and to himself the majority of the time they’d been in the mines. Maybe the ‘hero’ complex had gotten to his head.

After thirty or forty minutes, Zach tossed some more wood on their bright white fire to keep it burning for a while longer and then stood up to stretch his legs. The color distortion was worse than a bad trip and he decided to walk the perimeter of the space they’d claimed for the night and take a break from staring at it. The light was beginning to make his head hurt.

A few minutes later walking around hadn’t helped. His headache was only getting worse.

Zach winced, sitting back down near the others. He felt a little sick to his stomach now as he pressed his index and middle fingers hard against his temples, rubbing them in a slow circle to try and ease the pain a little bit.

It didn’t work.

Grimacing, he reached into his backpack and pulled out his canteen of water, thinking perhaps he was dehydrated. It was cool and refreshing and he had to exercise restraint to not take big gulps of it. He needed it to last until they got out of here.

Zach lifted his head, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up straight when just then, he heard the sound of a rock skittering across the ground. After almost an hour in silence, it seemed terribly and unnaturally loud.

He swapped his canteen for his flashlight resting on the ground near his feet and then slowly stood up. He glanced at his companions – all of them were still soundly asleep – and then quietly moved away from them a few feet. He pointed his flashlight at the adjunct wall and switched it on, blinking against the sudden brightness. It took a moment for his brain to adjust to the continued color distortion that they were all experiencing – the different shades of black and white which had become their new color wheel were much easier to ignore when it was dark.

He slowly panned his flashlight from left to right looking for anything out of place and desperately hoping that it was just rats or some other nasty rodent –

Zach froze and his heart skipped a literal beat in his chest. In the entryway to the 'room' that they were occupying for the night, maybe fifteen or twenty feet away, were two brightly glowing light gray dots. As he stared in frozen shock, they disappeared for a half second and then reappeared just as quickly. In the same moment, Zach saw what looked like the black figure of a… a man... that was looming in the entryway. He thought it was a man… it looked tall but he couldn’t really make out any distinct features.

But it was definitely not a rodent.

The brightly glowing eyes disappeared and reappeared again.

“Oh shit,” he whispered, his heart pounding rapidly. He wanted to run.

Once more, the eyes blinked and disappeared… only this time, they didn’t reappear. The black figure seemed to have blended into the shadows and where was it?!

Zach listened intently, straining to hear any sign of movement but there was nothing. He waited for nearly a minute, as tense as he’d ever been in his life – another minute passed though it felt closer to an hour. His head was still pounding.

Finally, at the exact moment when he began to think that maybe the danger had passed… a long, low whistle sounded out from the darkness, stretching out for the length of a few beats before dropping in pitch for another two and then another.

Zach swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. His hands began to tremble.  

It repeated a second time, like an old record on repeat.

That was his grandfather’s tune.

He would know it anywhere. The Galactic Champion of Whistling, grandfather was not. The old man had only ever been able to whistle those three distinct notes in that exact order his entire life. When he was still alive, it had been sort of a family joke – something everyone had teased him about whenever they were together. In a good natured way, of course. Grandfather had taken it with good humor, reminding them that they were all good-for-nothing brats and that he’d whip their hides if he was still fast enough to catch them.

Zach remembered watching him as a boy while he crafted wooden tables in his workshop on their family’s property after he had retired. If he hadn’t been offering instruction on what he was doing or spurting random bits of life advice, then it was always that same distinct tune, over and over and over again. That stupid, familiar three note tune that Zach had always associated with the simplicity of his childhood.

A long, low sounding whistle followed by a drop in pitch and then another.

The black shadows in the entryway shifted and Zach could once again pick out the looming figure. It took one step back, making a jerky movement as if to gesture Zach to follow it.

That was it. He was done with this, he would wake the others and they could deal with this thing together –

“Zach-ary.” Grandfather’s voice sounded suddenly from the darkness, freezing him in his tracks all over again. The glowing eyes reappeared in the entryway, staring straight at him. “Come… closer, boy. Come – see.”

Zach felt his breath hitch in his throat.

He opened his mouth to alert the others and flinched when the indistinct figure lunged a few steps closer almost in response.

The eyes dropped closer to the ground while Zach tried desperately to find his voice. He was too scared to move as the black figure went down on all fours and crossed the entryway for the first time. It moved slowly, but not hesitantly – it was stalking him. Hunting. And those eyes… Force, they never seemed to stop looking at him.

It kept to the shadows, drawing closer and closer. On the ground only a few feet away, Caleb coughed, turning over in his sleep with a noticeable yawn. The creature hesitated for a moment and then slunk towards him even faster. Its movements were completely silent.

“Come… see – Zach. Come see.” It whispered.

Zach closed his eyes, feeling too terrified to do anything else.

Only seconds later, he felt a warm puff of air against his ear. Icy fear crept along his spine and he didn’t dare to move, certain that if he even so much as twitched a muscle that something awful would happen to him.

“Zach…ary. Come and – see. See… me.”

That voice… so achingly familiar and yet so awful and wrong was right in front of him now. He shouldn’t – he didn’t want to know – he didn’t want to see.

Almost against his will, Zach opened his eyes and then he screamed.

Luke woke up to the sound of someone screaming.

He jolted upright and scrambled to his feet, heart pounding wildly in his chest and feeling hyper aware of the other people around him doing the same.

The fire that they had lit earlier for a little additional warmth had dwindled to nothing but bright white coals and the space around them was mostly dark now except for an abandoned flashlight that was shining white-gray light towards the entryway.

“Help me! Someone - help me!”

Zach.

That was Zach and he was screaming as he was dragged on his belly down the tunnel by some unseen force, his hands scrambling for any kind of purchase he could find and it wasn't enough - 

"Help me!" Zach's desperate plea, ragged and bone-chillingly awful, forced them out of their stunned stupor and into panicked action.

Luke reached for the first thing he could find - his lightsaber - and charged forward without another thought. He ignited it in a swift, practiced movement and something dark and huge briefly flickered into view in the space above one of Zach's legs. In the next instant, it was gone and Zach was yanked further down the passage, almost at the entryway now. Plasma bolts fired loudly from behind him and he heard the sound of others racing after him - 

"Zach - hang on!" Cesi shouted desperately, charging past Luke and diving to grab one of Zach's outreached hands. He grabbed ahold of one and instantly stumbled as whatever invisible force had Zach's leg yanked again. 

There was the wet sound of tearing flesh and Zach was screaming in agony, begging Cesi not to let go of him - 

Luke side-stepped Cesi and whatever had grabbed Zach flickered back into view for a split second - he swung his lightsaber at the space where it had been felt the blade connect with something. 

An ungodly screech sounded in response and then Zach’s leg was abruptly released from whatever invisible force had grabbed ahold of it. Cesi and Wedge were immediately pulling him backwards, away from the entryway as fast as they could while Luke stood still, listening and waiting for another glimpse of something. 

Rocks and gravel scattered as something big moved backwards. Luke heard a loud reptilian-like hiss, not unlike a krayt dragon in the desert from a few feet in front of him. 

Heart pounding wildly, he stepped forward, swinging his lightsaber blindly again and then he heard whatever it was chuff angrily at him and then turn and run. Luke didn't dare to move for the longest time, not until he was absolutely convinced that it was gone.

Minutes - maybe even an hour later, he released a shaky breath and glanced behind him. Caleb and Tycho were at his back, their blasters raised and pointed towards the entryway and the gray and black shadows beyond it. 

"Is... is it gone?" Caleb dared to whisper. 

Luke swallowed. "I think so?" he said shakily, sharing a frightened look with Tycho. "Is - is Zach okay?"

"I don't know. Wedge and Cesi have him." Tycho swallowed. His hands were shaking when he finally lowered his blaster. 

They walked back together, constantly checking over their shoulder until they reached the "safety" of their fire. It was fairly blazing now - someone had thrown a pile of wood on it and brought it back to life. 

Zach was propped up against his backpack, panting and crying, holding onto the thigh of his leg with both hands. Cesi was pressing a hypo into Zach's bicep when Luke stepped closer and Wedge was sitting at the actual wound.

"Luke - " Wedge looked up and there were streaks of Zach's blood on his face. "You have gauze - get it. All of it, whatever you have." 

Luke nodded quickly, turning off his lightsaber and dropping it on the ground before running for his bag. He returned quickly with his first aid kit and dropped to Wedge's side, ripping it open with shaking hands.

Zach's leg was a mess - four deep gashes had ripped through his flesh from the knee almost down to his ankle, deep enough in some spots to reveal white bone underneath. Dark gray, almost black looking blood was seeping out from the wounds and pooling immediately around his leg and into the grooves of the rock and stones beneath him. 

"Oh shit - " Tycho breathed. He dropped to his knees and immediately pressed his hands down against Zach's leg, putting pressure on one the deeper gashes. Zach howled in pain. Caleb came in and started applying pressure as well and Luke was quick to start wrapping the leg with gauze from the bottom up, making sure to twist it into a figure eight directly over the wounds. 

"You're okay, Zach." Cesi was whispering, sticking another hypo into Zach's other arm. "You're okay. You can do this, just hang on. We're going to get you all fixed." The whispered words of encouragement didn't stop, not until Zach finally passed out a few minutes after they finished wrapping his leg up. He'd lost a lot of blood... but the blood-clotting gauze seemed to be working for now.

All they could do was wait.  

For the next few hours, no one else slept a wink.

Oftentimes, it seemed like the coming of the dawn was the answer to nightmares. The light came and chased all the evil away, even if only for a little bit. It was rejuvenating.

Too bad there was no dawn in a mine.

The alarm on Wedge’s watch beeped loudly, signaling them all that it was now 0700 hours. Everyone glanced wearily at each other before reluctantly standing up and gathering their things. Wedge kicked some dirt over the pitiful remains of their fire to put it out and then, with Cesi’s help, pulled Zach to his feet. He'd been awake off and on throughout the night and there was no way he was going anywhere without help.

He hissed, balancing carefully on one leg. The bandages were caked in dried blood and Luke tried to chase away the memory of the wound that they hid. Cesi pulled Zach’s arm over his shoulder to help support him while Tycho grabbed his backpack and slung it over his back.

It was time to keep moving.

No one spoke. The darkness was more sinister than ever, now that they knew for certain that they weren’t alone in the mine. It was made worse by the fact that Zach’s injury was slowing them down significantly now. They moved at a third of the pace that they’d managed the day before and it was setting everyone on edge, though no one commented on it. The silence was only broken up by Zach’s grunts and occasional cries of pain.

What sort of creature could hide in plain sight?

Something had ripped Zach’s leg to shreds but even when it was dragging him down the tunnel, no one had actually seen it?

What did that mean?

Was it some kind of camouflage? Or a trick of the Force? Both?

Luke tried in vain to reach for the Force again, to search for whatever it had been – but that same void of nothing was all that greeted him.

The nothingness made him want to scream in frustration.

They followed the downgrade and ignored the off-shooting tunnels that appeared more and more frequently. The wooden support beams that were spaced a few feet apart began to look less rotted. Every so often, they would pass an entryway where the scent of death hung heavy in the air and twice, they passed the heavily decaying corpse of an Imperial that had been torn to shreds.

Luke lifted his head quickly when the sound of swinging chains came from behind him. He was the last one in formation and so it couldn’t have been anyone else. He turned, stomach tight with anticipation, and scanned the passageway for any hint of movement.

“Luke?” Wedge whispered. “Was that…?”

Luke didn’t dare to take his eyes off the tunnel. “I heard something.” He confirmed quietly. A beam of gray light suddenly illuminated the tunnel as the others turned around. Luke heard several blasters being removed from their holsters and he did the same with his lightsaber, though he didn’t light it just yet.

Where was it?

Two others joined him, standing at his shoulders. Luke thought it was Wedge and Tycho but wasn’t sure. He could feel something watching him now but where was –?

“Oh, Force – what the fuck is that?” Caleb suddenly cried out, pointing at something beyond Luke and stumbling backwards in horror.

And there it was.

It was the same terrible face that he had seen the day before peaking around a corner about twenty yards away from them just… watching. Its bright gray eyes gleamed in the lantern light, like predators did in the dark. Its mouth was hanging open in a disconcerting, lackadaisical sort of way, revealing dozens of sharp teeth. 

“Oh Force.” Tycho stumbled backwards, clutching at his head.

“Ty?” Caleb caught Tycho from behind, supporting his weight and preventing him from falling to the ground.

“My head – " he gasped. “It hurts.”

Just then, from down the tunnel, there came the unexpected and haunting sound of a little girl giggling. It echoed slightly and raised the hair on the back of his neck.

“Ty…cho.”

Luke stiffened and he spared a moment to look at Wedge. His friend looked pale and as terrified as Luke felt.

The voice was childlike… but flat. Wrong in some awful, unnamable way. 

“Hi… Ty-cho.” It giggled again. “I – missed… you!”

“Mia.” Tycho breathed. One hand was pressing hard against the side of his temple and he was staring at the creature with an expression of devastated horror.

The creature tilted its head slowly to one side. “Ty…cho – Tycho, come… play – with me. Play with me!” A hand with wicked long claws for fingers curled around the corner of the wall and it seemed to Luke that the gleaming eyes were laughing at them. “Big brother – come play with… me!”

“Stop – " Tycho choked out desperately. “Make it stop.”

Both Luke and Wedge stepped forward as one and instantly began firing their blasters in rapid succession. The resulting bursts of light were painful to look at, but no one dared to take their eyes off that… thing. Most of the plasma bolts hit the wall near the creature’s face but two or three of them made contact. The creature flinched backwards, narrowing its terrible eyes at them, but otherwise there was no noticeable effect.

“…I’ll play with – you.” It hissed with that same child’s voice.

It didn’t sound as though it were taunting them now. It sounded angry.

The creature pulled back, disappearing around the corner and there was the sound of feet running over gravel and rocks, farther and farther away from them until they couldn’t hear anything at all.

 No one moved for what felt like an eternity.

“What the hell was that?” Zach finally demanded. Luke turned around and saw that he was sitting on the ground now. Cesi was wielding his blaster and looked just as stricken as the others. “I mean, what the hell was that?”

“Everyone stay calm.” Wedge ordered.

“Stay calm?” Caleb protested, eyes wide. “How can anyone – did you see that? Did you hear it? I mean, what the fuck –"

“I saw it and I’m telling everyone to calm down. Panicking isn’t going to help anyone.” Wedge reiterated firmly. There were other voices of protest and alarm but Luke tuned it out and focused instead on Tycho.

There were tears running down his face and he was still staring at the spot where the creature had disappeared.

“Who’s Mia?” Luke asked quietly.

Tycho blinked and glanced at him. He scrubbed at his face, suppressing a sob. “My sister,” he whispered shakily. “She – that was my sister's voice. But she’s dead – she fucking was killed on Alderaan. I don’t understand, how could it use her voice?”

“Sit down for a minute.” Luke said, mind racing. Tycho folded like a lawn chair and Wedge was quick to offer him some water.

A sister.

And….

Luke looked up again, searching for Caleb.

“Yesterday – you heard your brother.” He said slowly once they had locked eyes with each other. “And Zach – last night, you said you heard your grandfather?”

Both of them nodded.

That was a pattern. All of the voices that had been heard so far were blood relatives.

“So, what this thing can… can mimic the voices of the ones we love?” Wedge asked, quickly following along with Luke’s train of thought.

“How is that possible?” Cesi demanded. “What type of monster can do that?”

Luke shook his head slowly, biting his thumbnail. “I don’t know. But there are some sentient species that can communicate through a form of telepathy. Even the Jedi – they could communicate over long distances through the Force if they were strong enough. Maybe… maybe it’s something like that?”

Zach’s brow furrowed. “But I always thought that you have to share the ability in order to communicate with stuff like that.”

“Maybe. I don’t know.”  

Luke had been able to communicate with Leia through the Force on Bespin. He didn’t think she was Force sensitive but he didn’t know for certain either. There were so many things that he didn’t know.

“Ty.” Cesi said suddenly. “Was your head hurting… before?”

Tycho sniffed and then shrugged. “Maybe in the last few minutes? It got really bad when that… that thing was speaking.”

“I had a headache last night too.” Zach offered after a minute. He sounded small.

Another pattern.

Luke shared a look with Wedge. It was something to keep an eye out for. If their stalker caused headaches when it was rifling through their thoughts, maybe they could be a little more prepared the next time it came around.

They rested for a few more minutes but no one was especially anxious to stick around and it wasn’t long before they continued on their way.

Luke found himself privately dreading their next encounter with the monster, to the point where he wanted to throw up. If the creature following them mimicked the voices of family members… then he didn’t want to stick around and find out which blood relatives' voice it might pull from his head.

There were storm clouds in the sky when Vader stepped out of his shuttle and into a clearing of trees. The wind was blowing fiercely, rustling the leaves and branches which towered over him, indicative of an oncoming storm that would last through the night. For a brief moment, he even imagined that he could smell the scent of the rain in the air.

The members of the 117th Squadron snapped to attention. Vader might have amused himself with the thought they had spent the last several hours practicing it for his arrival were he not already in the mood to snap each of their necks. He didn’t bother to acknowledge any of them, instead focusing on what he could see and feel around him.

Rogue Squadron had chosen their hiding spot well. As previously stated in the initial report, there were six X-wings present in the clearing and despite their considerable size and the amount of space that they took up, none of them were especially visible from the air. The ships were mostly white, accented only by the occasional stripe of Naboo orange to symbolize that the pilots fought for the renewal or rebirth of the fallen Republic. The signature style wings were folded down in a resting position and were otherwise dark and quiet.

Much like the Force.

“Have there been any signs of the pilots?” Vader asked sharply, turning to face the awaiting squadron members.

One man stepped forward out of formation and dipped his head in deference.

“Captain Deklan, my Lord.” he introduced himself. Outwardly, the captain was as collected and composed as any Imperial officer should be. However, Vader could sense his underlying fear and unease at being in his presence. “No, sir. There has been no sign of the pilots yet, but we have set up a two-mile perimeter and have been monitoring all spacecraft entering and leaving the atmosphere since we became aware of the situation. We are confident that the rebels are still on planet, should they still live.”

Vader’s mood darkened. If that were true, then where was Luke? He should have been able to sense his son the moment he’d dropped out of hyperspace and yet there was no hint of him anywhere in the Force. Even their Force bond felt strangely absent and were it not for the fact that Vader had not actually felt it break, he would have assumed that Luke was dead.

But he wasn’t.

Force suppression was certainly a possibility, but Luke had no reason prior to his mission to Cimiento to think the Empire would be after him today. It made no logical sense for a Jedi to deny themselves their greatest strength in a fight either. Luke would have kept the advantage, even if by doing so it revealed his location to Vader. Briefly touching the minds of each individual present in the clearing, Vader was also confident that none of them had had a hand in Luke’s disappearance.

Most officers in the Empire knew better than to cross paths with him. There were some who thought that they were exceptionally clever and could get away with cashing in on Luke’s sizable bounty. But no – none of them had crossed paths with any of the Rogues and nor did any of those present have a desire to invoke Vader’s wrath.

Prior to departing the Executor, Vader had made it very clear that he wanted to be informed immediately of any further developments regarding the whereabouts of the rebel pilots and that none of them were to be harmed upon capture.

“Did you check the flight and call logs?” Vader asked sharply.

“Yes, we did, sir,” Captain Deklan answered swiftly. “The flight logs had already been erased by the time of our arrival. If they were smart, the rebels would have wiped their data after landing. There was nothing available for us to recover. We’ve likewise been monitoring all frequencies for any distress signals and none have been activated. However,” the captain paused and glanced over his shoulder for a moment. “One of the astromechs was grounded when we arrived. It’s possible that it may have accompanied the rebels to the weapons factory and then returned without them. I could show you if you’d like but it had engaged in shut down procedures prior to our arrival and likely won’t be of any use to you.”

That was indeed unfortunate. Codes could be overridden but it would take a lot of time. Behind his mask, Vader scowled. The 117th squadron could not provide an accurate or reliable report on how many Rebels had successfully fled into the mine. The ones who had been assigned to destroy Cimiento only confidently reported that they’d seen three – perhaps four of them enter. The others could have died in the collapse of the building itself or managed to escape elsewhere.

He only needed to know where Luke had gone and he didn’t want to waste unnecessary time when his son had proven time and again to be more than adept at escaping by the skin of his teeth.

Vader would have sighed had he been able to, and he knew well enough not to try. Such luxuries had been denied him for a long time now. Stepping away from the Captain, Vader began approaching the nearest ship while stretching out deep into the Force once again to try and find any sign or hint of Luke.

There was nothing.

Vader circled the X-Wing slowly, looking over the spacecraft with a critical and experienced eye. The design prioritized the safety of its pilot by balancing speed with firepower. Four laser cannons and two proton torpedo launchers made it well equipped to deal with enemy spacecraft and the design itself was a relatively sturdy one but also versatile. Still, Vader couldn’t help but sneer at how outdated the ship was. While it had obviously served his son well in numerous dogfights against the Empire, he could only credit that to Luke’s superior flying ability than to the Rebel spacecraft itself. He pressed a hand up against the nosecone before ducking underneath it and coming around to the opposite side. The Rebellion was truly hurting for supplies if this was what they were sending their best pilots out against superior spacecraft in.

Vader paused for a moment as something caught his eye. Along the side, just under the canopy window and painted in small black letters were the words

“Red Five”

CMDR LUKE SKYWALKER

He brushed his fingers against the word LUKE for the briefest moment, trying to envision his son prior to the events of Bespin. Tried to envision what he looked like when he was happy – because the only expressions he had personally seen on Luke’s face were ones of anger and fear and pain.

Something bitter and regretful twisted uncomfortably in his stomach at the thought. It had crossed his mind more than once over that last two months and the image of Luke jumping to his death off that damn gantry haunted him in the same way that the memory of Padme choking by his hand and her subsequent pleas for mercy had haunted him for the last twenty years.

Bespin had been a mistake.

Vader wouldn’t care for this ship at all were it not for the fact that it belonged to Luke . Other than its obvious age, he was at least willing to acknowledge that it was well maintained and cared for (he expected nothing less from any child of his), and there were some signs of personal modifications that had been or were being made to it. When he had more time, he wouldn’t mind taking a closer look at them himself, if only to satisfy his curiosity.

He would also need to arrange to have it transported to the Executor. Considering that the last time they met, Luke had lost far more than he felt he’d gained, Vader thought it prudent to avoid taking anything else from him. Perhaps….

He pulled his hand away from the black lettering and clenched it into a tight fist. His regret and sentimentality would achieve him nothing. Only action could rectify the past and by some will of the Force, he was being granted the opportunity. None of his plans would matter if he didn’t find Luke first.

Vader turned away from the ship and set his gaze firmly on the waiting officers once again.

“The astromech you found belongs to this ship. Where is it?” he demanded.

“This way, my Lord.” They moved a short distance across the clearing to one of the other X-wings – “Red Nine”, apparently – and underneath the canopy of one of its wings was a very familiar and likewise unexpected blue and white R2-series astromech droid.

Of course it would be him.

There was no point in even being surprised at this point.

“Search the perimeter.”

No one else needed to be present for this conversation.

There were a great many things which Vader had deliberately forgotten over the last twenty some-odd years and others which had faded from his memory with the natural passage of time. The primary access codes to R2-D2 had fallen prey to neither of those things and with some faint sense of nostalgia, he entered them in.

The slightest smirk tugged at his lips as the power systems began to hum. It would take a minute or two for R2 to come to life, so while he was powering up, Vader took a moment to read through his most recent command logs.

The last one was less than twelve hours ago, issued by Luke Skywalker.

R2’s one eye flickered to life and after about three seconds of processing time, the droid let out an alarmed screech and rolled backwards away from him a foot or two before Vader grabbed him with the Force and held him still. In response, R2 released his arc welder tool and displayed it in a threatening manner.

If he wasn’t in a hurry, Vader might have taken a moment to be proud – in a weak, nostalgic kind of way. R2-D2 was nothing if not brave.

“Tell me where Luke Skywalker went.” he ordered.

BLATANT REFUSAL: No.

Vader lifted a threatening finger. “I am not asking. You will tell me what I want to know.”

R2 spat a rude sounding blatt at him. OBSERVATION: You are NOT a PRIMARY. I am not required to do anything you say.

“On the contrary, droid, you were ordered to engage in emergency shutdown procedures and could answer only to a previously registered primary user. You would not be functioning otherwise.”

R2 eyed him for a long moment, his dome swiveling back and forth in a manner that gave the impression of him searching for a particularly elusive answer.

Finally, after almost a minute of silence, he gave a low warble. UNCERTAIN QUERY: PRIMARY: ANAKIN SKYWALKER?

“Artoo-Detoo.” Vader confirmed, glaring downwards at the little droid. “Tell me what happened to my son.”

After another hour or so, they were forced to stop and allow Zach more time to rest his leg. They had all taken to trading off, supporting his weight and helping him walk so that no one person got too exhausted. His leg had started bleeding again and despite the cooler air, he was pale and diaphoretic.

On top of that, their stalker had not gone far and was actively letting them know that it was following them.

Echoing screams and loud noises – even the screeching of protesting metal tracks as it was ripped from the ground – sounded every few minutes from the darkness. Sometimes at a distance and sometimes frighteningly close.

Most often they saw nothing – but both Cesi, Caleb, and Wedge had frozen at different moments, utterly convinced that they’d seen the figure of a loved one skirting along the edges of their beams of light, just close enough for them to catch the faintest details but far enough away that felt distinctly sinister in nature.

“Someone give me one of those stim shots we found.” Zach panted, dropping his head back against the stone wall. He gestured weakly with a hand, breathing heavily. “Otherwise I’m going to pass out.”

Wedge unzipped his pack and was searching its contents when Luke felt it.

Hot, sharp pain, like a spike being jammed through his temple and into his brain. He barely had time to gasp when he heard it.

Out of the darkness came a hauntingly familiar sound.

A rhythmic, steady, and audible sound of a respirator.

Oh Force, no. Please no. Not him. Anyone but him.

Blinking back tears of pain, Luke stood up slowly, heart pounding in his chest. He was hyper aware of the others following suit behind him as he turned and stared down the tunnel to their left, where the breathing was coming from. It was blacker than pitch down there.

For a small eternity, they waited for something to happen, listening to that breathing which promised death on every battlefield. It neither retreated nor advanced on them and the waiting was perhaps more terrible than the imminent danger itself.

They stood perfectly still, hardly daring to even blink.

Suddenly, out of the darkness, a rock came flying at them so quickly that they barely had time to duck and dive out of the way before it hit the wall behind them with such force that it exploded into tiny fragments.

“Lu…ke.” The same flat voice from hours before spoke. But different now. Deeper and less childlike. Almost like…. “Lu…ke.”

“Oh shit. Oh shit, shit shit – " Someone, Caleb maybe, was whimpering.

Moving slowly, Luke reached for his lightsaber on his belt and while making small, cautious movements to adjust his stance for more sure footing, switched it on.

The gray light lit up their immediate surroundings, painting the walls with their shadows, which loomed over them like something awful from a child’s nightmare. He squinted against the harsh glare of the light, not daring to take his eyes off the tunnel for even a moment.

He stretched out, desperately searching for the Force as the slightest crunching of rocks shifting under a moving weight broke the dead silence. “Luke.” That awful voice spoke again, clearer now and more like his father except it was wrong in a terrible way though he had no words to describe why it was so wrong.

He was scared out of his mind and he didn’t have time to wonder if he was more frightened of the monster or the others in the group.

“Luke.”

“Stay away from us.” Luke breathed, bringing his lightsaber forward to hold it with both hands now. For a moment, he thought he saw two glowing eyes staring at him from a few yards down the tunnel but he blinked and they were gone again.

He heard the quiet snap of someone removing a blaster from the holster on their belt and moments later, a warning shot was fired down the tunnel. The plasma bolt lit up the passageway as it traveled down the long narrow tunnel which didn’t seem to have an end.

And crouched low on all fours right in the middle of it, just some fifteen feet in front of them was the creature. Its massive, gaping jaw was hanging open, revealing its teeth and Force, was it bigger? Or just closer?

“Luke. I… am… your father.” The flat mocking version of Vader’s voice hissed. “I… am your… father.”

It was like having a bucket of ice water thrown over him.

Luke went cold – numb with utter horror. His heart sounded loud in his ears and he didn’t dare move to see anyone else’s expression. It was everything that he’d been afraid of and there was nothing he could do and dear Force, he wasn’t ready. The light from the plasma bolt faded and they were left in darkness again, save for Luke’s own lightsaber illuminating their most immediate surroundings. Only the faintest outline of the creature was even visible.

“I will… complete – your train…ing.” Rocks shifted as the creature took a slow, deliberate step towards them. “Luke. I am… your father. Luke. Luke… join me.”

“No.” Luke said desperately, unable to stop himself. “Stop – stop it!”

He didn’t want to hear this – not again. Not now.

He flinched, ducking in on himself when more shots were fired down the tunnel, lighting it up all over again. When he looked up again, the creature had come closer and it seemed to be staring right at him. Luke could almost imagine it was laughing at him.

“I… am your father.” It hissed once more, jolting slightly as plasma bolts bounced off its body. “Luke – come with… me.”

And then it turned and ran, disappearing into the black once again.

Luke stood frozen, shaking and unable to make himself move. The only sound he could hear was his own ragged breathing.

“What the hell was that?” Cesi suddenly snapped. There was the sound of gravel shifting under heavy boots and Luke didn’t have time to turn before someone was shoving him backwards.

He stumbled, almost dropping his lightsaber in surprise. He managed to keep his footing but when Luke looked up at the others he almost stumbled backwards all over again at the fear and anger he saw.

Oh Force. Oh Force, he wasn’t ready for this.

“I – I don’t,” Luke stammered but Tycho cut him off, shaking his head.

“Don’t lie to us!” He almost shouted. “That… that thing has been copying the voices of people we all know! Saying things we’ve all heard them say!”

“Why was it Vader’s voice for you, Luke?” Cesi demanded, stepping forward into his space again. Luke took an automatic step back, feeling cornered. It was only with great effort that he kept his lightsaber pointed downwards. “Why was it Darth fucking Vader saying, ‘I am your father’?”

“I –  "

“Is it true?” Caleb interrupted, staring at him with wide eyes.

“You don’t understand – " Luke tried to beg.

“Is it true!?”

No one was supposed to know. Luke wasn’t ready for anyone to know – not when he barely could come to terms with it himself.

"Luke!" 

“Yes,” Luke breathed, feeling his hands shaking. He could feel tears welling in his eyes at the admittance, but he refused to let them fall. “It’s true. But I didn’t know! I swear, I didn’t know until just a few weeks ago!” he begged.

“Liar!”

“Traitor!”

“No!” he swung around to glare at Zach and felt his heart pound at the anger and distrust reflecting back at him now. “No, that isn’t true! I’m not a traitor. I’m loyal to the Rebellion! I always have been!”

“And we’re just supposed to believe that?” Zach snorted in disgust. “Really? You think we’re that stupid?”

Everything was spinning out of control.

Luke shook his head. “I never said – "

“That’s why you feel so guilty.” Cesi interrupted coldly. “I knew you were hiding something. I knew it. I got to hand it to you, Luke – I was thinking maybe you were a spy but even I never thought you were hiding the fact that you’re the son of Darth Vader – "

“You shut up,” Luke snapped instantly, glaring darkly at the other man. His rage from the cells came back full force. “You don’t get to talk about my family – "

“Your family?” Tycho repeated, angry and aghast. “How can you even say that? How can you dare try and tell any of us that you consider Darth Fucking Vader your family? After everything he’s done? The Empire blew up my family!” he shouted furiously. “You remember my sister, Mia? Yeah, that voice from earlier? She and all the rest of my family are dead with Alderaan and it’s his fault and you have the balls to stand here and try to tell me that he’s family? Well, fuck that and fuck you.”

 Luke stood, feeling stricken. What could he possibly say to that?

“He’s a monster, Luke – and if you really can’t see that… then you’re no better than he is. You’re a monster too.” Zach added in.

Though Luke had mentally tried to prepare himself for this exact reaction in the event that someone ever found out about his parentage, the words still struck him like a knife in the heart.

Luke swallowed, blinking back tears. “He’s… I know what he's done. I know that. But… he’s also a person.” he insisted desperately.

“Yeah, a fucking terrible one.” Tycho snarled.

“He’s my father – I… I came from him.” Luke couldn’t help but beg, wanting someone to understand. Everything he’d kept to himself, all of his thoughts and desperate ruminations about the subject were clawing their way out of his throat and he couldn’t stop himself. “Everything… everything that’s good about me – some of it came from him. I know it did.”

Anakin Skywalker was still in there somewhere.

He had to be.

Otherwise… otherwise, his bounty would still be labeled as dead or alive. Otherwise, Vader would have killed him on that gantry after Luke rejected his offer. Otherwise the Executor would have shot the Millennium Falcon into pieces while they’d desperately tried to fix the hyperdrive.

Otherwise... Vader wouldn’t have called Luke his son. He wouldn't have. Not if some remnant of Anakin didn’t still live and breathe.

“And what’s so good about you, huh, Luke?” Cesi said angrily. “You want us to believe that you honestly didn’t know? I think that’s a little far-fetched.”

“Vader told me who he was at Bespin,” Luke shot back at him. “Right after he cut off my hand.” he lifted his prosthetic, wiggling his fake fingers deliberately. “I didn’t know.”

“Fuck you, Luke.” Was Tycho’s only response. There were angry tears in his eyes.

“So, why didn’t you tell anyone?” Zach prompted, his tone sarcastic.

It was Luke’s turn to be flabbergasted.

“Are you serious?” he demanded, gesturing to all of them. “Maybe because this is such an understanding group of people?” Luke snarked at him. “You think I don’t know that nearly everyone in the Rebellion has been affected by something Vader has done? You think I don’t know about the blood on his hands? I knew how people would treat me if anyone found out –"

“I think you should leave.” Cesi said coolly, crossing his arms and looking at Luke as if he were dirt. “We don’t need you.”

Luke paused, uncertain if he’d heard that right.

“You don’t need me?” he repeated disbelievingly. A cold sort of anger came over him, intertwining with the deep hurt that he felt. “You can’t just throw me out of the Rebellion.” He stepped forward, feeling angry all over again when they all stepped back away from him as one unit. “I… I have a right to be here just as you do! I’ve put in years of my life for this – I believe in it, I’ve killed for it and I’ve almost been killed for it! I’ve fought with you and I’d die for any of you in a heartbeat and you think that just because Vader is my father that none of that matters anymore? Hell, there wouldn’t be a Rebellion if it weren’t for me!”

Zach raised a hand, pointing a finger at him in anger. “Yeah, and every person we’ve lost can be directly attributed to your dad.” In a span of half a second, Zach’s eyes suddenly widened, and Luke felt his heart drop. He knew where this was going. “Maybe the reason he keeps finding us is because you’re the one telling him where we’re hiding.”

“…oh, fucking hell.” Someone muttered.

“That’s a damn lie,” Luke denied fiercely. “I’m not a spy.”

“Well, we only have your word to go off of.” Tycho said firmly, giving Luke a cold look. “And I don’t know about the rest of you… but I don’t think I want to be wrong when it comes to trusting the son of Darth Vader. I say we put it to a vote.”

What?

Luke blinked, completely stunned.

“All in favor of Commander Skywalker leaving the Rebellion and finding his own way out without us, raise your hand.” Cesi said his name and rank like it was a curse.

One by one, four hands raised in the air.

There was no sympathy on any of their faces. No hint of doubt or second guessing.

Luke turned to the only person who had yet to say anything. “Wedge,” he said pleadingly. “Please. You know me.”

Wedge glanced at the others, searching all their faces for something and only found anger. Luke could see him thinking hard and fast before he finally stepped forward towards Luke.

“I… I think you should go, Luke.” Wedge finally said quietly. To his credit, it looked like it hurt him to say it and he hurried to continue when Luke opened his mouth to protest. “I… I believe you. I do. But maybe it’s better this way. I can’t stop them from telling everyone who you are. And they will. You and I both know it. The best case scenario if you stay is that you’ll spend the duration of the war in a military prison and maybe be used as collateral in exchange for other prisoners of war. Worst case….” he shook his head, looking pained. “I… I don’t want to see that happen to you. I’m sorry, Luke. I believe you but you have to go.”

Wedge stepped back.

Luke felt like the air had been knocked from his lungs.

“Everyone, grab your shit. We move out in sixty seconds.”

He watched without really seeing as they all grabbed their things. Cesi bumped shoulders with him deliberately before moving to help Zach to his feet. Before he turned to continue down the tunnel after Caleb and Tycho, Cesi gave Luke one last look.

“Don’t follow us.” he warned, glancing down meaningfully at the blaster on his hip.

Luke didn’t react, only watching as he and Zach began to shuffle off. Wedge was taking alpha position at the back and he’d turned away from Luke too.

“Wedge.”

Luke watched as Wedge hesitated and then turned back around to face him. Wedge looked like he wanted to cry.

It didn’t make Luke feel any better.

“Good luck,” Luke managed to choke out.

Wedge offered him a single nod. “You too.”

And just like that… they were gone.

He was alone.

Chapter Text

Wedge had once thought, upon laying eyes on the Death Star for the first time during the Battle of Yavin, that nothing could ever surprise him again.

A weapon – a massive, moon-sized mobile battle station with the power to destroy entire planets. He had seen schematics during the debriefing offered by General Dodonna prior to the assault on the Death Star and understood that it was big – but nothing, absolutely nothing compared to seeing it in person. He was perfectly convinced that nothing could ever compare to the heart-stopping moment when he’d dropped out of hyperspace and reality kicked in. When Wedge finally understood what the Empire had created and what he and so many others had been tasked to destroy.

The Death Star had made the very top of his ‘surprise’ list that day and as far as he was concerned, it was there to stay.

Or so he had thought.

Because apparently the Empire creating a superweapon was one thing… and Luke Skywalker being the son of Darth Vader himself was another. 

Luke Skywalker was the son of Darth Vader.

An actual flesh and blood child.

Wedge had never dreamed that a weapon the size of the Death Star could exist and in that same sphere of thinking, not once in all his years with both the Empire and then the Rebellion following his defection, had he ever considered that Vader could have had a child.

It implied a certain level of humanity that most people didn’t want to consider for a man that had killed so many hundreds, even thousands of people. It was a level of humanity that even the Empire itself didn’t tend to promote. Vader was presented as something almost inhuman – a living weapon only to be feared.

It was pretty damn effective.

Vader was the monster under the bed for everyone. If and when he arrived on a battlefield, it meant that it was time to cut their losses and run.

He was known as the harbinger of death.

The idea that someone as violent and merciless as he was could have had a child, let alone that Luke would be that child was… inconceivable.

What in the actual hell?

Even now, if Wedge hadn’t personally heard the words from their not-so friendly family-mimicking cave monster, he would never have believed it. Coming from literally anyone else in the galaxy, he would assume that they were on the spice or that Wedge was the victim of a very stupid prank.

But the damn monster only mimicked blood relatives.

And Luke had personally confirmed that it was true.

If he wasn’t currently in a life and death survival situation, Wedge would have sat down and had a couple of drinks just to try and begin to process what he had learned.

He had known that Luke had been off since Bespin, but he’d chalked it up to a traumatic experience and a close brush with death. After all, it wasn’t as if there was a long list of people who could add ‘survived an encounter with Darth Vader’ on their personal resume of achievements. Add in the fact that Vader had supposedly killed Luke’s father and it only made sense that Luke would struggle to come to terms with what had happened.

And it wasn’t as if Wedge had been wrong – but either no one had taken the time to really find out if Luke was doing okay or Luke had gotten a lot better at lying when people asked.

Luke Skywalker was the son of Darth Vader.

Wedge shook his head. That had to be the biggest surprise twist of the millennium.

If he lived to be a hundred… he would never be able to forget the expression on Luke’s face before they had all turned their back on him and walked away.

Before Wedge had turned his back on him and walked away.

However much of a surprise it had been for him personally, Wedge was willing to bet that it was nothing compared to what Luke felt and had gone through.

There had been nothing in Luke’s expression except grief and hurt.

It hadn’t been fair and he hated himself for doing it.

But what other choice could he have made?

Cesi had been looking for a fight with Luke ever since the start of this mission and after what had happened in the slave quarters, Wedge wasn’t so sure that Luke had the self-restraint necessary at this point to try and avoid one either. Throw in the revelation about Vader and the accusations that followed that bombshell, and it could have been an absolute bloodbath between the two of them.

Luke would have come out on top. Wedge was sure of it – but if he’d hurt Cesi in any significant way, that would have been it for him. Luke would never recover his image and even if he somehow did, no one would ever trust him again. All that would be remembered was that he came from Vader’s loins and shared the same dangerous, explosive anger that nearly killed a loyal member of the Rebellion.

And if Tycho or Caleb had gotten in on the fight – and both of them had been angry enough that they just might have – and Luke had really needed to defend himself….

Wedge didn’t think Luke would intentionally try and kill anyone – outside of a battlefield, he wasn’t that type of person… but it had been an intensely stressful moment and Luke had been wielding his lightsaber the entire time. Wedge had to believe on some level that he was prepared to use it.

I knew how people would treat me if anyone found out!

There was nothing safe about being recognized as Vader’s son and Luke obviously understood that. He’d kept it a secret and had clearly been doing some hard thinking the last few months about what it meant for him. Luke was making plans, or at the very least, acknowledging to himself that he was no longer entirely safe around other people. Anyone – literally anyone – could turn on him if they knew his secret and this half of Rogue Squadron had done just that.

Luke was about as straight of a guy as one could find – but anyone in his position would have had to make a choice about how they would respond in the event that things went sideways. And… personally, if Wedge had been in Luke’s shoes… he would have chosen to defend himself. And if by some miracle, no one had gotten hurt… it would have just divided an already frustrated group of people. There would have been injuries and Zach already couldn’t walk.

Wedge couldn’t allow that to happen.

If they were going to survive this place, everyone needed to be able to work together.

There was a monster actively hunting them that they’d yet to successfully scare off. They were tired and stressed and scared and Force, but what if Luke being the son of Darth Vader was the final push that threw them all into chaos? How could he maintain control if everyone was going to be at each other’s throats? How was he supposed to get them all home?

In the moment, sending Luke away had seemed like the best option, if an undesirable one.

And maybe… maybe it would be the only way to keep Luke safe as well.

Wedge had no control over the other members of the group or what they decided to do with the information they all shared. In a different scenario where tensions weren’t as high or if Luke had willingly opened up about the relationship… maybe the others could have been convinced to keep it quiet. Maybe once they cooled down now, some of them could still be convinced.

But not Cesi.

Wedge had read his file. He’d been tasked with rooting out undercover agents in the Rebellion in the past and he’d been good at it. Obviously, he’d sensed something about Luke that no one else had been able to. His overall conclusions might be wrong but even if Cesi could be convinced of that, he was loyal to the Rebellion first and foremost. He would feel duty bound to tell High Command what he knew and a decision would need to be made.

There were plenty of good, solid people in High Command and plenty of people that Wedge thought were less than honorable. In war, such things simply came with the territory. But all Wedge could think of was that the son of Darth Vader was a powerful tool that would be used to the advantage of anyone and everyone, with no regard for what was best for Luke.

Everything had gotten all fucked up in a matter of minutes and in a split second, sending Luke away was the best option he could think of. Or maybe it was just the easiest one. If he was being honest with himself, then Wedge honestly didn’t know.

But… the way he had it figured, the creature in the mines had seemed unwilling to engage all of them at once. No one had seen it completely but the only time it had attacked was when the majority of them had been asleep and Zach had been alone.

Perhaps it hunted by waiting for the sick or the weak members of a group to lag behind, or lured them away from safety with its voice mimicry. If that was the case – if the creature really was kept back by the size of their group, then maybe they could still escape the mine without any further incident. If they ended up staying another night, then they would just have to take watch in teams.

And Luke… Luke was stronger than all of them. His lightsaber had been the only thing that had actually hurt the creature and so, even on his own, it might be enough to protect him without the safety of numbers on his side. Luke was smart and he was brave and if the Force was willing, he would last long enough to get out of the mines on his own.

It didn’t make Wedge feel any less guilty though.

Luke was his friend. Or had been.

“Guys,” Zach gasped, pulling Wedge from his thoughts. “Guys – stop. Stop. I need – I need a break. Please stop.”

In front of him, Cesi slowed to a stop and crouched down a little to help Zach settle on the ground.

Zach groaned, collapsing back against the wall and clutching at his bad leg with shaking hands. “I’m sorry – " he panted. “I just… I just need a minute. It really hurts.”

“It’s been a few hours – he can have more painkillers now, right?” Caleb asked nervously.

Wedge glanced down at his watch and saw that Caleb was right. They’d gotten up at 0700 hours and it was almost 1200 now. He rubbed his jaw tiredly, having not realized that he’d spent over an hour alone in his head with just his thoughts.

Being that distracted was… unwise. At least there had been no sign of the creature since earlier.

Wedge hoped that Luke was still okay.

“Yeah,” Wedge said shortly, forcing himself to focus on the present. “If we’re going to stop for a minute, then let’s do what we need to do now. I don’t want to have to keep stopping all day. Let’s try and be out of here before nightfall.”

As if any of them had any idea of where they were in the mine or how close they were to getting out. At least it was a goal for them to shoot for. Something to focus on that wasn’t Luke or a monster.

Zach dropped his head back against the wall, looking discouraged.

Wedge really hoped this other way out included a lift or an elevator of some sort.

“Uh… Wedge?”

Wedge sighed quietly, tried to push his irritation away, and then glanced at Cesi. “Yeah?”

“You need to come see this.”

Something in Cesi’s tone caught his attention and he quickly crossed the small distance between them and was instantly frustrated.

“What the hell are you doing?” Wedge snapped, gesturing to Zach’s unwrapped leg. The best thing for a wound like his was to keep it wrapped and create as much pressure on it as they could. They had managed to get the bleeding to stop last night and after some serious debate, had opted not to apply a tourniquet for the time being. It would be painful but more than that, it shouldn’t be removed once they put one on and Zach’s leg would start to die after about six or eight hours as a result. They had no idea how long it would take to get out and if they could, they wanted to try and save his leg.

“You need to see this.” Was Cesi’s only response.

Biting back his frustration, Wedge finally looked and then froze at what he saw.

With the bandage peeled away, it was now very obvious that Zach’s leg had become seriously infected. It smelled like rotting meat and it was puffy and swollen, straining against the fabric of his pants. He had anticipated some infection but Wedge had hoped the antibiotics they’d given him would have done more to prevent this. More than the infection though, the real cause of alarm was that the edges of the gashes themselves had turned completely black and the gashes that the creature had ripped into his leg seemed… bigger. Almost as if the infection were eating into the rest of his leg.

It was really, really bad.

If they didn’t get out soon, Zach’s leg was as good as gone.

Wedge shared an alarmed look with Cesi.

“It’s bad, isn’t it?” Zach groaned, determinedly staring upwards at the ceiling. His face was almost white now. “Just give it to me straight. It’s bad.”

They glanced between themselves, no one wanting to be the bearer of bad news.

“Well,” Cesi began, swallowing thickly. “It sure doesn’t look pretty.”

That was definitely one way to put it.

Zach huffed weakly, obviously reading between the lines.

“Take slow, deep breaths. In and out. Think of pretty women.” Tycho suggested, looking like he was swallowing back bile.

Wedge slid his backpack off his shoulders and unzipped it, rummaging through its contents until he found what he was looking for. He pulled the stim shot out and showed it to Zach, who only nodded his consent. Zach squeezed his eyes shut when Wedge pressed the needle into his arm, followed by another round of their limited antibiotics. It didn’t look as if they were doing any good but… Wedge had to believe that they were better than nothing at all.

“Oh Force. Oh shit – "

“Hey, hey hey!” Cesi said instantly, gently slapping Zach’s cheek to get his attention. “Don’t be all doom and gloom, man. We have enough stuff to tide you over until we get out of here and can get you back home. It’s going to work out. You got this.”

Zach cracked his eyes open. “You’re a lousy liar.” he grumbled before sucking in a steadying breath. “I can do this. It’ll be fine. It’s gonna be fine.”

“Damn right,” Cesi said with more conviction than he obviously felt. “Alright – now, don’t look at it. I’m going to reapply the bandages and we aren’t going to touch it again. We’ll get you home and you’ll be up and at’em in no time. Maybe we’ll take a night off and go dancing – you can finally ask out that pretty redhead… what’s her name…?”

“Vivian.”

“Vivian!” Cesi snapped his fingers in recognition. Zach huffed a weak laugh. “That’s right. She’s fun. Very classy. I’d fight you for a chance to go on a date with her.”

“Oh, screw you.” Zach glared at his friend, and it might have been intimidating if he didn’t look half dead. “I’m not losing my leg and my girl in the same week.”

“You’re not losing your leg,” Cesi denied firmly. “Now shut up and be positive for once in your life, jeezus. It’s only a couple of scratches.”

Wedge almost rolled his eyes but the pointless chatter was doing its job well, which was to keep Zach calm. If nothing else, Cesi was efficient.

“Do we have any more gauze to redo this?” Caleb asked quietly, making a face at the blood soaked ones still sitting on Zach’s thigh.

“No,” Wedge said quietly. “We don’t. It’s Zach’s blood anyways – it’s not going to hurt him.”

Cesi made a face but began to quickly rewrap Zach’s leg, cinching the gauze tightly while Tycho kept pressure on the gouges that were still oozing some blood. Wedge noticed that he’d pulled on some leather gloves to keep his hands clean. “But we had more.” He said when he was almost finished. “I know we did. Where’s the – "

“Luke has it.”

There was a short pause.

Wedge spied a few scowls at the mention of Luke and as frustrated as it made him feel, it also helped reinforce his decision.

“Fine. Whatever. We can make do with what we have.” Cesi leaned back on his heels and unbuckled his belt, pulling it from its loops in one smooth motion. “Tourniquet it is. Better to stop the bleeding with anyways. Tell me when it hurts.”

“It hurts.” Zach said dead-paned.

Cesi rolled his eyes. “I haven’t done anything yet, you big baby.”

To Zach’s credit, he only winced when Cesi did pull the belt tight around the upper part of his leg. His face whitened drastically from the pain but he only took a few deep breaths to steady himself. They took a few minutes to each eat a few protein bars and drink some water.

No one was particularly talkative and he suspected that each of them were lost in their own thoughts about earlier. Wedge knew that he was.

"Fuck." Tycho finally breathed under his breath, to no one in particular. "Just... fuck."

Caleb snorted in agreement.

There was nothing else to do after finishing their snacks; Cesi and Tycho worked together to pull Zach up to his feet so that they could continue on.

Wedge grabbed his things and prepared to take alpha position once again. It was shooting his nerves to hell to stand at the back with nothing except darkness and a monster behind him. He honestly hadn't realized how much he had relied on Luke's steady presence until he was gone. Wedge had never even asked him to take the position guarding their backs. 

Luke had put himself between them and their mine-dwelling friend all on his own. 

I'd die for any of you in a heartbeat and you think that just because Vader is my father that none of that matters anymore?  

Wedge pinched the bridge of his nose, wracked with intense guilt but not knowing what other choice he could have made.

It shouldn't have mattered. 

"You ready?"

Wedge looked up at the others and then glanced back the way they'd come for just a moment.

A hand clapped him on the shoulder and Wedge was forced to hide a scowl when he realized who it was.

"We don't need him." Cesi said firmly. 

Wedge shrugged Cesi's hand off and then adjusted his backpack. With a nod, he began following the others as they took the lead.

He only wished that he could be so certain.

They were gone.

Luke stood alone, staring down the dark tunnel where the others had disappeared long after the sound of their footsteps and the glow of their flashlights had faded, numb with disbelief.

That just… happened.

Did that really just happen?

It did.

It had.

Wedge, Caleb… all of them… they had left.

Luke wasn’t sure what to do with that. Or… or even how to feel. He wasn’t sure about anything.

Minutes passed and it was just him. Alone in the passageway that was illuminated by only his lightsaber. There were rocks and dirt beneath his feet and a ruined system of lights along the ceiling that looked as though they hadn’t been turned on in years. Wires and chains and rusted pipes and the same wooden arch supports that were placed along the walls and the ceiling every few feet….

Everything was the same as it had been this entire time.

Except… now the others knew.

About Vader.

They knew that Darth Vader was his father… and somehow, everything had changed.

With a quiet, disbelieving huff, Luke slowly sat down. With his back pressing against the cool stone wall, he set his blade down a foot or two away from him. It was humming quietly, like the sound of bugs at sunset. Much of the light disappeared with its new proximity to the ground, leaving only a small beam of whiteness. Everything except the space immediately beside him was almost total darkness, only the faintest outlines of the tunnel extending in both directions still visible.

They all knew.

Luke pulled his knees in close towards his chest and wrapping his arms around them, buried his face in his arms.

That really happened.

They’d just… left him.

Like he was nothing. Had decided in the span of mere minutes that Luke was dangerous and untrustworthy and that everything he’d ever done for the Rebellion amounted to nothing in the wake of his father’s shadow of sins.

His words and actions – anything he’d ever done to prove himself – had meant nothing. To any of them. They’d refused to listen to his pleas and barely gave him the chance or opportunity to explain. They didn’t need to be his friends – only Wedge could really claim that title… but they could have trusted his past actions even if they didn’t trust him personally. But none of it had mattered. Once Vader had been brought into the equation, Luke had been just as guilty as he was, based on nothing except blood alone.

Even worse than that… they were going to tell everyone.

It was too much to hope that they would keep it a secret among themselves. Maybe Wedge would have but the others…. Luke shivered, remembering all the looks of anger and rage that had been directed his way. The others were going to tell the rest of the Rebellion – all their friends, all their family. High Command, or at least those who didn’t already know or suspect. Leia. Lando. Chewie. Everyone.

Perhaps it would even be revealed to the rest of the galaxy.

Oh Force.

Everyone was going to know that Luke Skywalker was the son of Darth Vader.

The thought made him feel horribly sick to his stomach.

Wedge had thought that Luke’s options were prison or death inside the Rebellion if he stayed.

But Luke wondered if Wedge had any idea of what would happen to Luke outside the Rebellion.

The original bounty placed on his head by the Empire had only been for the Pilot Who Destroyed the Death Star. There had been no name or call sign attached to it and it had been worth 60,000 credits. As far as Luke could figure, it was a generalized one placed by the Empire as a whole.

Not long after Cymoon 1, that changed. Either that bounty had been erased entirely and it no longer existed, or it had simply been updated. In either case, Luke preferred to think of it as the second bounty. It was the one connected to his actual name and picture. It had been placed by Vader himself, complete with a contact number and everything. Luke theorized that maybe that was when Vader realized who Luke was to him. It offered more than quadruple the number of credits the first one did and held the alive and unharmed stipulation. Luke didn’t personally check what his head was worth very often, but if others were to be believed, the offered amount of credits was still getting higher every month.

With the disappearance of the first bounty, he could only assume that Vader had not wanted Luke’s actual name to be connected to the Death Star pilot, though it seemed as if the general public had put two and two together anyways.

The point was that Luke was already being hunted. He’d fended off more than his fair share of bounty hunters and had dodged more Imperials than any five people in the Rebellion because his face was that well known throughout the Empire.

But if Wedge or anyone else thought his bounty was high now … then Luke didn’t even want to consider what it would look like once his parentage was announced to the wider galaxy.

It would skyrocket.

Vader had no shortage of enemies and those people who hated his father would surely be able to piece together the same puzzle that Luke had been working on in his limited spare time.

There was no public record of Vader having a family of any kind, but a child wasn’t impossible. His interest in Luke was recent but it was clearly a matter of great urgency to him. The bounty was alive and unharmed.

Anyone who’d ever had a desire to hurt Vader or punish him for something he’d done would be gift-wrapped that opportunity with the knowledge that Luke was his son. With the realization that Vader had a vested interest in him and perhaps even his safety.

Alive and unharmed.

Luke shook his head and sighed.

There would be other bounties, from other powerful entities and organizations looking to cash in on a grand opportunity.

Vader’s name wouldn’t keep him safe from anyone – all it would do was paint an even bigger target on his back.

And the very people that Luke would have given his life to protect were going to be the ones to feed him to the wolves.

To hell with all of them, Luke thought bitterly. Cesi, Tycho, Zach… all of them – they weren’t the only ones who’d suffered at the hands of the Empire.

Luke had lost more than his fair share of friends and family too. In fact, the list of things the Empire hadn’t taken from him was significantly shorter than the list of the things it had. The only difference was that Luke wasn’t going around pointing fingers and casting blame on people who had done nothing to deserve it.

Dammit, it wasn’t fair.

Throw him out of the Rebellion – there would be no Rebellion if it wasn’t for Luke. It had been his droid that held the plans to the Death Star and it had been his idea to go and rescue Leia. It had been his flying and his ability to use the Force that had destroyed the damn thing. He’d fought and struggled in all the same ways that the others had and this was the thanks he got in return?

Screw that.

To hell with all of them.

He really was just being used.

It made him feel gross and exhausted to finally acknowledge what he had only dared to suspect for weeks now.

That he was just the weapon.

Luke was the Rebellion’s weapon, the Jedi’s weapon, and maybe even his father’s weapon. Vader had talked a lot about Luke’s power at Bespin and maybe that was the only draw for him – maybe Luke was just a convenient source of power and the family connection meant nothing in the end.

Luke would never, ever in a thousand years admit it to anyone… but that thought made him feel terribly small inside.

Maybe he had never known his father – but Luke had always loved him. Always – he’d fantasized about Anakin as a child, wondering what he was like and the different things they would have done together. And it hurt – it physically hurt to think that the man who had been Anakin Skywalker… the man Luke had idolized and loved all of his life... who was the only blood relative that he had left… might not feel the same way.

Dammit, but he missed a time in his life when everything had made sense.

He missed his family.

Owen had been his father figure and Luke loved and missed him terribly. Wished that he could speak to him and ask for his advice or beg his forgiveness for not having been better – for not having been there to try and help when they’d needed him.

The way he had it figured… his aunt and uncle were the only ones who hadn’t used him. They had just… loved him.

Owen and Beru had obviously lied to him about certain things… and it still hurt a little… but they may have been the only ones who’d done it with his best intentions in mind, rather than trying to achieve their own ends.

They had known – they must have known about Vader – and all the risks involved with sheltering a child with the Force… and yet… Luke couldn’t think of a single thing that they’d had to gain from it.

They had nothing to gain and everything to lose.

To everyone else, Luke was just convenient.

Until he wasn’t. Maybe the Rebellion would only keep him around so long as he was the son of Anakin Skywalker – the Hero of the Clone Wars and favored figure of the fallen Republic. An icon – a famous name for people to have hope in.

But cast aside once he was no longer convenient. Even if there were people in High Command who might know about his parentage… they had kept it quiet. Because the truth was inconvenient. Vader’s name attached to his own meant that there was no icon to look up to any longer. As the son of Darth Vader, Luke was a reminder that Anakin had failed. That the Empire had taken everything, including the Republic’s hero. And not only did it take that hero, but it had twisted him and corrupted him into a symbol of fear and terror and oppression.

Sympathizers of the Rebellion would look at Luke and would wonder how and when he would fail them also. They would see a fight that had already been lost because the son would surely end up like the father.

Maybe the Rebellion would try and work with it and maybe they wouldn’t. Or maybe it would be exactly like Wedge had said and his options would only be death or prison.

But Luke had a funny feeling that while High Command might be willing to try and salvage the image of their poster boy… that there was a large chunk of the members of the Rebellion would not be so accommodating. There were also other aspects to consider. The people who funded their activities, who sent them supplies, who gave them medical care and food and water and shelter… those people might not be so willing to assist an organization that actively housed the child of the man who had betrayed the Republic and who had likely hurt them all in some fashion or another.

As the son of Darth Vader… Luke was not convenient.

Even as a Jedi, he would not be worth the losses that would surely come their way… and the Rebellion couldn’t afford anymore losses.

Luke dug the palms of his hands into his eyes, heaving a deep sigh before dropping his head back against the wall behind him.

What was he supposed to do now? Where was he even supposed to go?

Who was he outside of the Rebellion?

It had been his life – his whole purpose – for over three years now.

Even if he’d ever been inclined to return, there was no one on Tatooine for him to go back to. His life there had ended the day Beru and Owen were killed. Ben had been the only support he’d had after that but then he’d been killed and then it was Han and Leia and Chewie and then the Rebellion.

Luke had never been completely on his own before. 

If he wasn’t welcomed with the Rebellion… then what was he supposed to do? He had planned to finish his training but then what? He’d already reached out to Yoda through the Force, desperate for help and answers following Bespin but the old Master wouldn’t even speak to him, and Luke was afraid that that meant there might be no training for him to go back to.

What was he supposed to be if he wasn’t a Jedi?

Luke sat for a long time, feeling numb and tired, trying to piece together an answer that didn’t seem to want to make itself known.

He felt as lost and alone as he’d ever been.

Eventually, his backside began to ache and Luke sighed and shifted to ease the discomfort.

He didn’t know what the answer was supposed to be.

But Luke knew that he couldn’t sit here forever. If Uncle Owen had taught him anything, it was not to let hardships get the best of him. The Desert was never kind to weakness.

Get up. Decide to move on. Tell yourself that you don’t care how hard it is or how disappointed you are. Whatever your problem is, it’s going to hurt and that’s alright – but never let it get the best of you.

Luke shook his head, quirking a half smile at the memory. A many times repeated memory, actually. Get up and move on. It had always seemed like harsh advice when he was younger – but he appreciated now that his uncle never let him wallow and had instead raised him to take action. It had probably saved his life and kept him on his feet more than once over the years.

With a sigh, Luke finally stood up and after emptying his pockets, began shedding his black flight jacket. It was lightweight but well-insulated and better suited for missions where they wanted to keep a low profile. It was significantly less noticeable than the bright orange ones that were the standard among pilots right now. It had kept the chill of the mines largely at bay up until this point, but it had been ruined by the stench of putrescene and cadaverine after they had found the slave pens yesterday. Some of the others hadn’t brought a change of clothes, so there had been no point in anyone putting on fresh ones. But now the others were gone, and Luke didn’t think he could bear the smell for another minute.

He would have to find a replacement for the jacket though, Luke thought, rubbing the front of the jacket in between his fingers for a moment. He liked the black. No one except the rich and wealthy wore black on Tatooine. Wearing it now almost felt like he was broadcasting his freedom even if only those who knew the culture that he’d grown up in would understand. His eyes were drawn to the familiar white Starbird patch on the right shoulder sleeve. The symbol of the Rebellion.

Luke stared at it and then after a few seconds of hesitation, finally tossed the jacket aside. It crumpled to the ground a few paces away, discarded in much the same way that he had been.

He would find his own way.

Lifting the front of his white tank-top to his nose, Luke grimaced. The smell had seeped through his top layer, and he didn’t hesitate to quickly shed his shirt as well, tossing it on the ground alongside the flight jacket.

He had learned early on that it was worth the extra weight to carry in order to bring a spare set of clothes. It was impossible to predict how any mission would go (with this most recent one being a prime example) and Luke vastly preferred being prepared than he did scrambling to find what he needed in the heat of the moment.

From his backpack, Luke retrieved a black T-shirt and slipped it on over his head, grateful for the added layer. Luke had always felt ill-suited for desert life, always wanting more – but after growing up under the heat of twin suns, he wasn’t certain if he would ever care much for being cold.

Next, he retrieved the leather jacket that Leia had given to him to wear at the award ceremony on Yavin 4 after he’d destroyed the Death Star. It was supposed to be yellow but with whatever stupid thing was messing with his color perception made it look gray. The Rebellion had given both Luke and Han the Medal of Alderaan, or the Medal of Bravery for their service at that ceremony. The other pilots who had died in the Death Star trenches were also recognized and had been awarded the same honor post humorously.

The medal was still in his trunk in his quarters at home base. At the time, he’d felt that it meant more than representing the accomplishment that had half the galaxy hailing him as a hero – it had symbolized a place where he belonged.

Luke had lost so much to get where he was in that moment. That ceremony had built him, defined who he was, in a sense. He’d gone from being ‘Luke, the moisture farmer from the backside of nowhere’ to ‘Luke Skywalker, the Hero of the Rebellion, Destroyer of the Death Star, the Galaxy’s last hope’. In just a couple of days, he’d become famous and his ability to use the Force had only furthered that idea. 

Poster boy of the Rebel Alliance.

So much for that idea, Luke thought bitterly, shaking his head.

The Rebellion could keep the medal.

Idly, Luke wondered if Biggs would have stood by his side today had he still been alive to learn about Vader.

He liked to think so.

But then again, it was hard to say. Vader had killed him, after all.

Suns, life had been so much simpler when they were kids. They’d had nothing but hopes and dreams and all the enthusiasm of childhood. In hindsight, Uncle Owen had been right about a lot of things. Luke had no idea what he had been getting himself into – despite all his insistence that he was ready to see the galaxy, nothing could have ever prepared him for it.

As harsh of a world as it was, Tatooine had been easier.

But… there was no point in dwelling on the past. This was where he was now and all he could was try and make the best of it.

If the Rebellion didn’t want him or wouldn’t deign to trust him after everything he’d already done, then Luke would just have to find his own way.

And if he ever escaped these lousy mines, then maybe the Force would tell him what it was that he was supposed to do now. At the very least it could point him in the right direction.

“Alright, Skywalker. Find the lower levels.” Luke whispered to himself. “That’s all you have to do. Just find the lower levels and get the hell out of this mine.”

He turned to stare down the tunnel that they’d been traveling through – the one that everyone else had disappeared down and the one Cesi had warned him not to follow them into.

Luke scowled slightly, still feeling hot with hurt and anger at the unfairness of it all.

What exactly had they expected him to do? It wasn’t as if there was any other way to go.

Backwards wasn’t really an option for obvious reasons… and he wasn’t terribly interested in checking out all the exploratory tunnels that they had been avoiding for another path down due to the fact that there was a creature inhabiting the mines that no one could even see half the time.

Now traveling on his own, Luke had just become a prime target for attack. The creature had taunted them multiple times before but it had always kept a certain distance. The only time it had gotten close to any of them was when the majority of them had been asleep.

He checked his watch and saw that it had been a little over an hour since the others had left. He could follow the main tunnel and risk running into the others again… but he wasn’t terribly interested in anyone shooting their blasters at him. The chances of that were high – Zach was injured and they would be moving slowly and Cesi and Tycho were angry enough that they just might follow through on the threat. Even as upset as he was, Luke didn’t want to have to hurt anyone in self-defense.

Luke pursed his lips. They had passed by a large cavern just a little ways back. The most that they had done was glance into it and then keep going but it had been fairly large – not unlike the hangar on Echo Base. Maybe the design or idea of it was similar to Hoth and it was possible that there was another way down on the opposite side.

It was better than nothing.

His lightsaber was effective enough for him to mark the walls to keep track of the tunnels, and if indeed there was no other way down, then he could just come back. Though he had no desire to spend any unnecessary time in this wretched place, it should still be enough time to put distance between him and the others to the point where they would be less likely to cross paths again.

Luke found, as he slung his backpack over his shoulders and began backtracking, that he really didn’t want that to happen.

It was another hour or so before the downgrade that they had been following finally leveled out. 

It would have been a relief except not only did it level out, but it also ended.

Completely and abruptly.

It was a dead end.

Wedge blinked, staring at the stone wall in front of them uncomprehendingly. Why did it end? Where was the rest of it? Where was the way out?

“Zach!” he snapped, feeling the twinges of unease rooting in his stomach. Wedge turned around, searching for his friend.

Zach was being held between both Tycho and Caleb now. He had gotten worse in the last half hour or so and the painkillers they’d given him weren’t having much of an effect. His head was lulling against his shoulder. Sweat dripped down his face and strands of long hair hung limply in front of his eyes. He looked a little more than halfway to death's door.

Wedge stepped towards him and pressed a hand against his forehead and wincing at the obvious fever.

Shit.

Shit shit SHIT.

“Hey, Zach –  ' Wedge slapped his cheeks lightly, trying to rouse him. Zach groaned in response and his half-lidded eyes blinked dully at him.

“…huh?”

“Zach, it’s a dead end.” Wedge said, speaking as calmly and as clearly as he could. “The passageway is a dead end. Where do we go?”

They couldn’t have come all this way for nothing.

“Um,” Zach blinked again but made the obvious effort to lift his head and look around. “…we – missed something. No tracks. Must have missed somethin’.”

“What did we miss?” Cesi asked before Wedge could.

It was a long moment before Zach responded.

“Exit.”

“But there is no exit.” Wedge repeated again, torn between frustration and concern. 

Zach licked his lips. “…you missed it, dumbass.” Wedge blinked in surprise and grimaced when Zach gave him a weary glare. “I’m hurt. I’m not insane. The exit… will be in a big space. Main work level. Downgrades… keep going into new exploratory tunnels. We passed – passed the old work zones….”

“And the most recent one.” Wedge realized with a sigh. “We went too far. It’s behind us.”

“Tah-da.” Zach closed his eyes again, teeth clattering.

“What, so, we have to go back?” Caleb confirmed, looking disheartened by the idea. Wedge didn’t blame him – he wasn’t thrilled about it either. At this point, he just wanted to get out. “But how far?”

“I don’t know.” Wedge said, running a hand through his hair. They’d passed a lot of off-shooting tunnels in the last hour. How were they supposed to check them all with Zach in the state that he was in?

“The tracks.” Zach repeated with a labored sigh.

Wedge paused and shared a look with Cesi before looking down, shining his flashlight at their boots.

Well, damn.

Zach was right. The track system was gone. He hadn’t even noticed when it had stopped but it hadn’t been brought down this far. 

“The tracks will be at the main level. Find the tracks – " Cesi started with a dawning realization.

“And we find our way out.” Wedge finished with a slight grin. Missing that detail had been a stupid oversight on his part - but they were close. 

They were getting so, so close. 

"Can you hang on for a little while longer, Zach?" Tycho asked quietly.

Zach's response was a lazy thumbs up. His clock was ticking and so they didn't waste any time in turning back. But as it turned out, going up with an injured man was a lot harder than going down. 

Their progress was slow and Zach was in a lot of pain. But they were still bolstered forward with the thought that they could be out of these damn mines and on their way home in just a few hours.

Despite everything, it seemed as if they just might make it.

Caleb was taking the lead and was doing his best to entertain them with some of his more ridiculous stories from his time as a thief. It was a decent distraction and was doing a good job in keeping Zach engaged with the group.

There was no warning beforehand.

No haunting voices, no loud and distracting noises or even the occasional rustling of chains.

Nothing that could have prepared them for what happened next.

One moment, Caleb had turned back to face them, trying and failing to crack a truly horrendous joke and the next, a terrible face appeared directly above his shoulders. A towering, massive alien figure that was nearly indiscernible from the blackness that they had all grown accustomed to.

Before Wedge could do anything beyond try and comprehend the sudden appearance of what could only rightfully be described as a monster, it had opened its massive jaw and immediately sank its teeth in the space between Caleb’s neck and shoulder.

With a choked cry, Wedge threw Zach’s arm off his shoulder and reached for his blaster, firing it wildly at the creature over the sounds of Caleb’s strangled screams as the creature began shaking him violently from side to side.

Wedge was barely aware of the others doing the same. Distantly, he thought he might be screaming alongside Caleb – maybe everyone was, it was impossible to tell. The plasma bolts bounced off the creatures scaly hide and its only reaction was to pause and glare evilly at them with eyes that were almost black. A low threatening growl ripped from its throat. Its jaws were still clamped tight on Caleb and there was blood everywhere –

“Help – help me!” Caleb screamed a sound that is nothing except pure terror and for a brief moment, Wedge locked eyes with his friend and Caleb looks so beyond scared before a wave of agony hits him like a speeder bike and almost knocks him off his feet.

Hot, burning agony, the sensation of white-hot knives tearing into his skin, and breaking his bones and there was liquid fire scorching his veins and fucking hell, it was going to rip his arm off –

A blaster bolt suddenly hit the creature in the space between its eyes and it jolted backwards, dragging Caleb along the floor with ruthless cruelty and in the same sphere of time, Wedge felt the sensation of pain go with it.

Wedge gasped from his knees, clutching at his shoulder and half expecting it to be dripping in blood and dangling from threads of skin.

“Bastard – let him go!” Cesi stepped forward as the creature shifted backwards, firing consistently and with expert precision, hitting the creature in the face with each shot he took. Wedge glanced around in a slight daze and saw that Tycho has stepped to the side and was firing as well, aiming for the neck and trying to avoid hitting Caleb.

Zach was on the ground, reloading his own blaster with hands that were visibly shaking.

Another shot hit the creature directly in the eye and it dropped Caleb to the ground beneath it and hissed. It's a low reptilian growl that sends a spike of terror down Wedge’s spine. He lunges for his own dropped weapon and fires another shot, hitting the creature in its open mouth. It screamed, stepping backwards and shaking its head from side to side with angry yowls of pain.

It was huge. Wedge could just barely make out the rest of its body between the flashes of light and the surroundings shadows and it looked like a wingless dragon –

And then Cesi was racing forward, taking advantage of the creature's distraction and reaching outwards for Caleb to try and drag him to safety. In a flash, the creature lunged again, swiping at Cesi with its paw and Wedge watched, horrified as it sent the other man crashing against the wall. By some stroke of luck or good fortune, the blow didn’t knock Cesi out but he was clearly stunned, trying and failing to get back up to his feet.

"Help me!" Caleb sobbed, just as the creature crunched down on his outstretched arm once more. Wedge fired again as it whipped Caleb back and forth until there was a horrific wet pop and his arm was ripped off and Caleb slumped to the ground, howling in pain.

In a horrifying moment of clarity, Wedge knew that it was over. He turned and grabbed Zach's arm and hefted him over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. 

“Ty!” Wedge shouted as the creature turned its attention away from them and began tearing into Caleb again. “Help Cesi! Go – we have to go, there’s nothing we can do!” Caleb was still screaming and screaming and screaming and dear Force, he couldn’t handle it -

"We can't just leave him!" 

"I said go!" Wedge thundered at him. "That's an order, now move!"

There was nowhere for them to go heading backwards and so with all the willpower he could muster, Wedge rushed forward and stuck as close to the wall as he could, stepping around the body of the creature.

It began to growl again but otherwise ignored him entirely, too engrossed with its meal. Wedge only dared to look back for the others once he was clear of the beast by several yards. Both Cesi and Tycho are right on his six and once they were close enough, Wedge turned and began to lead their run up the tunnel.

Caleb’s echoing screams followed them for a long time.

If Luke had thought that navigating the mines before had been bad, it was nothing compared to doing it alone.

Every shadow that seemed to move, every corner that needed to be turned, every little sound or scuffle that reached his ears had become an exercise in controlling his fear. 

It was Dagobah all over again. 

Except that there were no visions. There were no hallucinations, no greater power bringing his subconscious fears to life. The mines, as far as Luke knew, were not a vergence of the Force. It wasn't a domain of evil, as Yoda had once described the Dagobah cave as. 

It was just him. 

Without the aid of the Force and without the support of friends. He was alone with his thoughts in a place that was dark and cold and lonely.

And while he was determined to persevere and find his own way moving forward... all Luke could currently think about was all the things that he was not and all the many ways that he had failed. 

The list seemed endless and Luke was slowly coming to understand, as he followed along a new passageway, that he was very afraid. More than he had ever personally realized and certainly more than he was willing to admit to anyone else. Not that there was anyone left to witness his weakness. 

He hated these mines. Hated the truths that he was forced to confront about himself. Hated that all of the fears he'd held close to his heart had been justified all along. Hated he felt so lost and confused about who and what he was supposed to be.

And Luke hated the fact that all of this could have been avoided if someone had just listened to him when he said coming here was a bad idea.  

None of this needed to have happened. 

And yet here he was. 

In yet, another dead end.

The cavern he'd backtracked to find had indeed had another system of tunnels on the opposite side. Right away, Luke had found that they were more complicated than the one that he and the others had all initially traveled through together. The other one must have been strictly for hauling doonium between different levels because this one was larger and seemed to be a central highway of sorts. The few off-shooting tunnels he’d gone down had brought him to various storage rooms that held clothing, tools, and other various kinds of equipment.

Luke had even discovered a security room with a full state of the art computer system. There were at least twenty security screens. Each of them were labeled in Aurebesh, identifying different sections of the mines.

Main Entrance

Slave Quarters

Haulage Levels 1 – 6

Mess Hall

Emergency Exit 1, South Side

Emergency Exit 2, East Side

There were others but Luke saw the screens identifying emergency exits and immediately tried switching the system on. It naturally didn't work; the universe was cruel that way – but Luke spied the actual computer system, not just the screens, sitting on the opposite side of the room and moved to check them out. There was a thin layer of dust sitting on everything, but Luke was mostly interested in finding out whether or not the power cords were in working condition and if the motherboard was still intact.

No such luck.

The system looked fried – as if it had experienced one massive surge of energy and exploded. Luke scowled, wishing that Artoo were here.

If anyone could have fixed the damn thing, he could have. And even if he couldn’t have, Luke would have still appreciated the company.

Luke pulled a few drawers open, searching the contents half-heartedly for anything that might tell him where one of the emergency exits was. Anything – even if it was just a general direction of where to go so he wasn’t wandering aimlessly forever. In one of the drawers, there were notes typed up in a language he didn’t fully recognize and in another he’d found a keycard.  

It wasn’t a code cylinder and he had no idea what it might open for him, if anything, given that the power system seemed completely shot – but having it couldn’t hurt.

After that, Luke had continued navigating the tunnels and found himself either going in circles and hitting dead end after dead end.

The spacious cavern he’d found himself in now was just one of several that he’d encountered in the last half hour or so. This one was a little different from the others though – the entrance was significantly smaller, for one thing. Barely even a hole in the wall, and Luke could see no real sign that any work had been done in here. There were stalagmites and stalactites sitting on the ground and hanging from the ceiling and somewhere, water dripped in the cave, a consistent drip… drip… drip… sound.

Luke paused to take in the sight, having never seen formations like these in person before.

After a moment, he stepped further inwards, wanting to take a closer look and felt his boot brush against something that scraped lightly against the floor. Luke looked down to see what it was.

It was… plastic? He squatted down for a closer look at a very long, almost translucent piece of plastic with an interconnecting diamond pattern. With his prosthetic hand, Luke reached out and touched it, rubbing it lightly between his fingers. Then he grimaced.

Not plastic, Luke realized.

It was skin.

Shed skin, like from a snake or a lizard. Except whatever creature had shed this skin was a fair bit larger than any snake or lizard he’d ever seen. This creature was large enough that the skin still had thickness to it, rather than being papery thin and easy to tear. It felt leathery – fresh, even. There were even faint traces of color still residing in the scales. Which meant this had been left here quite recently.

Using his free hand, Luke grabbed his flashlight and shined it along the length of the shed skin, trying to figure out how big this thing was – and more importantly, what it was. It only took him a moment or two to realize that the skin had been shed in one big piece and that he was near the back of it. The part in his hand must be a tail – it was quite wide and almost five feet in length. Shifting further up the skin, Luke noticed that there were small holes that gradually increased in size along the back – for spines, maybe?

It had six long legs, two hind legs and four front ones. The second pair of front legs sat almost directly behind the first pair and all four of them had six long fingers at the end of each massive paw.

And the head.

Luke stiffened as he caught sight of it – it had only been a glimpse, but he was certain that it was the same creature he’d seen the night before. It was the same shape, the same massive jaw – he could easily imagine those cold black eyes glaring at him with the intent to do harm. 

What the hell was this thing?

It had to be almost ten feet long.

Except... reptiles shed their skins because they were growing. 

So... how big was it now?

Luke looked over the skin again, disturbed and unsettled. And... that... that was something different. On one side, above the front four legs, there was a long tear in the skin, about the length of his forearm – no, Luke realized after looking a little closer. Not a tear. The edges of it were singed.

It was a lightsaber wound.

Which meant that the face of the monster he’d seen and the invisible creature that had attacked Zach last night were indeed one and the same. Luke had already assumed as much, but on some level, he still appreciated the confirmation.

Luke brushed his fingers along the edges of the spot where he’d wounded the creature the night before and felt a small smirk tug at his lips.  

He knew from his own personal experience that it hurt like a bitch.

Served the damn thing right for completely upending his life. He only wished he’d managed to kill it.

...Luke...

Luke looked up so quickly that he could have sworn something popped in his neck. 

He could have sworn that he'd heard someone call his name far off in the distance. He glanced around his warily and saw nothing out of place. Luke held still, hardly daring to breathe, listening intently in case it happened again.

After about twenty seconds of tense silence, Luke heard... or maybe felt it again.

...Luke...

Why did it sound so… strange?

Luke dropped the skin and lifted a hand to his ear, touching it lightly. The voice sounded muffled – distant… almost fuzzy. He tried to stretch his Force presence out to search for the source and was met with the same void of nothing that had encompassed him since they’d entered the mines yesterday.

…Luke…

There had been no sign of the creature since it had run off after using his father’s voice earlier. Nothing to suggest that Luke was anything except completely alone. It had taken to taunting the group as a whole earlier, deliberately making noise as it followed behind them and not being the least bit subtle about doing so. But if it was as smart as Luke was beginning to suspect it was, then who could say how many tricks it had up its sleeve?

If the creature was coming up on him now…. Luke cursed quietly under his breath, straining to hear anything – any hint of movement or noise that was out of place. He had been stupid to let his guard down when there was no one to watch his back.

Never his mind on where he was - what he was doing! You are reckless!

Luke winced, remembering the feeling of Yoda's disapproval and criticism at their initial meeting. It had stung deeply then, and it stung now to realize how little he had changed or learned since then. 

The sound of rocks and gravel crunching from somewhere out in the main passageway finally reached his ears. Only one person – or thing, Luke amended silently. Not the others then.

If he was being honest with himself, the idea of either of those two options coming his way gave him the same feeling of sick anticipation and unease.

Luke slowly stood up as the crunching of gravel sounded again, closer this time. The awful, familiar sound of his father’s respirator was back. He felt his heart begin to pound. He could just imagine seeing that Force-forsaken face peering out at him from behind a curtain of darkness. The entrance to the cave was shrouded in darkness and Luke almost missed it when the shadows finally shifted.

The others had seen shadow figures of their loved ones from time to time in here but Luke couldn’t remember if they had made noise or not.

Luke straightened his back and squared his shoulders to try and appear less like a cornered rat even as he stared up at the terrifying, impossibly tall figure of man slowly approaching him from the darkness. Swallowing his fear, he pulled his lightsaber off his belt with one hand and switched it on, squeezing the hilt tightly – maybe by doing so, it would hide the fact that he was scared out of his mind. The bright gray light lit up his immediate surroundings, burning his retinas a little – he blinked quickly, forcing his eyes to adjust to the change.

The figure – and it was a solid figure, Luke could see that now – paused. It wasn’t a wisp of the creature as it came in and out of view, or a shadow or a trick of the mind. It… it looked like Vader. Luke could even see the blinking lights on the control panel to his life support suit, if not the color of them.

There was a strange little… tugging sensation in the back of his mind. It felt like an itch that needed to be scratched. Without thinking about the wisdom of doing so, Luke grabbed at it, desperate to regain any connection to the Force that he could. It felt like sucking in a breath of fresh air after almost being suffocated to death.

Whatever or whoever he had reached for responded in kind, grabbing on to him with a similar kind of wanting desire. That same tugging sensation pulled taut as a connection was made.

Luke followed it in his mind's Eye, trying to read it through the void of nothing fighting to obscure the Force once again.

No… not made. Regained.

There.

A faint thread of light – a link between father and son.

Chapter Text

"Father," Luke breathed out, his heart pounding a rapid beat in his chest.

He stood frozen, unable to either advance or retreat, stunned straight down to his core.

It was Vader.

He could feel him now. Their bond was alive once again; a soft, nearly indiscernible hum in the back of his mind. But for the first time since it had sprung into existence following the events at Bespin, it took actual effort for Luke to hold onto the connection and not allow it to slip away from him again. He clung to it – to the Force, really - unable to bear the thought of being smothered by darkness and nothing once again.

Luke could feel Vader doing the same, his formidable Force presence sinking into his own as far as Luke would allow him. 

It was different than usual – heavy, but also slippery in a way that he’d never experienced before. The void of nothingness was pressing on his mind, diligently trying to obscure his senses. Tendrils of his father's darkness, which felt both foreign and familiar to him, kept reaching out for him and Luke instinctively reached back. The more their connection strengthened between them, the more it seemed that the void was forced to retreat backwards.

And… and it wasn’t a void at all, Luke realized. It was something alive. Another Force presence, though this one felt far different from the few that he’d felt and interacted with before.

It felt wild and dangerously single minded. There was a faint thought pattern that Luke could just barely distinguish but it was either actively being hidden from him or the drive for those thoughts were more instinct than anything else. 

It was that same malicious feeling that he had sensed outside Cimiento when they had first arrived.

The creature inside the mines was Force sensitive.

Somehow... that revelation felt significantly less important that it might have otherwise been in light of the company he now had. 

Where had Vader even come from? It didn't make any sense - how could he possibly be here? In this mine, on this planet, even?

How in the nine hells had he found Luke in this fucking labyrinth of misery?

"Luke," Vader's deep baritone voice shattered the silence, and he took a step towards him. Luke instantly moved backwards, raising his lightsaber defensively. He didn't know what to expect but for one split second, he was thrown backwards in time and all he could think of was that damn cave on Dagobah. Of that image of Vader advancing on him from darkness and the feeling of fear and anger that had overcome him.

Last time... he had reacted by attempting to destroy his enemy and somehow in the process of doing so, had accidentally destroyed himself instead.

That memory - the image of his own dismembered head looking blankly up at him from inside Vader’s mask still churned his stomach. He hadn’t really had the time to think too much about it at the time. He’d rushed off and had thrown himself into a different kind of nightmare. But Luke had had a lot of time for thinking these last few weeks. He spent a lot of sleepless nights wondering at the true meaning of what he had seen in that vision – and wondered if there was more than one thing that he was supposed to have learned that day.

Yoda had said that he had failed his test in that cave on Dagobah. All because of his anger.

Vader paused in his advance again and Luke felt the faint shift of his fathers thoughts along their bond. He couldn't make out anything more distinct than vague impressions. If he had to give a name to what Vader was feeling it was... caution. As if he were debating how best to proceed.

Luke wasn't certain what to do with that. The silence and lack of action between them was disconcerting. He slackened his grip on the connection slowly, testing to see if it would slip or fade away and feeling relieved when it remained steady.  

Much anger in him, like his father, Yoda had said.

Luke stared at Vader in the colorless light of his lightsaber.

Like his father.

Master Yoda had told him that his failure in the cave had come as a result of his anger. That it had been his inability to control his emotions which had been his ultimate downfall and if Yoda was to be believed, would eventually see him on an unredeemable path to the dark side.

That could very well be true. Luke liked to think that he’d been humbled enough since then to be willing to acknowledge that there were a lot of things he didn’t know, especially when it came to being a Jedi.

Luke was angry. He was angry about a lot of things - and maybe it was another Jedi trait that he was inherently lacking, but he felt somewhat entitled to be angry about how he'd been treated and all the ways that he felt he was being used. But... the anger he’d experienced in his vision towards Vader specifically, and even during their last encounter on Bespin, was... absent. Luke wasn’t entirely certain what he felt in its place – resignation, anticipation, hope, uncertainty, fear, maybe even a mixture of them all?

All he knew – all he had really known ever since his life had been completely upheaved on that gantry on Bespin – was that he wouldn’t kill his father. Maybe he could – maybe he had the ability, maybe he possessed the strength in the Force that Yoda and Ben were lacking in order to do it themselves – but he didn’t have the desire. 

Luke stared at his father and his father’s expressionless mask stared right back.

Anger had been his downfall last time.

What might have happened in that cave if he’d just done nothing?

After a long moment of hesitation, Luke swallowed back his nerves and stepped out of his fighting stance before slowly lowering his lightsaber down to his side.

Something new flickered along their connection and Vader was quick to take another step, extending a hand out towards him. Luke immediately took another step back and felt the shed skin he'd found scrape along the ground underneath his boot.

“Don’t,” Luke warned quietly, attempting to maintain a reasonable distance between them. He was willing to admit to himself that Vader meant something to him, but he wasn’t so lost in their connection that he couldn’t recognize that his father was not a safe person to be around. His missing hand was more than enough proof of that. “I’ve lowered my blade and I’m not currently running anywhere. You don’t need to touch me.”

Vader’s respirator cycled twice and then, to Luke’s genuine surprise, he lowered his hand and tucked his thumbs into his belt.

“Very well,” Vader finally said in way of response. "But you are unwise to lower your defenses, Luke."

Luke spied his father’s unlit lightsaber sitting clipped to his belt and felt his heart sink a little at the sight. He hadn't shown any aggression yet but... it was Vader. 

Don’t make me destroy you.

Could his father only be here to follow through on his threats from Bespin? Did his refusal to accept Vader’s offer mean that he was now nothing except a loose end to tie up? Just another threat to the safety of the Empire that needed to be disposed of?

Luke felt his stomach twist uncomfortably and the feeling he had of being small and useless earlier returned with a vengeance.

“Are you here to kill me?” he asked quietly, looking up into the lenses of his father’s mask and knowing with certainty that he was meeting his eyes. It sent an odd, confusing little thrill down his spine even as his stomach churned with anticipation and unease.

"I am not," Vader denied instantly. "Why would you - "

"Last time we met, you said that you would destroy me if I didn't join you." Luke lifted his chin. "Were you lying?"

The respirator cycled once, twice, three times and the only other sound that Luke could hear was that slow drip... drip... drip... of water from somewhere in the cavern. 

Finally, Vader shifted his stance. "I... was attempting to anger you," he said stiffly. "And prompt you to not only consider my offer but to use the dark side of the Force. It was never my intention to follow through on the threat."

Luke weighed the words in his mind. Vader's vocoder didn't allow for much tone inflection, it seemed, and on his own, Luke didn't think he'd be able to discern whether or not he was being honest. But with their Force connection thrumming once again between them, Luke was at least able to sense that there was some honesty in his words.

Still.

Luke shook his head a little, his lips twisting into a sardonic smile. “Your offer.” he repeated distastefully. “Yeah, some offer that was.”

Vader stiffened a little and Luke got the faintest sense that he might have poked at a rather sensitive topic for him. Luke tried again to read through the haze in the Force once again for a better understanding of the emotion he'd elicited and hesitantly named the feeling as hurt.

“I offered you everything I had to offer.”

“Well, maybe I don’t want everything,” Luke said, beginning to feel irritated. He couldn’t read far enough into their connection to feel whether or not Vader was surprised by his comment. The wealthy on Tatooine and on other worlds that he’d traveled to always seemed surprised when the lower classes of society were largely content with what they had and didn’t seek to gain more than what they needed to provide for their families. The way that Luke saw it, the elite already had everything they could ever possibly want – and they could no longer aspire to anything higher or grander than what they already had. For some reason, that meant that nothing was enough to satisfy them.

He wondered if Vader shared a similar mindset.

“You don’t know me.” Luke continued, trying to choose his words carefully. He wanted to avoid a repeat of Bespin, if it were possible. Unfortunately, even the thought of their last encounter had Luke clenching his prosthetic hand into a tight fist in an effort to keep his emotions from getting out of control. Why did he suddenly feel like he needed to shout? There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no emotion, there is peace. “Did it ever once occur to you that there are healthier ways to have a conversation with someone other than trying to goad them into being angry?”

“I do not recall that I was the one who raised their weapon first.” Vader said tightly.

“Don’t try and shift the blame on me,” Luke responded, matching his father's tone. “You know as well as I do that there would have been a fight between us regardless of who raised a weapon first. You wanted one. Force only knows why, but you did.”

“That is true,” Vader allowed unrepentantly. “How else was I to determine what your potential is?”

Unbelievable.

“Well, I’m sure the answer to that was as disappointing to you as the loss of my hand and my lightsaber was to me.”

Bespin had been nothing but another failure in a long line of failures. It had perfectly encapsulated how inferior and inexperienced Luke was on almost every conceivable level and the realization burned. On a personal enemy-to-enemy basis, it was embarrassing. Now that he could add a family relation into the equation, it was just rubbing salt into an infected wound. 

If Vader had truly been hunting Luke for the last several years because he expected to find a fully trained or near-to-be Jedi worthy and powerful enough to become an apprentice of whatever the hell else Vader had wanted him for… then Luke couldn’t even begin to fathom why he might be here now.

“On the contrary, your skills and bravery exceeded even my expectations.”

Luke blinked, uncertain whether or not he had heard that correctly. “You... you can’t be serious –" he spluttered, feeling tense with the wary expectation of being the butt of a joke that he didn’t understand.

“I am.”

“Why?” Luke demanded. “How?”

Vader tilted his head. “Why are you surprised?”

“Because I failed!” Luke snapped, finally losing the tenuous grip that he had on his anger. It surged through him like fire and bled like an open wound. He spat out words like they were poison. “I failed miserably. You beat the shit out of me in that fight and I don't think you really even tried! I went there to rescue my friends and I couldn't do that - I couldn't even... Force, none of it mattered! I failed. And I’m not what anyone wants me to be." Luke huffed, feeling hot with his own humiliation. "Even the Rebellion doesn't even fucking trust me anymore. Hell, my own Jedi master didn’t even want to train me – he said I was too old to learn. He said that I was… that I was reckless and was always looking for adventure instead of being content.”

And that... that just didn't feel fair. How was he supposed to be content when his family had struggled to get by the entire time he was growing up? How was he supposed to be content when there was a war taking place throughout the galaxy? How was he supposed to be content on a barren desert planet that was always one step ahead in trying to kill you when there was so much else out there in the galaxy to see?

How was he supposed to be content when he'd lost everything that had ever been important to him? 

Luke looked off to the side for a moment, taking a slow steady breath. “Maybe he was right." he shrugged, glancing back at his father again. "I don’t know anymore. But for some reason... you actually want me to think that you were impressed at Bespin? Even you don’t want me.”

His father stiffened and something cold ran along their bond. 

"You think that I don't want you?" Vader demanded incredulously. He took another step forward and Luke was so stunned by the sudden tidal wave hurt and anger his father was suddenly emanating that he didn't even think to try and move away again. "Is that what you think?"

Luke straightened his spine, trying not to feel small.

"You only want me because you think I'm powerful - "

"You are my son."

Luke felt his heart skip a beat in his chest and whatever protest he'd been planning to utter died on his lips.  

Son. 

Vader had called him that once before, through the Force while he'd been on the Millennium Falcon. 

Why did it feel so different to hear him say it this time? A desperate, longing sort of ache filled him to the point that it almost hurt. Luke tried to tuck his thoughts away, somewhere where Vader wouldn't be able to sense how badly Luke wanted to hear that someone might want him. 

"I have not spent the last three years using every available resource and means necessary and spending every second of my time and spare time searching for you just because I thought you would be useful."  Vader continued passionately. There was only a little bit of limited bright gray light between them. It illuminated the lenses of Vader's mask and for a split second, Luke thought he could see the eyes hidden behind them. "You are my son. I have searched for you because you are important to me."

The void - that other presence - was still sitting on top and around them, like fog on the road. But the Force itself rang with a chime of undeniable truth.

Luke looked away, shaking his head slowly and blinking rapidly as he tried to process the weight and feeling behind those words. Tried to process the fact that his father really did want him. That Luke wasn't alone in feeling something. Overwhelmed, he took two steps backwards and raised his free hand to pinch at the space between his eyes. He hadn’t gotten enough sleep the last few days in order to be able to deal with… well, any of this.

But… at least for now, he wasn’t in any danger.

A weight that he hadn't even noticed slowly lifted off his shoulders with the realization and with a sigh, Luke side-stepped towards the nearest stalagmite jutting upwards from the ground. It was easily as tall as he was and once he was close enough, he slid to the ground and rested his back against it, facing his father. He pulled his knees in slightly towards his chest and rested his arms on them, being careful to keep the blade of his lightsaber angled away from him.

Vader allowed him the extra space and he was grateful, but Luke could sense the intensity of his gaze on him the entire time.

You are my son.

It was exactly what he wanted to hear. That he was more than just some weapon or stepping stone to power. That their family connection was actually important to both of them and not just him.

But how the hell was he supposed to respond to it? Just because it was what he wanted didn’t mean that it changed everything that had happened between them... did it? At least it didn’t make any of Vader’s crimes less horrific.

You are my son.

He had always wanted to be his father’s son but what the hell was he supposed to say when his father was Darth Vader?

Did he embrace it or reject it?

He stewed silently for almost a minute, unable to decide what it was that he was supposed to feel or do.

"Do you cut off the limbs of everyone who is important to you?" Luke finally asked tiredly. It wasn’t an outright rejection of his father’s claim but it felt like he was still keeping a safe distance between them.

Vader’s respirator cycled and he didn’t immediately respond. Luke watched as he instead took a moment to reach into one of the pockets on his pant leg and pulled out what looked like an… energy bar? Vader tossed it his way and Luke caught the plastic wrapped package with his left hand. “Eat that,” his father instructed with a no-nonsense tone of voice. “It will help revive your strength. Do you have water?”

Luke frowned but nodded. "Yeah. I still have a canteen that I haven’t touched yet.” After a moment, he set his lightsaber off to the side, leaving the blade on. The plastic wrapping was silver in color, with a black Imperial insignia stamped right in the middle. Underneath the insignia it read in slightly smaller letters, Granola and Pika Fruit Energy Bar.

Pika fruit was native to Tatooine and a delicacy that Luke had rarely experienced. Somehow, he didn't think that it had been an accident. With a shake of his head and a slight disbelieving huff, he tore the end of the plastic wrap open, peeling it back enough to take a bite.

“You still haven’t answered my question.” Luke pointed out between his chewing. “Do you – "

“I heard you the first time.” Vader interrupted impatiently, gesturing for Luke to continue eating. Or maybe to not talk with his mouth full. “You would do well to learn how to accept all of the risks involved with challenging someone to a duel. Taking your hand off was not personal. I ended our duel using an established Jedi technique, known as one of the Marks of Contact."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Really." 

"Yes. I am surprised that you seem unfamiliar with them. The objective in using the Marks of Contact was the preservation of life. The one that I used is known as Cho mai and was considered by the Jedi to be a merciful conclusion to battle."

He blinked and searched the Force again to judge whether or not Vader was still being honest.

And... he was.

Huh.

"I don't know that I'd call it merciful." Luke replied with deliberate sullenness, flexing his fake hand a little. Now that he was thinking about it, he thought that maybe there was a very slight delay in its response time. The synth-skin was supposed to help protect the delicate machinery from dirt and grime, but as he was coming to learn, dirt could and would inevitably find its way in. If it got worse, he'd have to take it apart and clean it later.

It was annoying as hell. 

"That is your problem, not mine." Vader said simply. “I lost my right arm in a duel when I was around your age. It is one of the inherent risks of lightsaber combat.”

Luke pursed his lips, feeling annoyed but also sensing that he would get no sympathy on this particular subject. But... strictly speaking, from a purely objective standpoint… his father’s words were still nothing except bluntly honest. He took another bite of his granola bar, chewing thoughtfully.

He wasn't really planning on forgiving the loss of his hand anytime soon. Vader's lack of remorse was disconcerting in its own way but... the honesty itself was also refreshing.

Luke watched as Vader glanced down at the ground, at the massive shed skin which he had also shifted with his foot. Slowly, he dropped down into a squat, lifting it up with one hand the same way Luke had done earlier. Vader glanced down the length of it before letting it fall back to the ground. Luke zeroed in on Vader's arm which now sat resting almost casually on his knee. Ben had told him that Vader was more machine than man now and at the time, Luke had considered the implication of injuries almost divine justice. 

It had seemed only fair that the man who had betrayed and murdered his father should be made to suffer. 

Now though... he felt his stomach twisting at the very thought and couldn't help but wonder what had happened to him. Ben hadn't elaborated on the type of injuries Vader had suffered and Luke, distracted by all that had been said that fateful day on Tatooine, hadn't bothered to ask. It hadn't mattered to him who had hurt Vader or how terrible his injuries were, as long as he felt some semblance of pain. 

But now, the person that Luke had mourned and felt angry on behalf of was Vader. And maybe he was wrong to feel the way that he did, to have compassion and concern for someone who had done so many terrible things. But even as frustrated and confused as he was, Luke couldn't help but hope that Ben had been exaggerating when he'd said that Vader was more machine than man. 

“Who’d you lose your arm to?”

Vader glanced back at where Luke was sitting. “A fallen Jedi master, known as Count Dooku.” he answered slowly, after some hesitation. “He was the leader of the Separatist movement during the Clone Wars and was working to overthrow the Galactic Republic.”

“And you tried to stop him?”

Vader was quiet for a long moment and then he shrugged. Luke sensed the stirrings of his discomfort with the topic. “I was… young. And impulsive. Dooku was a better duelist than I was at the time. But yes, I… and others, attempted to stop him from escaping when we thought we had him cornered.”

"He got away." Luke surmised. 

"That time," Vader agreed. His thoughts were beginning to feel a little dark now, enough that Luke felt he was treading into somewhat dangerous territory. "I killed him later on in the war."

Luke reached for his canteen and took a slow sip of his water, being mindful not to drink too much.

It was interesting to hear about a time when Darth Vader had actually been a defender of the Republic. He was such an iconic figurehead of the Empire – the Emperor’s Fist . Luke had heard stories from some senior members of the Rebellion about some of Anakin Skywalker’s more famous exploits, but no one had ever told him that both Luke and Anakin had lost an arm in a duel. And despite knowing that Anakin and Vader were actually one in the same… it wasn’t until just now that Luke really connected the dots in his head and understood that Vader had been that staunch defender of the Republic that all those stories had been about.

Luke couldn’t help but wonder why he’d switched sides. But even as his thoughts filled with questions he suddenly wanted to ask, Vader’s emotions began to feel stiff and cold in the Force and Luke decided not to push his luck and abandoned the idea of asking him anything else along those lines.

For now, at least.

Pulling his thoughts close, Luke left Vader alone to simmer. He dropped his head back against the stalagmite formation behind him and sighed.

How was he going to get out of this now?

His father hadn’t been aggressive or even attempted to contain Luke in any way just yet… but he could hardly attribute that to goodwill, could he? Vader hadn't come all this way to find him just to chat. Luke was trapped in this lousy mine and it wasn't as if there was anywhere for him to go. Not when he didn’t know the way out or even where to go after that.

Luke may have been rejected by the Rebellion but he didn't have any intention of joining the damn Empire either. Going with Vader might be a better option than sticking it out on his own - especially if or when it got out that he was Darth Vader's son. It would get rid of his most pressing bounty and again, maybe he was wrong, but Luke didn't think that there were too many people out there who were willing to challenge Vader directly, even for a shot at revenge.

But staying with Vader was almost as good as joining the Empire. Some of the propaganda writers in the Rebellion often said that Vader and the Empire were practically one and the same. 

The Rebellion and more specifically the cause that it supported wasn't a fight that Luke felt he could truly abandon. The Empire had done far too much damage and had hurt far too many people, including himself.

It needed to go.

For Beru and Owen, it needed to go.

He was deep in thought, musing on what to do when Vader finally spoke again.

“Where is the rest of your squadron?”

Luke looked up and realized that in the last few minutes, his father had stood up and approached him once again. He towered over him and Luke resisted the urge to scoot backwards. Instead, he hesitantly searched along their bond to gauge what his father’s mood currently was. It was difficult to tell – cloudy, even.

"How do you know that I’m not here all by myself?” Luke asked, using the same aloof sort of denial he would have used on any other Imperial officer who wanted to know information.

Almost instantly, Luke knew that it was the wrong attitude to have.

For the first time, something in the Force took on a dark, poisonous edge and the spike in the Force that was Vader's anger sent a chill down his spine.

“Do not insult my intelligence.” Vader warned quietly. It was the first time throughout their entire encounter where his father felt like… well, Vader.

Luke felt his shoulders tense slightly at the tone and his eyes flickered to his lightsaber still resting on the ground beside him. He considered it for a moment before looking back up at the polished lenses glaring disapprovingly at him. 

“I don’t know where they are.”

Vader's Force presence constricted around his own, just shy of being uncomfortable, and Luke felt the sensation of him probing along their bond, testing Luke's honesty. After a few seconds, the poisonous edge in the Force eased, the anger lessened, and what Luke could only describe as the mental equivalent of a hum passed between them.

“Did they fall down a mineshaft or simply die in the initial collapse?” Vader asked drily. Luke could still feel a hint of his displeasure but at least it didn't make him feel the need to get up and protect himself. It actually reminded him of Owen and the way he would cross his arms and raise an eyebrow at him whenever Luke had gotten caught in a particularly stupid lie. 

“Neither,” Luke said quietly, a sour feeling sitting heavy in his stomach now that the conversation had shifted towards the others. Liar. Traitor. Monster. “We were… separated. By a creature in the mines.”

“How many of you made it inside?”

“All of us.” Luke picked up a pebble and turned it over in his hands a few times just for something to do. “Six.”

Vader was silent for a moment, considering the information. “And you have encountered the creature inhabiting the mines.”

Luke looked up again, his interest peaked despite himself. “A few times. What do you know about it?”

“Very little. I only read the reports on Cimiento and the reason for its abandonment on my way over. There were not many survivors and the descriptions were vague.”

“Oh.” Luke frowned, disappointed. That was a shame. It would have been nice to know what he was dealing with. "Well. I don't really know what it looks like either. But I think it's Force sensitive." he suddenly had a thought. "You... you can feel it too, right? The void?"

It seemed impossible that Vader wouldn't be able to feel it, but with the exception of Ben and Yoda, he'd never met or spoken to anyone who could understand what it felt like to be so in-tune with something as vast, beautiful, and as indescribable as the Force was. He was mostly used to politely interested expressions or total confusion when sharing his observations.

"I can," Vader agreed easily. "And I would agree with you that this entity is the source of the disturbance in the Force that we are now experiencing. I have heard tales of non-sentient species in times past which had notable Force capabilities but I have only encountered one such species myself."

He had never heard of such a thing as Force sensitive animals before. Hadn’t even considered it being a possibility.

"What was it?" Luke asked curiously. 

"A breed of lizard, known as the Ysalamiri which can actively repel the Force to such a degree that a Jedi would be unable to access it."

"A lizard can do that? Is... that what this thing is doing?"

Vader shrugged, tucking his thumbs into his belt again. "No." There was a deliberate tug on the link that connected them together. "The Force is not lost to either of us, is it?” he prompted with some amusement.

“But it was gone.” Luke insisted. “It’s been gone.”

“You are young,” was the simple reply. “And through no fault of your own, you lack experience. However, we can continue this discussion later. It is unwise for us to linger here. We should leave."

Luke had to bite back the impulse to argue. He wanted answers and hated the feeling of being left in the dark. 

“You say that almost as if I have a choice in the matter. I didn’t think you’d let me leave without you.” Luke said instead, a hint of wariness in his voice now.

There was another moment of silence and Luke sensed that same hesitation from Vader's side of the bond again, as if he were debating the best way to proceed. “My son, I did not think you had a choice the last time we spoke." He finally said bluntly. "In regards to you, I have been well and truly instructed in the inadvisability of assuming anything.”

Luke blinked and then chuckled at his father’s admittance. Judging from the somewhat sour feeling flickering along their bond, Luke thought that saying it out loud must have been like pulling teeth. “I have had a few spectacular escapes from you, haven’t I?” he said, feeling just a little bit smug.

“Indeed you have.”

After another moment, Vader slowly offered him a hand.

Luke stared up at it and in some ways, he knew that he was just as cornered as he'd been at Bespin only a few weeks ago. He didn't know the way out and they both knew it. He didn't know if he could pull off another escape like he had last time and he didn't know where he would go if he could.

With a sigh, Luke finally reached up and took it.

His father pulled him to his feet with one smooth movement but was quick to let go. Luke gave him a side eye and then bent down at the waist to pick up his discarded backpack and to retrieve his lightsaber, being mindful to keep the tip of the blade pointed towards the ground.

"This is not me agreeing to join you," Luke warned quietly. "I don't want to rule the Empire and I'm not interested in the dark side of the Force. But... if you’re offering to help, I would like to get out of this mine." 

And maybe get to know you a little bit too.

The thought slipped through their bond before Luke could remember to keep it private and he hoped that the lack of light would hide the sudden reddening of his face.

It was strange to have an intimate connection to someone else's mind and stranger still that it felt so natural. Luke had never opened the connection between him and Vader before now - he'd monitored it occasionally and even with shields and a wall in place to keep Vader out, he'd been able to sense a stray emotion or two from time to time. But nothing like this – or how he suspected it might be once there was nothing keeping the Force from being freely accessible.

He'd always thought that Vader was nothing but rage and anger. The Rebellion always made him out to be a ruthless killing machine, as emotionless and empty as a droid... but Bespin and even this one conversation between them had thrown all that propaganda out the window. 

Vader had feelings, the same as anyone else did. A lot of those emotions were very dark and angry... but he was a person underneath that suit, not a machine and maybe not even a monster. 

Luke stiffened slightly and then held still as his father took a short step towards him, extending his hand once again. When he didn't retreat, Vader carefully tilted his chin up with his fingertips, taking in the features of his face for a long moment. He allowed it and privately wondered if they looked like each other at all. Or maybe... maybe he took more after his mother in that regard?

"Come on," Vader spoke before he could ask, lowering his hand once more. He wasn’t acknowledging Luke’s stipulation but Luke could tell that he was definitely thinking about it. "Let's get going."

It was quiet between them for the next twenty minutes or so, both of them lost deep in thought. Vader seemed to have a much better sense of direction than Luke had had while traveling through this way, with all of the twists and turns and various caverns to get lost in. It didn't take long for them to navigate their way back to the central highway that he had found earlier, returning to the old abandoned section of the mine. 

Luke kept a step or so behind his father, letting him lead the way while he toyed with the fringes of the Force that were within his grasp. 

It was there but it still felt... weak. The connection between him and Vader was alive, yes - but the void of nothing which had plagued him the entirety of the time in the mines still hung heavy over them both. At most, it felt as if there was a bubble of power that they'd created between each other and the foreign presence. He reached out towards it a few times in the Force, getting within what felt like a foot or two of it before the Force became slippery and he hit the same empty void as before.

Vader's Force presence was doing something similar, as if he were testing the boundaries in the same way that Luke was. He wasn't sure what to think or feel about something that could block someone as wildly powerful as Darth Vader and Luke would have been more disturbed by it except Vader felt more curious about it than outright concerned. 

In truth, standing side by side with his father and not against him made a world of difference. 

Nothing in the mines had changed since earlier.

There was still the voice mimicking creature lurking somewhere in the dark that Luke wasn't ashamed to admit that he was scared of. If Vader's offhand comment about reading the reports on what had happened in Cimiento, and him having had some foreknowledge of the creature itself from those reports were any indication, Luke felt fairly confident in the assumption that the monster was probably responsible for the massacre he'd only glimpsed inside the factory.

He didn't know what type of creature was capable of killing so many people that should have been well-armed... but Luke thought his chances of surviving another encounter with it were significantly better with his father. 

He'd seen Vader take out an AT-AT on his own in a matter of seconds. He'd claimed entire battlefields, taken on entire squadrons, all on his own and more than once. He was both feared and respected alike in some capacity by most people belonging to both sides of the war. The Imperial dissenters who joined the Rebellion often spoke about him in hushed tones, with awe and sometimes reverence.

They were always terrified of him and were never shy about saying so. But in a twisted sort of way, they admired and respected him because he had been their leader and he never told anyone to do anything he wasn’t willing to do himself.

Luke thought maybe he understood a little better now how the Imperial Forces felt whenever they had Vader leading their charge.

Not quite untouchable... too many people died in war on both sides for anyone to claim that they felt untouchable on a battlefield.

But... maybe secure was the right word. 

At the very least, it was better than being alone. 

They reached the main crossroads in the central highway and Vader paused for the first time, glancing left and then right. Luke stepped forward and stood beside him, looking up at him. 

"Father?"

"How did you intend to get out of the mines?" Vader asked suddenly, twisting to meet his eye. 

Luke blinked. "We... were looking for the lower levels. Zach - one of the others, he thought there would be emergency exits down there that we could use." he said slowly. He felt Vader considering his words and suddenly he grinned. "Wait - are you lost?" 

"No." Vader said instantly.

It didn't feel like the truth.

"You totally are." Luke laughed, trying and failing to keep a straight face. "How did you even find me down here if you don't know where you are?"

He sensed Vader scowling behind his mask. "You and your squadron marked the walls," he said, giving Luke a firm poke through the Force. "Once I was close enough, I could sense you nearby."

"So, you came in the same way that we did then." 

"Yes. But it would be dangerous to go back that way now." Vader said mysteriously. Luke took a moment to wonder how the hell his father had gotten in when the entire entrance had collapsed and then what damage he'd done in the process to make it unsafe to go back. He shook his head and decided it was better not to ask. "We need an alternate route."

Luke pursed his lips and glanced down one of the dark passageways. He lifted his lightsaber, holding it out in front of him to try and illuminate the way forward a little better. It didn’t make much of a difference.

"We were following the downgrade when we were separated," he said slowly, disliking the idea of possibly running into the others. It might have gone poorly when it was just him on his own but if he ran into them now.... Luke shook his head a little. He couldn't even imagine. "But I was looking for another way down."

Vader stared at him for a long moment and Luke could sense that he was hearing more than what Luke was saying out loud. He looked away, not wanting to be asked to explain himself.

He startled a little at the hand that was placed on his shoulder. It lingered for only a moment, just long enough to give him a little squeeze and then Vader was moving forward again. Luke watched him for a few seconds, in disbelief that it could be that easy and then he quickly jogged a few steps in order to catch up again, matching his father's stride.

They continued along the highway for a few minutes, leaving the storage and living spaces behind them. They stopped again when the wide passage split into a three-way fork in the road. Mine tracks went down each of them, but it was impossible to tell where the tunnels would take them from here.  

"Are all Imperials against posting directions or is it just the people who own this Force-damned place?" Luke asked dryly, scowling at the bare walls.

Vader snorted, humming his agreement. After a moment of hesitation, his father's massive presence shifted in the Force, stretching outwards beyond them before it hit the same wall that Luke had been experiencing. His father lifted one hand and pressed hard against it, straining – trying to force the void to give way. It shifted backwards a tiny fraction and then there was a sudden rumbling sound around them. Luke felt his eyes widen as cracks began to split down the walls and as shards of rock clattered to the floor in small fragments. He felt the ground shift slightly under his feet and had to adjust his stance in order to keep his balance. 

Luke watched in awe as the cracks stretched and expanded upwards inch by inch until they stopped just before hitting the ceiling above them. A flash of annoyance ran along their bond and then Vader's Force presence reluctantly drew backwards again.

"The far-right tunnel." Vader said stiffly, his irritation with their situation still evident. He glanced at Luke for a moment and his irritation eased just a little. "We are close."

Luke nodded and then looked at the cracks in the walls again, marveling at the simple but impressive display of power. He was and had been reluctantly impressed and even jealous at times of Vader's skills as a duelist but aside from feeling how powerful Vader was and having had a few things thrown at him in their previous encounters... he'd never really seen what his father could do. 

Vader didn't linger with him, taking the lead once again and forcing Luke to hurry after him in order to keep up. This tunnel was narrower than the central one they'd been traveling along, reminiscent of the haulage corridor he'd and the others had used for so long. The same wooden beams were being used as supports for the walls every few feet and more wires and light fixtures ran along the ceiling above them. They didn't look to be in as much disrepair as they had in the other tunnel either. 

“I never asked but… how are you here?" Luke asked after a few more minutes had gone by. "The Executor wasn’t in orbit when we arrived, and I didn’t see your TIE-fighter among the ones that chased us in here.”

“I was only alerted to your presence here after Imperial forces discovered your X-wing. They suspected that you were among the rebels who were trapped inside the mine after it collapsed. Your droid confirmed this when questioned about your whereabouts.”

Ah. That... actually made sense. He bit his lip, blaming the fact that he hadn't thought of that sooner on the fact that he was tired and thinking that it would be far more difficult to escape if he needed to avoid Imperial forces as well as Vader. Was his X-wing even still where he left it? And... what about the others? How would they get off planet?  

Luke shook his head, tucking those thoughts away for later.

“It didn’t just collapse,” he said instead, sourly. “They shot it down over us on purpose.”

“They were defending Imperial interests,” Vader said simply. “Had the rebels encountered Imperial forces at or near one of their base locations, they would have undoubtedly responded in a similar fashion.”

Luke rolled his eyes, still peeved but unable to argue with the logic. “We didn’t know there was an outpost here.”

Vader turned to give him a look. “Your Rebellion’s scouting abilities leaves much to be desired then.” he said with dry amusement. “When it was decided that Cimiento could not be recovered safely from the entity inhabiting the mines, the decision was made to destroy it entirely lest Imperial weapons fall into enemy hands. The timing of your arrival was simply unfortunate.”

"That's somewhat of an understatement." Luke said wryly. 

"You and your rebel friends were not hurt, were you?" 

“No," Luke denied. "Not really, anyways."

Vader shrugged as if to say well, there you go.

Luke pursed his lips, feeling unamused as he briefly relived those terrifying first few moments before and after the TIE-fighters had shot the entrance to the mine down on top of them. There was nothing like having a building start to collapse around you as you ran for your life.

“Hang on a minute –" Luke suddenly stopped dead as something finally occurred to him. “You said Artoo told you I was in here but that’s not possible. He was ordered to only answer to a primary and no offense, but I didn’t log Darth Vader into his system after Bespin. How did you turn him on?”

“Keep moving.” Vader said in way of response.

“No.”

“Luke – "

“Just answer the damn question,” Luke interrupted, throwing his hands up in exasperation. “You didn’t like it when I lied to you.”

Vader glared down at him. His thoughts felt twisted and complicated, and his respirator cycled a few times. “I already knew his codes because I was already a primary in his system,” he finally ground out reluctantly. “I am the primary. R2-D2 was my droid during the Clone Wars.”

Wait, what?

“But Artoo said he belonged to Obi-Wan Kenobi when we bought him.” Luke protested.

“Then he lied.” Vader said flatly. “Obi-Wan was only ever a secondary. Keep walking.”

He grudgingly moved his feet again, trying to figure out why Artoo never told him this. The little droid was wildly independent, but Luke had thought that they had become friends. Artoo had been with him on a number of occasions where Luke had sat and listened to someone else’s stories about Anakin and he had said nothing.

“Artoo never told me that he knew you.”

“I had nothing to do with that. He makes his own decisions.”

Had Artoo known about Vader?

“Did he know that you were alive? That you were… you know, you?” Luke demanded, gesturing towards Vader’s person.  

“No.” Was the stiff response.

It felt like the truth but it still did nothing to ease the pang of hurt and anger that he now felt.

High Command, Ben, Yoda, even Artoo. Why did no one feel like he deserved to know the truth? And why the hell was Vader the only one actually being honest with him? How did that make sense?

Luke couldn't decide on where or who to focus his irritation on at this point. He walked a little faster, stepping in front of Vader in order to put some distance between them so he could have a chance to think. 

Vader kept his thoughts close and allowed Luke to have what space he wanted. It was enough that his son was within eyesight and was tolerating his presence at all. Their current circumstances almost assured that he would but Vader was not a fool and he was more than aware that the tenuous, unspoken truce between them could break at any time.

He needed to tread very carefully.

Luke was angry. At many things, it seemed. It simmered under the surface, close to the skin, ready to erupt with the right provocation. There was so much potential for power in him and like the last time they met, it would be so easy to push Luke over the edge. 

He was in the perfect position to Fall. All Luke needed to do was slip. Even just a little. 

And yet... Vader kept staying his hand.  

Luke was angry and confused and lost in more ways than one. Pain and hurt bled quietly along their bond, as well as some of his fears and insecurities.

Some were familiar to him, but most of them hadn't been there at Bespin. They were new fears which had come up between then and now. From what little Vader could sense, from those carefully guarded thoughts, he was surprised to realize that he could also relate to some of them.

Vader hadn't anticipated feeling a kinship with his son on such a personal level. But he understood what it was like to be used. He understood that feeling of being unwanted – his dislike for the Jedi aside, Vader felt nothing except contempt for the fool that had taken over Luke’s training and began it by stating he was not fit to be one in the first place.

The Jedi Order had never liked him either. Vader had known that since he was a child. They had made it perfectly clear upon their first interactions, when he had stood before the Council in threadbare clothes, having been won in a bet and passed between masters like the slave he had always been, that they did not want him. The Council had spoken about him as though he didn’t exist, discussing his flaws and all the reasons he wasn’t worthy like a master at auction season, searching for defects in his potential purchases.

They had accepted him into the Order grudgingly and then, for years, they had criticized every decision or action that he had made. They named him a figure of prophecy and despite finding little to no value in him as an individual, had used him to fight their wars and bolster their image to the galactic public for as long as it was convenient.

He knew what it felt like to feel as though he had no value beyond what power he held and what change he could bring about for the betterment of others and their precious ideals.

He knew exactly what Luke was feeling. 

And somewhere hidden deep in the hurt and pain was... a distinct feeling of betrayal. He couldn't work out the cause of it and dared not pry it out of Luke's mind himself in order to find out. 

Anakin, the weak fool that he had been, had known betrayal too. He had never once suspected that his mentor and friend had only ever seen him as a convenient source of power. Anakin had been a tool, a weapon, and an instrument being played by expert hands his entire life. And the one person, in the midst of all his turmoil who he had felt that he could always trust and turn to for help, had lied to him.

Palpatine had taken Anakin at his weakest and most vulnerable, and thrown him off a cliff. 

Vader could easily do the same to Luke now.

He knew how to break people and he definitely knew how to break Luke. It would be so easy - he could take his son and push him into the dark, willingly or not. They could overthrow the Emperor and take control of the Empire together and their power would be unmatched anywhere in the galaxy. 

Willingly or not, Luke could be made to be loyal to him. He had done as much to his Inquisitors for over two decades now. 

In the past, he had taken particular satisfaction in allowing his subordinates and especially those who sought to undermine him in some fashion to feel the burn of being used. Of knowing that they had no meaning to him beyond what he felt they were useful for and yet having no choice but to fulfill all his commands.

If he had to suffer, if he had to lose everything that had ever meant anything to him at all to him, it only felt right that everyone else should too.

Vader had gone to Bespin thinking that he could treat his son the same way that he had treated everyone for the last twenty years and that it would be Luke who would need to change and adapt. And yet… in the weeks following that day, the only thing Vader could bring himself to feel was regret.

What he had told Luke earlier was true. Vader had cut off his hand as a way to quickly end their duel while doing the least amount of damage to his son but also as a catalyst for Luke to turn and embrace the dark side and step into his power. He'd backed Luke into a corner and thought for sure that he had won and gotten what he wanted.

And then Luke had jumped and Vader had been so stunned that he'd done absolutely nothing to grab him. Luke - his son - had slipped from his fingers the same way she and his mother had... and all Vader could do was watch him fall.

It had hurt.

Hurt in such a way that Sidious’ lightning and favorite methods of torment could never compare.

Bespin had been a mistake. He had accomplished nothing there beyond almost losing Luke entirely.

Luke was not one of his officers. He was not a subordinate or an agent of the Emperor or anyone else whose life meant absolutely nothing to him.

On the contrary, Luke meant more to him than anything else in the entire galaxy.

And he was just a boy.

On the cusp of manhood, an adult in his own right, certainly… but one that was still in need of help and guidance, even if Luke was not willing to admit it to anyone except himself.

Vader didn't want to make the same mistakes. That he had this opportunity to try and make amends now was far more than he deserved. 

He watched Luke as he began to slow down, the tension in his shoulders easing as his frustration finally began to ebb. His son hesitated at the next bend in the passageway and gave Vader the chance to catch up to him before matching his stride once again. Vader sent a silent, pulsing question along their bond and felt as Luke silently debated with himself whether or not to try and answer. The silence stretched for another minute or two before Luke spoke again.

"It’s not my rebellion.”

Vader glanced sideways at him. “Obviously. But your loyalties lie with it.”

“No,” Luke shook his head. “I mean... yes , but..." his son heaved a sigh. "I don’t think I’m a part of the Rebellion anymore. I… I don’t think they want me. Or least… they aren’t going to want me.”

“Why do you say that?” Vader asked, suddenly feeling almost breathless. He had to contain the hope which shot through his system. It would be so much easier if Luke wasn’t – he had known that something must have happened – something more than what Luke had been willing to tell him. His lack of interest or expression in finding the rest of Rogue Squadron had been odd, certainly. But he never thought that the Rebel High Command could be that stupid as to alienate their most important asset.

“I... I told you that my squadron and I were separated… but that isn’t completely true.” Luke continued hesitantly, looking straight ahead. “They told me to leave. That I should find my own way out because they… they didn’t want me with them anymore.”

Vader blinked and felt his hope slowly turn into cold suspicion and unease. “Why?”

Luke glanced up at him finally. His expression was tired. “Because they know who I am.” he revealed quietly. “That I’m your son.”

“You told them?” Vader demanded.

“No!” Luke denied staunchly. “I’m not stupid. It was the creature in the mines. It’s a mimic.” he said with a huff.

That was a nonsensical statement as far as Vader was concerned but he was far more upset about what the fallout and consequences of what this revelation might be. Luke’s thoughts had darkened, twisted and upset, with hot traces of hurt and betrayal clinging to them.

“Tell me everything.” he demanded.

Luke glared at him suspiciously but after a few moments of hesitation, he did, beginning with his suspicions regarding what the Rebellion might know about him, that others might have kept the truth a secret from him as well, and all the events which had transpired throughout his time in the mine. Vader felt his own anger bubble under the surface of his skin, cursing Rogue Squadron as the stupid fools that they were. They deserved to die miserable, painful deaths and he'd break them all in half himself if he ever came across them.

Luke kicked a stray rock with his foot, sullen now after finishing his story. The mimic which had been hunting him and the others in the mines was certainly some cause for concern but Vader did not think it would be anything beyond his scope of skills to deal with. He had dealt with and survived far worse things. 

“If you have been turned away by your Rebellion, then what do you plan to do now?”

Luke cast his father a sideways look, instantly on edge. “I don’t know.”

“Then, come with me – ”

“Don’t.” Luke interrupted, leveling his father with another glare of his own. It made him think of her and all her fiery passion. “Just don’t.”

Vader put his hands on his hips, displeased at being interrupted. “What?”

“You and I both know that you have me cornered. And I think we both know that you’re not planning to just let me walk away from you at the end of this.” Luke said bluntly. “So, if you don’t plan to give me a choice, if you plan to take me with you regardless of what I want, then don’t pretend. We’ll get along better that way.”

Vader pursed his lips. "Very well."

Luke nodded once and then they continued on in silence, both of them lost deep in their own thoughts.  

It was true that he had no intention of letting Luke disappear again. But perhaps he wouldn’t need to force Luke to do anything. Perhaps he wouldn’t have to drag Luke to his side, kicking and screaming and resenting him every step of the way… maybe he could just be patient.

If Luke was no longer considering himself a member of the Rebellion, then he had no ties of loyalty to hold him back from accepting Vader’s offer.

Only anger and hurt and uncertainty stood in his way.

If Vader was patient… if he did it differently this time… maybe Luke would come to him on his own. 

It took them almost fifteen minutes of straight sprinting before the track system reappeared in the passageway. It had ended abruptly, the last set of rails abandoned and unconnected, never to be finished.

Wedge felt his heart pounding a frantic, desperate beat in his chest and as he slowed down, searching for the entryway to the main work level that Zach had been so certain they'd passed. The air felt too thin to satisfy his lungs.

"Where is it?" he whispered quietly under his breath, feeling sweat drip down his face and the back of his neck. He felt unbearably hot and became abruptly aware of the fact that his shirt was damp all the way down the back. "Where is it, where is it...?"

A beam of light flickered on behind him and Wedge turned around, carefully readjusting his grip on the back of Zach's knees as he did so. Tycho came up to stand beside him, his chest heaving. Wedge tried to meet his eyes but Tycho staunchly refused to do so, looking everywhere except at him. After a moment, he stopped trying when he realized there were tears sliding down his face.

His mouth felt like it was full of cotton when he swallowed, feeling sick with nerves in the pit of his stomach.

"Hang on, Zach." Wedge whispered, glancing uneasily behind them. Cesi was facing away from them, guarding their backs with his blaster in a high ready position. Wedge didn't know how much good that it would do but he appreciated the effort nonetheless. 

"There," Tycho said quietly, lifting a hand and pointing a little farther up the passageway. "A doorway."

Dear Force, let it be the right one. Wedge thought desperately, gathering his courage and taking the lead once again. That damn monster had appeared out of nowhere and he was trapped in the thought that it would happen again at any second. Everyone always said that on a battlefield, movement was life. He didn't know if that was true down here - it didn't seem to matter what they did if their enemy could disappear and reappear at will. But it was better than doing nothing. 

At first glance, it looked like one of the dozens of other side tunnels that they’d bypassed on their way down here. Wedge scrunched his nose, trying to subtly roll the ache out of his shoulders. This part of the tunnel reeked of the now familiar smell of putrescene and cadaverine - they had hurried past it last time, he realized. They hadn't bothered to even poke their heads in, only wanting to avoid another gruesome sight like the one they had seen in the slave quarters yesterday. Those weren't the kind of images that would ever leave.

It didn't matter now though. 

“Come on.”

When they were close enough, Tycho quietly shined his flashlight through the doorway, panning it from left to right. Wedge wheezed, stepping sideways through the doorway so that Zach wouldn’t get smacked in the head.

The smell of rot and decay intensified immediately and he carefully averted his eyes from looking in certain directions. A quick scan of the room revealed that there were mining carts filled to the brim with doonium, left to gather dust on the track system that twisted and curved the entire length of the room. Likewise, there was a metal walkway with a railing a little over waist high which had been bolted into the wall far overheard. It stretched the length of the room and disappeared into the shadows where the beam of their flashlight was unable to reach.

There were discarded mining tools which had been left laying around and there were massive pipes lining the walls and large, unfamiliar pieces of machinery that hadn't been present on any of the upper level floors.

"This has to be it." Wedge breathed, taking a moment to pull back and glance back up the passageway for any indication that there was somewhere else that they should go. There was nothing of the sort, of course. But he'd been wrong - he'd made stupid mistakes and had taken them too far before. What if he screwed up again?

Wedge felt his heart almost skip a beat in his chest when something tapped lightly against his leg before he realized it was Zach. 

"Put me down," he gasped. "Please. I need… just, p-put me down."

Wedge nodded quickly and looked around for a quick second. Spotting a nearby cart, Wedge made his decision and moved quickly towards it. He scanned the immediate area, looking for anything sharp and kicking a few rocks out of the way before carefully lowering Zach to the ground. Zach grunted and whimpered as both he and Tycho got him settled so that he could rest with his back up against the cart. 

He looked awful, Wedge noted with dismay. Much, much worse than he'd been before. The hollows of his eyes were dark and he was drenched in sweat, shivering and shaking and dear Force, Zach couldn't keep going like this. He was fading fast and if something didn't change, he was going to die before they could get him the help that he needed. 

And… it was his fault. 

Covering his mouth with hand, Wedge backed away, unable to bear it for another second. 

He couldn't bring himself to go too far but he desperately needed space to think and to breathe - 

It was too much. It was too much and it had all gone so wrong, so quickly.

Wedge ran both his hands through his hair, from the front of his forehead all the way down to the nape of his neck. There, he clenched his hands into fists and pulled hard at the strands, almost ripping them from their roots.

Caleb was dead.

Caleb was dead and that – that thing had eaten him alive.

And… and for a split second… Wedge had felt it. Somehow, he’d felt Caleb’s bones breaking and teeth ripping his skin apart and something that could have only been venom coursing through his system like liquid fire and agony –

His stomach churned and Wedge finally dropped his hands and bent over, spewing the meager contents of his stomach onto the ground.

He didn’t understand – how had that been possible?

And more importantly… what was he going to tell Caleb’s family? How was he supposed to explain what had happened – how was he supposed to look Quinn in the eye and tell him that his twin brother was gone forever and that there had been nothing any of them could do?

…how was he ever going to get those screams of terror and agony out of his head?

Wedge felt his stomach flip again at the thought and had to brace his hands on his knees as he began to dry heave.

He should have listened to Luke.

Luke had known that something was off – about the factory, about the mines… he hadn’t been able to properly articulate why but he’d known that this mission would be a disaster. And Wedge knew Luke well enough to know that his instincts didn’t often steer him wrong – he should have listened while he had a chance and fled this miserable planet before any of this had happened.

Zach was hurt and probably dying.

Caleb was dead.

Dear Force, why couldn’t he have just listened?

Had… had he really been doing this mission for the Rebellion? Wedge really hoped so. Hoped that his motivations had been pure – that he’d stayed because it had been his assignment and because the potential for new weapons and supplies was too good of an opportunity to pass up on and that it had all been for the benefit of the Rebellion.

Wedge hadn’t wanted to fail his first mission as the leader of Rogue Squadron. Taking over for Luke Skywalker, the Hero of the Rebellion, having been recommended for the position by Luke personally… it meant that he had big shoes to fill. He had wanted to be successful and show High Command that he had deserved the promotion.

He really, really fucking hoped with every fiber of his soul that he hadn’t gotten Caleb killed because of some misplaced sense of pride and a childish need to prove himself.

Wedge managed to straighten up a little and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

What were they going to do now?

The group was down by two people. Three, if he included Zach’s injury and rate of his decline.

Caleb was dead and who could even guess where Luke was at this point?

And that thing wasn’t very far behind them.

It could be right in front of them and they would never even know it until it was too late. 

How in the nine hells was he going to do this? At the rate they were going, they wouldn't survive another twelve hours, let alone a day. 

What were they going to do? 

“Stop panicking. Get it together, Wedge,” he whispered to himself, furiously wiping his eyes. He sniffed and scrubbed his face again for good measure, trying desperately to calm his shattered nerves. They weren’t out of the woods yet. Not even close. He couldn’t break down now. It wouldn't help anyone. “Get it together. You can do this. You can do this, you can do this.”

Caleb was dead but the others… Zach and Tycho and Cesi… they were still alive. Whether or not he was to blame was irrelevant right now. He was still in charge, and it was his responsibility to get them back safely or die trying. If they got out of here, there would be enough time to mourn later. But for now, he had a job to do.

With that thought in mind, Wedge straightened up to his full height and released a shaky breath before squaring his shoulders and finally gathering the courage he needed to look back at Zach. Cesi was still in the doorway, his back to them but Tycho was sitting next to Zach now, his face buried in his knees. His shoulders were shaking with repressed sobs and Wedge felt his courage try and desert him once again.

The very thought of approaching Tycho and interrupting someone in the thralls of mourning made him want to turn around and run. But they couldn't do this now and it was his job to keep everyone together and focused as best as he could.

“Ty?” Wedge approached with far more confidence than he felt. Tycho didn’t acknowledge him and so Wedge repeated his name, a little louder and with more firmness in his tone. “Tycho. Are you hurt?”

After a moment, Tycho shook his head.

Wedge nodded, even though his friend couldn’t see. “Can... can you check Zach’s leg? Make sure the tourniquet is still doing its job and see if you can get him to drink some water? Please?”

Easy tasks.

If Cesi had applied the tourniquet properly, which Wedge was certain that he had, then it would not have moved. There was nothing to check but it would give Tycho something to do that wasn’t thinking about Caleb.

Tycho sniffed and his hands pulled at his hair for a moment before he released a breath and then slowly looked up at him. He quickly wiped his face and nodded.

“Yeah,” Tycho said hoarsely. “Yeah, I can do that.”

“Okay. Good. I’m going to get Cesi and I’ll be back, okay?”

Tycho waved a hand. “Go. Go get him. I got this.”

Wedge turned around and gave himself a second to let his eyes adjust to the darker shadows and to try and figure out what to say. When he no longer needed to squint, he took an uncertain step forward. And then another, and another until he’d once again reached the entryway.

“Cesi?” 

The other man didn’t react and so Wedge tried again. 

"Cesi? Are you..." he hesitated, the question he'd meant to ask dying on his lips before he could finish it. None of them were okay. "Anything to report?"

"It's quiet." Was the whispered response.

Wedge took another step forward, coming to stand almost at Cesi's shoulder. He didn't try to reach out and touch him. The leather jacket the other man was wearing did nothing to hide the tension in his shoulders. 

"We should stick close together," Wedge forced himself to say. "Why don't you come -"

“I almost had him.” Cesi interrupted quietly. He turned towards him, spinning quickly. His face looked pale and it made the bruise that Luke had given him the day before all the more noticeable. Wedge could see that his hands were shaking as he lowered his blaster to low ready. “I… I almost had him. Caleb - he... he was right there – and… oh Force, he was just a fucking kid.”

“It wasn’t anyone’s fault,” Wedge lied – it was his fault. It had been his decision to run for the mines and it had been his decision to abandon Caleb to his fate. “It was just something that happened. But we can’t stay here. That thing is going to come back and we need to figure something out before it does."

"I was right there - "

"It wasn't your fault!" Wedge snapped immediately, unable to bear the thought of hearing anyone blame themselves for what he had done. He closed his eyes, taking a moment to try and calm his emotions. He breathed out slowly through his nose and then opened his eyes again. "It wasn't your fault, okay? But Caleb is... is dead and we can't do this right now. We need to get out of here and I need your help. I can't do this by myself."

Cesi stared at him, his expression tired and devastated. Though the color distortion was still present and everything was still the same various, eerie shades of gray... it was easy to imagine his eyes being red and puffy. Finally, Cesi sniffed, scrubbing his eyes with the back of his arm before giving him a firm nod. 

"I have your back." he said hoarsely. "Let's get the hell out of here."

They took three minutes to hydrate and gather themselves as much as possible.

Zach was hanging on through stubbornness alone, it seemed, still coherent but obviously weak and fading. His injured leg was giving off a noticeably foul smell now and while Wedge didn't think it would be wise to voice his thoughts, he was growing certain that Zach's leg was as good as gone at this point. From the expression on both Cesi and Ty's faces, they were all having similar thoughts. 

Even if by some miracle they managed to get out of the mines in the next few hours, it would take almost eight hours of hyperspace travel to get back to the Rebellion. They could try and stop at a hospital on a nearby planet but they were in Imperial territory out here and they would be gambling their lives by hoping that there were Alliance sympathizers out this way who would be willing to help them. 

One thing at a time though, Wedge thought firmly. They needed to focus on what they could control and for the moment, there was nothing more that they could do for Zach other than try and get him out of the mines before it was too late. 

It was Tycho who broke the silence first.

"Why did that thing change tactics?" he asked quietly, screwing the lid on to his canteen and setting it aside. There was no need for him to clarify what he was referring to. "What... what changed? It was taunting us before... so why did it suddenly... why did it do that?" 

Caleb's horrific screams of terror and agony sounded loud in his ears and Wedge took a moment to try and will it away. 

What changed?

What changed, what changed....

Wedge felt his heart skip a beat in his chest when, in a moment of perfect clarity, he knew the answer without really having to think about it. 

“Luke.” Wedge breathed, glancing at all of their faces. “It’s Luke. The only thing that's different is that he isn’t here with us.”

“That doesn’t make any damn sense,” Cesi pointed out in a hushed tone. “He’s just one person – why would this thing be afraid of Skywalker?”

“Can you think of a better reason why this thing suddenly fucking appeared and ate someone?” Wedge snapped back, quick enough that Cesi looked a little taken off guard. “Go on and think about it. I’ll wait.”

It made sense.

Wedge wasn’t sure why it made sense but it did.

The first time that they’d heard the creature was when they’d recognized the absence of color… Luke had been in the front of the group and it had run off before they ever saw it. And later, Luke had returned from scouting the tunnels only a minute or two after Caleb had heard the voice of his brother. He’d been in the back during the initial descent and for some reason, had chosen to remain there. Wedge had thought he was avoiding the others because of what Cesi had said in the slave pens… but now he wondered if Luke had stayed back there for the specific purpose of guarding their backs. Regardless, the creature hadn’t reappeared again until they’d stopped for the night, and it had attacked Zach only after Luke had gone to sleep.

It had never cared about the size of their group and it had never been their numbers which had kept them safe.

It had always been Luke.

Wedge watched as the realization sank in for the rest of them and couldn’t help but silently agree with Tycho when he cussed under his breath.

“Do you think it was scared of him?” Tycho asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Maybe. At the very least, it must have been wary of him.”

“But… why? ” Zach asked weakly.

That was the real question now, wasn’t it?

What had made Luke the deterrent for this thing? He’d hurt the creature the night before with his lightsaber… but that was hours after they’d first become aware of the thing. Hours that it had to have spent following them deeper and deeper into the mine. Hours during which it hadn’t made a single move on any of them.

It couldn’t just be the lightsaber. Which only left...

“He’s a Jedi,” Wedge said slowly. “A… a Force user. It’s the only thing that sets him apart from the rest of us. Maybe it knows that somehow.”

“But Skywalker couldn’t even use the Force in here.” Cesi pointed out after a few seconds. 

And… that was actually a good point. Wedge frowned, biting his lip for a moment as he tried to make sense out of everything that had happened to them.

“Do you… do you remember... that one time at dinner, a few months ago?" he asked, directing his comment specifically at Tycho. "When Luke asked if he could practice some mind tricks on us and some of the other guys? Do you remember what he could do?"

Tycho's thought for a second and then his expression cleared. He met Wedge's eyes. "I remember."

"What?" Cesi asked, his brow furrowing. "Remember what?"

"Luke could make some of us see things that weren't there. And make us think or forget things if we weren't focused enough." Tycho explained quickly. "You think this... creature is doing the same thing to us?"

"It makes as much sense as anything does, doesn't it?" Wedge asked, shrugging. "How else do we explain the fucking invisibility and the fact that it doesn't make any noise when it moves? That kind of thing just doesn't make any sense."

"...the voices too." Zach coughed weakly, gesturing weakly with one hand. "Jedi could... communicate through the Force. What... what if it does the same thing?" 

Wedge supposed that it was as good of a theory as any. But in the end, they had no way to test it and it was just that - a theory. It didn't explain why Luke couldn't feel the Force or however the hell that worked. And if Luke really was the answer, then none of their speculations helped them without him actually being here and Wedge had no issue in saying so.

He didn’t know how to interpret the resulting silence. They had staunchly avoided talking about Luke at all up until this point and Wedge couldn’t tell whether or not the others were all just too tired to feel the same amount of anger they’d felt during the initial revelation of his parentage… or if they were still angry but were simply regretting that they had been so hasty is sending Luke away when his presence may have been what had kept them alive.

Sitting here thinking of what if’s would accomplish nothing for any of them though.

"Stay here and keep Zach company," Wedge said to Cesi, before hauling himself back up to his feet and tapping Tycho on the shoulder as he did so. His body felt slow and heavy from exhaustion, and he spared a second to briefly and desperately wish for a shower. "You, come with me. We'll do a quick scout and see if we can find some way out of here."

Ty blinked up at him and then nodded. With a heavy sigh, he grabbed his flashlight and rocked back on his butt a little, using the forward momentum to get himself to his feet. He looked as weary and exhausted as Wedge felt. 

“If you hear anything… holler, okay?”

Cesi gave him a thumbs up, already angling his body towards the entryway again, his blaster held tightly in hand.

Wedge nodded and then with some trepidation, he and Tycho began walking towards the far back wall. From there, they could walk along the border and find out how big the space they were in was and find out whether or not a lift or a skip of some sort had been built into the wall that could get them out of here.

The silence between them was loud and felt strained. Wedge wasn’t sure what to say to break it and for the first time in his friendship with Tycho, was afraid that he’d end up saying the wrong thing. If he was being honest with himself, he was also scared that his decision to abandon Caleb to his fate had cost him their friendship entirely. It didn’t help that every little sound, from the skittering of kicked rocks to the occasional rustling of their clothes was sending spikes of adrenaline racing through his system.

It only took them a minute or so of walking into the darker parts of the cavern before they stumbled across the first corpse. Another dead slave, if the lack of clothing was anything to go by. The body, or what was left of it, was in the ending stages of advanced decay. The skeleton showed through the last remnants of rotting flesh and the floor was stained with the remains of liquid decay. Almost against his will, Wedge lifted his eyes to the skull - it was still somewhat dark in color, not yet entirely free of flesh. The jaw bone hung open in a disconcerting, lackadaisical way. The teeth looked worn and old and some of them were missing entirely. And the eyes - the empty eye sockets seemed to stare accusingly into his soul, as if they knew what he'd done and hated him for it. 

He could still hear Caleb screaming in his head.

He stared and stared, remembering that brief moment he and Caleb had locked eyes with each other and both of them had known he was going to die, until Tycho pressed a hand on his shoulder and silently urged him to move on. 

Leaving Caleb to his fate - to suffer the agony of being eaten alive - was the worst thing he'd ever done in his life. 

Without thinking, he lifted his hand and pressed it against his shoulder, rubbing away the disquieting memory of Caleb’s pain and agony.

It scared him, how real it had felt. He didn't know how it was possible but maybe it was some divine justice, that he should know what his friend had had to go through in his final moments.

“We really fucked up with Luke, didn’t we?”

Wedge jolted from his thoughts and quickly dropped his arm down to his side again before glancing sideways at his friend.

“What?”

“Luke.” Tycho said quietly. His eyes were determinedly facing forwards and they took a moment to duck underneath a massive pipe protruding out from the wall. “We fucked up.”

Wedge blinked and swallowed. “Yeah,” he agreed hoarsely. “Yeah, I think we did.”

“Even if he is Vader’s kid... he isn’t a bad person either, is he?” It was more of a statement than a question.

“No. He isn’t.” Wedge said softly. 

Tycho nodded and was quiet again. Wedge wasn't eager to encourage that line of conversation and they walked in silence for a few more minutes. Their surroundings were eerie – almost more so than the passageway had been. The passageway had been old and dark and empty but in the end, it was still just a long hallway. It had been bearable when everyone had been together and more so with the drive to find their way out.

This level though… it felt as if they were trespassing in a place that was suspended in time. It was – or had been – an obviously active work zone but everything had been left exactly where it had been abandoned however many weeks ago. He imagined that everything they came across could tell a story. They came across more and more dead, the bodies and tools abandoned where they had fallen, never to be moved again.

It was like walking in a tomb. 

Wedge looked down when the sound of their footsteps changed from the sound of displaced dirt and gravel and instead echoed, a muffled metallic sound that carried over their heads for a few seconds. Tycho's flashlight shifted downwards and they were met with the sight of a massive, dusty sheet of metal that, upon closer look, was maybe twelve feet long and wide, and maybe an inch or two thick.

Wait... no, not one piece. It was two pieces - there was a crack down the middle and hinges on both sides.

A door?

"What is this?" Tycho asked, dropping down into a squat. Wedge did the same, reaching a hand out and sticking a few fingers underneath the metal to test whether or not it was moveable. 

It was heavy but it was definitely liftable. 

"Help me lift this." 

Tycho set his flashlight aside and crossed to the other side where some mine tracks curved around and came to a stop near the edge of the thick metal sheet so that they were facing each other. Together, they lifted the first door and then the second, revealing a dark pit underneath. Wedge felt his brow furrow and he snagged the flashlight and shined it inside. 

It wasn't as bottomless as it looked, though it was certainly deep enough to cause serious injury if someone were to fall in. But the depth wasn't the interesting part - it was that it grew more narrow the further down it went and the fact that there was a large, rolling piece of machinery that sat at the bottom, covered in short, but sturdy looking spikes. Barely visible in their beam of gray light, Wedge could see that there was another, smaller space sitting just underneath the machine. 

"It's a crusher." Wedge said in a moment of realization.  

"A crusher?"

"Yeah, it... you know," Wedge gestured with his hand. "Crushes things. Rocks and metal and other kinds of shit. There's a few different models, but that thing down there is the rotor. When it's on, it spins and the spikes... and I'm guessing the drop down there both help to shatter the rocks into smaller pieces."

Tycho hummed, making a face for a moment. "Well. It's not what we're looking for." he sighed.

“No, it isn't. Zach said that there would be emergency exits on this level.” Wedge said, slowly standing up straight again. “What would that even look like?

They were too far below the surface for them to have many options. So, what? Another tunnel? An elevator? Force, he hoped it was an elevator of some sort. There was no way that they would make it out here alive if they were forced to climb out on their own.

"There's the staircase. Over there, in the corner." Tycho said after looking around, pointing.

Ty was right. There was a staircase - an old spiral metal one with railings and obnoxiously steep steps, leading up to the walkway which had been bolted into the walls. 

He carefully side stepped around the crusher and approached the stairs, tilting his head back to try and see what might be up beyond the walkway. The railings were dusty and the bottom step creaked when Wedge carefully put his weight on it. But the metal didn’t bend or shift under his foot and the mines had been abandoned recently enough that he was confident it wouldn’t collapse underneath him. He was about to start to climb upwards and see if there was another workstation tucked away up there when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw it.

In the dark shadows of an almost hidden alcove in the wall, there was a massively tall cage-like structure.

Wedge slowly took his foot off the bottom step and shined his flashlight in its direction. There was a sign on a crude pillar sitting just to the left of the cage.

Emergency Exit

“Holy shit,” Wedge breathed, his heart pounding. “Tycho!” he said, taking off without waiting for a response. He slowed down just before he hit the cage, grabbing onto the bars with his fingers and staring through. 

The cage towered above him, almost a story high and in the very center of the cage was an elevator and a shaft that his flashlight just barely illuminated the edges of. The double doors of the elevator were closed and Wedge could see a number panel above them that indicated the skip was at Surface Level. 

He pulled on the cage, trying to open the gate that would let him and Tycho in but it held firm. 

"It's locked." Ty said quickly, pointing to a locking mechanism which kept the cage door bolted closed. Wedge stepped closer to it, tilting his head. 

It didn't look especially complicated - certainly not one of the military grade locks that he'd encountered in the past. He pulled out his blaster and, aiming carefully, fired two shots in succession at the bolt. The metal warped almost immediately under the intense heat. 

"Try it now," Wedge said, lowering his weapon. Tycho stepped forward and tried once again to slide it open and this time, it shifted a little on the frame.

"One more should do it."

Wedge nodded and made sure Tycho was out of the way before firing another shot. He holstered his weapon and together they got the cage door open and stepped inside. 

There were no buttons on the outside of the elevator to take them up or call the elevator down. Instead, there was a computer screen and a keyboard sitting off to the side. There was a spot for a keycard to be swiped but without one, it was entirely useless. He tapped the keyboard impatiently, trying to wake up the system. To his surprise, after a few seconds, the screen flickered to life and an Imperial logo appeared, followed by a box showing up on the screen reading

ACCESS CODE REQUESTED

There were four blank squares sitting underneath the message. 

Four numbers. 

That was all he needed to get them out of here and he didn't know the damn code. 

Biting his lip, he hesitantly typed in four random numbers and pressed the ENTER key.

ACCESS DENIED

Two attempts remaining.

"No," Wedge breathed, feeling his cautious hope plummet into nothing. "No, no no no."

That wasn't fair. 

That wasn't fucking fair. 

Fucking paranoid Force-damned Imperials. 

Of course their way out was password protected. 

Why the hell wouldn't it be? Their entire labor force in this hellhole consisted of slave labor. Everything would be locked down and secured. The owners of the mine would have taken precautions to keep their investments safely contained, even in the unlikely scenario that an uprising took place. 

Wedge stepped back, balling a hand into a fist and biting his knuckles for a few seconds. 

If Caleb, or even Luke was here, maybe one of them could have hacked into the computer and managed to bypass the code entirely but it certainly wasn’t his or Ty’s area of expertise. He had no idea how to even go about doing something like that.

“Can Cesi hack, do you know?” Tycho asked after a minute or two had gone by.

Wedge shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe. Zach usually isn’t half-bad but….”

“He’s not really in a position to be hacking into Imperial technology.” Tycho finished for him. “Maybe he can walk one of us through it?” he suggested hesitantly.

Wedge glanced at the computer screen again, staring at those three damning little words with a sinking feeling in his gut.

Two attempts remaining.

“Yeah, maybe.” He agreed quietly, wondering what would happen if and when their last two attempts would fail. With a sigh, Wedge ran a hand through his hair. It felt dirty and exhaustion weighed heavy on his mind. "Let's go back for the others and bring them back here. This is our exit. We'll just have to figure it out."

Deep in the dark, abandoned tunnels of the mine, a creature lifted its head from the dead remains of its last meal and turned around, facing the direction of those last remaining lights that flickered in the wide expanse of its awareness. A longing for blood and pain drove it silently forwards, as well as the need to satisfy its aching hunger. 

It picked one out from the others and tore its way inside its fragile little mind, searching for something in its memory that would lure it out on its own. 

"Cesi... where … are you – Cesi?”

Chapter Text

It wasn’t too long after Wedge and Tycho had left that Cesi pulled himself up to his feet again and stumbled back to the entrance of the cavern, spurred by his own paranoia and unease. He hesitated in the doorway before swallowing his nerves and cautiously poking his head out into the long dark passageway, looking up and down it for any sign or hint of movement.

The passageway looked clear. But it was dark – so very dark and shadowed and their eyes had played tricks on them throughout their time in this damn place. Seeing nothing didn’t mean that there was nothing. The dust and particles of dirt in the air reflected off the flashlight that he had left sitting next to Zach. It shined in his direction in an eerie, ghostly sort of way.

And it was quiet now.

Cesi didn’t know how he felt about the quiet anymore.

Caleb’s screams had echoed behind them as they ran for far too long. It had been a terrible, haunting, and gut-wrenching sound and if he lived for another hundred years, Cesi would never be able to forget it.

The silence should be better than that. Anything should be better than that. But dread and fear sat heavy in his gut and never in his life had the quiet seemed so sinister.

He scrubbed his face with his free hand, feeling two days’ worth of stubble prickle against the skin of his palm. He felt the tenderness in his jaw from where Skywalker had decked him one the day before and wondered briefly what the bruise looked like at this point.

The creature had moved so silently.

There had been no warning – no indication at all that that beast was just within feet of them until it had appeared out of thin air behind Caleb and grabbed him.

He shook his head, trying to chase the horrifying memory away before it could get the chance to take hold.

After a long moment, Cesi pulled back into the cavern and looked left and then right.

They needed something – anything at all that would just give them a chance to try and prepare….

Cesi blinked, spotting a long length of chain sitting curled up in a neat bundle alongside the wall. He glanced back out into the passageway one more time and then stepped to the side. Squatting down, he rested an elbow on his knee and picked up one end of the chain with his other hand. There was a big hook attached to it and it was heavy. The links in the chain were thick – obviously meant for some heavy-duty machinery or some other such strenuous, load-bearing work.

And there was a sturdy looking wall mount which had been fitted into the middle portion of the walls with heavy duty screws. Cesi chewed his lower lip for a moment. He wasn’t terribly keen on making a lot of noise that could give away their position… but at the same, Cesi wasn’t sure what difference it would make at this point either. The creature had the clear advantage over them.

Standing up to his full height, he made a quick decision, and attached the hook to the mount before grabbing as much of the chain length as he could and stretching it across the entryway. It was heavy enough that it dragged along the ground, and he hissed in pain, determinedly straightening his spine so as not to drop it entirely. The chain clinked and jingled, and it felt so terribly loud – so loud that Cesi imagined even people up on the surface could hear it.

As he suspected, there was another mount on the opposite side of the entryway and with some quick finagling, figured out a way to attach the rest of the chain to it so that it hung in the air, suspended directly across the entrance. The creature had looked tall but there was a good chance that it would have to rustle the chain when it came back this way and tried to get in.

Cesi stared at it, watching it sway for a long moment before it settled and ceased to move at all.

He felt empty inside. Empty and cold and numb down to his bones.

One stupid chain stretched across the doorway wasn’t much.

In terms of security and protection, it was honestly pretty pathetic. But… at least it was something. If the creature moved silently, if it really could manipulate their perceptions, the way the others had suggested, then setting up obstacles that could force it to make noise seemed logical. Maybe it would even help them – give them a chance to try and prepare the next time it came around.

He thought of Caleb screaming in agony as his arm was torn out of his socket and the dark colored blood that had so quickly splattered across the floor and walls as he’d been shaken and crunched and broken –

They’d left him. They’d listened to him dying while they ran for their lives and dear Force, why hadn’t he just taken the shot? He could have – Cesi had always been a good shot and there had been enough time. He could have ended it for Caleb, could have shot him between the eyes and put him out of his misery before sprinting after the others and leaving him there.

It haunted him to think that he should have.

But he’d never killed a friend before.

Cesi choked on a sob.

Damn him, he shouldn’t have let Caleb suffer like that – he should have… he should have done something more….

Not now. Not here.

He swallowed, trying to think of anything else and took twenty seconds to breathe his way through the intense emotion that flooded his mind and made his chest feel tight. Tears pooled up in his eyes and Cesi squeezed them shut, refusing to let them fall.

Crying wouldn’t do anything for anyone and Wedge had been right – as hard as it was, now wasn’t the time for them to mourn. They could do that later if… when – Cesi breathed in quickly through his nose and out through his mouth.

When they got out.

They needed to get out of here – that was what was important right now. Caleb was dead and there was nothing that they or anyone else could do about it.

There was nothing else that he could do except wait for the others to come back.

He turned away from the entrance and made his way back to Zach, sitting down gingerly on the floor. Cesi breathed shallowly at the hot flare of pain the simple action caused him. A radiating ache stretched down his left leg, though he couldn’t remember an instance where it had been injured; but more than his leg was his back. Force, it hurt. It was tight and rigid and it felt as if it was spasming whenever he sucked in air. Cesi slowly tried to make himself more comfortable and experience alone kept him from sobbing aloud.

Once he was as comfortable as was possible, he pulled his weapon out of its holster again and kept his dominant hand resting carefully on his knee, the weapon trained steadily on the entryway at low ready. No amount of pain was going to distract him from keeping himself and the others as secure as possible.

Even so, Cesi found himself glancing down at his weapon every so often and wondering what the point of his efforts even were.

I have everything I need to survive with a blaster in my hand and a good head on my shoulders.

Cesi huffed, shaking his head slightly. He ran his free hand through his dirty hair and tried not to think about Caleb’s screams of agony as he was eaten alive. What he had said had always been the truth before – a blaster had always been enough. But he remembered his tense conversation with Skywalker and in light of all that had happened, couldn’t help but feel that his words were hollow and arrogant.

His blaster hadn’t done them any good today.

It couldn’t hurt the creature and it hadn’t saved Caleb and it wouldn’t save the rest of them either.

…could Skywalker have really made that much of a difference? The others’ theory about the Force and the creature feeling threatened by Skywalker’s presence really didn’t make much sense to him. Cesi hadn’t grown up in a household that cared much about the fall of the Republic, let alone a household that talked about the mysterious Jedi.

Outside of hearing the Imperial mandates for the arrest of any survivors of the Jedi Order or those suspected Force sensitives, he hadn’t had any exposure to the notion of Jedi until joining the Rebellion and they only had one.

And… Luke Skywalker seemed like nothing but a famous name backed by a few famous exploits of his own. Granted, the destruction of the Death Star was damn impressive, but Skywalker hadn’t been the only one to fly in the trenches that day. He was just one of only two people that hadn’t died in the effort.

The Rebellion was banking so much of their success on one person whose abilities couldn’t be replicated by anyone else – a person who regularly disappeared without word for long periods of time, who survived multiple encounters with Darth Vader and could only call it luck or the Force and who could keep secrets without being held accountable to anyone else for them.

It had been his job to pay attention to and look for threats within the Rebellion. Skywalker came back from Bespin a different person. He came back and was shifty and secretive and there had been a few times where even High Command had whispered about him in hushed tones and seemed wary about him where they hadn’t been before.

It had raised the alarm bells in his head and Cesi had watched him closely ever since.

It seemed that he hadn’t been wrong to be suspicious either.

Luke Skywalker was the Force-damned son of Darth Vader himself.

An unreported son of the second most high-ranking Imperial in the entire fucking Empire. The unreported, unknown child of the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy, the son of the man who was ruthlessly hunting down and trying to obliterate the entire Rebellion.

Luke Skywalker – the Hero of the Rebellion, who was, until recently, trusted almost implicitly by everyone who knew him, who was invited into top secret meetings, with access to top secret information, who was present at almost every recent location and battle that took place between the Rebellion and the Empire and who always managed to survive the most impossible odds.

That just couldn’t be a coincidence.

How could he be anything but a spy?

How could it have been anything except the right decision to send Skywalker away?

It had seemed so straight-forward. The problem, the threat had been revealed and Cesi hadn’t been stupid enough to think he could kill Luke Skywalker, but he could help get rid of him and expose him to the Rebellion. The Empire wouldn’t have what had to be their best damn spy and the Rebellion would be that much safer and secure.

Without Skywalker feeding the Empire their secrets, the Rebellion could survive.

But if that was true – if all of that was the truth… why was he second-guessing himself now?

Why was he going over that terrible, half-baked story in his head about Skywalker not having known the truth and being loyal and wondering if he’d somehow gotten it all wrong after all?

Why was he wondering if everything that had happened since they’d left Skywalker behind was his fault?

“…y-you okay, man?”

Cesi blinked, jolting out of his thoughts and coming back to himself. He quickly glanced over at Zach and felt his stomach twist with renewed fear and concern.

Zach looked awful.

A stiff breeze could knock him over at this point and Cesi thought that he had personally seen corpses in this Force damned place with better color than Zach currently had.

He couldn’t lose Zach.

Not here.

Not like this.

Zach was the closest thing that he’d ever had to a brother. They had only been friends for a few years now, but it felt more like a lifetime than anything else. Zach was younger than he was by only a year or two and for some reason, had been annoyingly persistent in attempting to become his friend when Cesi had first joined the Rebellion, despite his repeated attempts to persuade him otherwise.

He’d caved once – just one time, after rejecting too many invitations for socializing or karaoke or other such shit – and gone with Zach to have a few drinks at a local bar and that had been it. They’d been friends ever since.

There wasn’t anything that Cesi wouldn’t do for him.

And now Zach was dying and there was nothing he could do to help him or even ease his pain.

The thought made his stomach twist with shame.

“I’m fine,” Cesi said shortly, resisting the urge to bury his face in his hands. He’d always hated having concern being directed his way and he hated it even more so now when he definitely didn’t deserve it. “Shut up and save your energy. Worry about yourself for once.”

“You – you hit… the wall.” Zach puffed out, ignoring him. His friend swallowed thickly and then lifted one hand to point vaguely in his direction. “Let me check… and see?”

Cesi gave Zach an incredulous look. “Did you not hear me tell you to 'rest'?” he demanded.

“No.”

“Force, you’re such a stubborn bastard.” Cesi complained, glancing back at the entryway once more before heaving a sigh and scooting over to sit a little closer to Zach.

“Dickhead.”

“Asshat.”

“Massive… jerk.”

Cesi cracked a smile at that last one despite himself, shaking his head fondly. He set his blaster to the side and carefully shrugged out of his leather jacket. He placed it in his lap before grabbing his weapon again. There was no way in hell he would lower his guard down here again, even if just for a few minutes.

Beside him, Zach moved slowly in order to try and sit up a little straighter. Cesi felt as the back of his shirt was pushed up to the middle of his back and then Zach was pressing a disturbingly cold hand against his bare skin. Cesi winced at the pain and tenderness he felt and tried to concentrate on not breathing in too deeply.

“Son of a… bitch.”

“Bad?”

“Yeah. Not… broken. Don’t think.” Zach coughed quietly, poking around a little more. “Just… bruised to h-hell.”

“Thought it felt familiar.” Cesi muttered, shrugging his shoulders to get Zach’s fingers off of him. If nothing was broken, that was good enough for him right now. He tugged his shirt back into place, skin prickling at the thought of being so exposed. It was nothing that Zach hadn’t seen before but the fact that he already knew never made it any easier. He never wanted anyone to see.

“Want a… stim?”

Cesi shook his head. “Keep it for yourself.”

He felt more than saw Zach slump back against the mine cart. “I’ve had… too many – already.” he forced out, teeth chattering again. Cesi turned to face him better, plucked his leather jacket out of his lap and positioned it so that it sat on top of Zach’s chest and arms.

“And a shit load of good they’ve done you,” Cesi snarked half-heartedly, trying to pretend that he hadn’t seen the mottled skin peeking out from the cuffs of Zach’s shirtsleeves. His heart hurt like someone had stabbed a knife through his chest and twisted it. “I’ll take my chances and forgo the expired meds.”

“Generous of you.”

Cesi hummed in agreement, feeling tears prick at his eyes anew. He scrubbed harshly at his face to get rid of them before scooting backwards in order to lean against the mine cart beside Zach, their shoulders just barely touching.

Force, there were so many things he should say.

But… even the thought of speaking them out loud threatened to undo him entirely. It felt too much like acknowledging defeat.

And he wasn’t ready to do that.

Nevertheless, the silence between them felt strained and it wasn’t long before he broke.

“Do you think… that I did this to us?” Cesi finally asked quietly, his voice wavering. He was sick with dread at what the answer might be. “Did I get Caleb killed by suggesting we make Skywalker leave?”

There was a long moment of silence.

“I don’t know,” Zach said honestly. “But I know that if… if he was the deterrent… then the blame falls on everyone. Not just you. We all… all – left him behind.”

“He’s the son of Vader.”

“I know.”

“I just wanted to do what was best for everyone.” Cesi admitted desperately. “I knew there was something. I knew and… and my job is supposed to be to protect the Rebellion. I know I’m a dick sometimes but… I thought it was the right thing. And now,” he shuddered, running a hand through his hair in agitation. “Now we’re stuck in this shit fest and Caleb is dead and you – and you,” Cesi couldn’t bring himself to finish the thought, the words dying in his throat.

Saying them out loud would just make it true.

It hurt when Zach didn’t even try to convince him otherwise.

“I’d do anything for you, you know that, right?” Cesi whispered.

“I know,” Zach said, leaning a little more into him. “Stop tormenting… yourself. Just – help everyone get out.”

Two blaster shots sounded through the cavern and Cesi immediately stiffened, feeling adrenaline instantly coursing through his system. He sat up straight, bumping Zach, and twisted to look over his shoulder in the direction that Wedge and Tycho had disappeared.

About thirty or forty seconds later, a third shot went off.

“Fuck.” Cesi whispered under his breath, scrambling to his feet. He glanced at the doorway and the unmoving chain that he’d strung across the entrance. Was there more than one way into this room? It seemed to be huge, so it made sense that there would be. What if that damn monster had another way in?

What if it was already inside, just waiting at its leisure and watching them scramble about like rats?

The tiny hairs on the back of his neck stood up at the very thought and his stomach twisted uneasily.

He stood protectively in front of Zach and listened intently, trying hard not to breathe too loudly.

After a few seconds, there was a faint sound of something a good distance off but it lasted only a brief moment and then it became quiet once again.

No shouting.

No shots fired.

No Force-damned voice of a loved one haunting them from somewhere in the shadows.

Cesi didn’t move an inch, holding his ground and keeping his blaster trained steadily out in front of him. Maybe he couldn’t kill the monster with a blaster in his hand, but he would be damned if he let it get to Zach before him.

It was maybe fifteen minutes later when something finally changed.

Footsteps broke the silence and a few seconds later, Cesi was relieved to see the familiar glow of a flashlight shining in their direction. 

Wedge and Tycho were back.

As they drew close enough, Cesi could see that Tycho had, from the look of it, a DLT-19 heavy duty blaster rifle slung over his shoulder and Wedge seemed to have found an electrostaff. Both of them were good weapons but the rifle – shit, that was a good find. It had a high rate of fire and could deal out heavy damage from long distances. Both the Empire and the Rebellion used them to eliminate exceptionally large groups of enemies. If they were lucky, it might even have a better effect on the damn monster then their standard blasters did the next time it came snooping around.

“You guys okay?” he asked, keeping his voice low as they approached. “We heard shots being fired.”

Wedge waved a hand. “Sorry. We had to open up a gate and it had a padlock on it.”

“Was it for the weapons?”

Tycho shook his head. “No, we found those on our way back.”

Wedge nodded, hefting the electrostaff up. “This still has a decent charge and the blaster rifle has a fresh cartridge in it,” he said, gesturing to their new weapons. “And… and we found an emergency exit. It was behind the gate that we shot at. It’s an elevator.”

Cesi started, feeling his heartbeat a little faster. Why the hell hadn’t they led with that? Why were they just standing around when there might still be time –  “What are we doing then? Let’s get the fuck out of here – "

“It’s password protected.”

Cesi blinked.

“…what?”

“The exit,” Tycho said quietly, watching as Wedge sighed into his hands. “It’s password protected.”

That was… that – Cesi glanced at Zach, feeling sick to his stomach. His head was lulling on his shoulder again and Cesi could only hope that he had fallen asleep and not passed out or… or….

“Who the fuck password protects a Force-damned emergency exit?” Cesi demanded instead.

“The Empire does, okay?” Wedge snapped, throwing his hands up in obvious frustration. “The Empire. It’s reason number nine-hundred and twenty-seven for why it should all just fall and burn. They password protect their Force-damned emergency exits.”

It wasn’t fair. 

It wasn’t fair. First they’d gone too far and now the way out was blocked because the Empire believed in the institution of slavery. 

What else could possibly go wrong? 

After a long moment, Wedge released a heavy sigh and then glanced at him tiredly. “You any good at hacking into Imperial technology?”

Cesi frowned. “…I don’t know.” he admitted quietly. “I’ll try. I might be able to but… it’s not really my thing.”

Wedge nodded once, almost as if he had expected the answer.

“How’s Zach doing?” Tycho asked instead.

Cesi just shook his head.

As one, they turned to look at Zach, who was pale and obviously fading.

“Did you only find the one elevator? No other… I don’t know, no other way out?” he asked desperately.

“We saw some other tunnels, yeah. But nothing that will get us out of here quick,” Wedge admitted quietly. “And I don’t… I don’t think we should risk it. Zach can’t walk and it takes two of us to help carry him now. If we can’t figure out how to get the skip working then we don’t have a fast way to the surface. That leaves one person to lead the way out and deal with that monster when it comes back around. It took us over a day just to get down here and it’ll take us a lot longer to get out with us in the shape that we’re in now.”

There was nothing Cesi could say against the logic of that but it sucked all the same. It meant that they were stuck with the damn elevator and his own sub-par hacking skills.

“What if we went back and found Luke?” Tycho asked after a moment. “If this thing doesn’t like him… wouldn’t we be safer with him?”

Cesi blinked, casting a side-eye at Tycho, feeling surprised by his change in attitude. Clearly he wasn’t the only one experiencing some second thoughts. Tycho had been just as pissed as he’d been to learn the truth and been more than eager to get away from Skywalker earlier.

“No,” Wedge said after a few seconds, shaking his head slightly. “It’s… the same thing as the other tunnel. Even for Luke, it’s too dangerous to go backwards now.”

And it would be stupid to bank on the idea that Luke would appear on his own. 

They had all done their part in making sure that that wouldn’t happen. Cesi, especially. 

“Well, we aren’t going to make any progress just standing around,” Cesi blew out. “Come on. Show me the elevator and I’ll see what I can do.” 

A silence had fallen between them, both Luke and Vader lost deep in their own musings as they navigated their way through the tunnel.

After the first few minutes, Luke had finally switched off his lightsaber and clipped it back on his belt. He didn’t need it and his flashlight was more than enough to light the way for them.

He spent a little bit of time cautiously probing along the thread of light which represented their bond in the Force. Beyond occasionally monitoring it, Luke had never looked at it too closely before now. He hadn’t known what would happen if he did and he’d feared that opening it up might allow his father to know where he was and put everyone in the Rebellion in danger.

Luke would never have forgiven himself if something like that had happened. But here… well, they were already in each other’s company, so keeping his distance seemed rather moot.

It was fascinating to look at and it was far more than just some impersonal or random connection – it was both of them. A strand of each of their Force essence, their individual selves wrapped around each other like two strings intertwined to make one whole. It was everything that made them who they were. Thoughts, feelings, memories, life experiences – anything and everything at all that could possibly be shared. It was almost comparable to a hard drive on a computer.

Vader didn’t seem to mind as Luke poked curiously at their bond, watching it thrum between them in his mind’s eye as though it were the string of an instrument. If anything, he deliberately relaxed himself in what seemed like a silent invitation to continue and there was even a faint sense of amusement, as if he was enjoying watching Luke learn. It made him feel a little self-conscious and more like a child than he’d felt in years but Luke continued experimenting with it anyways, wanting to understand how it worked. It seemed that he couldn’t access anything personal that didn’t 'belong' to him. He could touch and feel and prod at Vader’s side of things but beyond faint emotions, everything would remain private unless deliberately shared.

Distance didn’t seem to matter either – the thread remained the same, no matter how far apart they were. It didn’t stretch or become thinner or weaker. But it would change, Luke realized, experimenting by slowly closing himself off from the bond by degrees. His strand would dim when he backed off and grow brighter still the more open he chose to be.  

And… there didn’t seem to be any way to break it. Not that he really wanted to – the thought alone made him weirdly sick to his stomach. It just seemed… effortless. Natural. There were no links or connections or an ending or beginning to it. The Force bond just… was.

Huh.

Satisfied for now, Luke drew back a little and instinctively tried to reach out for the wider galaxy before abruptly remembering that it wasn’t there for him to feel. He got only a few feet out from his person before bumping into the void that he now knew represented the monster inhabiting the mines.

If no access to the Force at all had been what he imagined being dead felt like, then being trapped in this small cage was like being buried alive in a coffin with a limited air supply.

He wanted to feel again – to connect with the Force that had always surrounded him, even when he’d been too blind to understand what it was. He didn’t understand what this thing was or how it was possible for it to do something like this.

“So,” Luke began hesitantly, glancing up at his father. “You said earlier that you would explain whatever the hell this block in the Force is?”

He really hoped his father was actually willing to explain it. The suffocating pressure of it was gone for now, but only because Vader was holding it back somehow. But the knowledge that the void was still there, that Luke could potentially be trapped in nothingness all over again, was grating on his nerves like nails scraping down along a chalkboard.

“I did say that.”

“Alright, so what is it?” Luke insisted. “You said the Force isn’t actually gone but until you got here, I couldn’t feel anything. If the mimic is Force sensitive, then I don’t understand how it can feel like nothing.”

“It feels like nothing, as you say, because the creature in the mines is manipulating you.” Vader said simply.

Luke blinked. “Pardon?”

“The Force exists in everything. It cannot be gone and as you undoubtedly know already, it does not feel like nothing. What we are experiencing now is a type of Force block.”

“But you said it wasn’t like the lizard.”

“It is not. The Ysalamiri create a dead zone in the Force, neutralizing… or perhaps paralyzing midichlorians, and rendering them inaccessible for as long as one is within range of its influence.”

Luke had no idea what the hell a midichlorian was supposed to be or how it was connected to the Force, but he nodded anyways, thinking that there was a good chance that he might at least get the basic gist of what his father was trying to explain.

“There are a number of ways to truly block one’s access to the Force, however,” Vader continued slowly. “Suppression drugs and certain metals that had been worked into a cuff or collar of some sort were perhaps the most common. But those were only outside agents employed by others. On their own, a powerful Force user can temporarily block another’s Force abilities by locking them inside their own mind, creating a sort of mental cage. It is difficult to do, but the technique can be disrupted with a break in the attacker’s concentration.”

"And that's what the mimic is doing?"

"I believe so."

Luke was quiet for a few minutes, absorbing the information. He didn’t like the sound or idea of Force suppression being possible. If the experience was anything like what he’d felt in the mines, then it was an experience he would happily pass up on. But… he pressed against the void again, and decided that the description of a mental cage seemed fitting.

“I guess that makes sense,” Luke finally agreed. “But… why is it so strong? If it’s just an animal – ?”

“What this creature appears to be doing is not overly complicated. I would hedge to guess that based on what you have told me, its use of the Force is, in fact, minimal, and that it has adapted its abilities for hunting purposes.” Vader said, sounding thoughtful now. “If you only practice one or two skills over a lifetime, you will inevitably become quite proficient in them.” 

And that… also made sense.

“Has anyone ever used the mental cage thing on you before?” he asked quickly. “Is that why you know what this is?”

“Yes. Sidious has done it on occasion.”

Luke blinked. “Sidious?”

Vader paused and glanced at him, surprise fluttering along their bond. “The Emperor. Palpatine.” he elaborated slowly.

"He’s a Force user?”

“Yes.”

Luke gaped slightly, trying to understand that knowledge bombshell.

Where in the absolute hell had that come from?

He thought back to everything he’d ever heard or read about Palpatine both inside and outside of the Rebellion. 

Did anyone know about that? Luke was confident that he’d never heard or even guessed that the dictator on the Coruscant throne was anything except a regular, non-Force sensitive person. Ben hadn't mentioned it and Yoda certainly hadn't either. Wouldn't they have known? On the edge of his thoughts, he could feel Vader stewing over something as well, but Luke was too distracted by his own thoughts to try and figure out what his father was upset by this time.

“How did you not know that the Emperor is a Force user?” Vader finally demanded, stopping to look at him incredulously.

“Why would I?” Luke shot back at him. “No one told me.”

“Who is your current Jedi Master?”

“What?”

“Your Jedi Master. I know you have a new one. Who is it?”

Luke frowned, feeling wary now. “Why is that important?”

“Because I want to know which stupid fool is sending my son out into the galaxy with nothing but half-truths and sub-par training.” his father said darkly, his growing ire evident in the Force. 

Luke was careful to keep his thoughts close and thought briefly of Yoda. He was… or had been… a great Jedi Master and if Ben was to be believed, was a powerful and formidable opponent in battle. But he was… old. And perhaps a little addled in the head. Luke honestly wasn’t certain that he could win in a fight against Vader anymore.

That was what Luke was for, after all. To be the weapon of the Jedi.

In any regards, he wasn’t going to give either of them the chance to go up against each other. Not willingly, at least.

“I’m not going to tell you who took over my training,” Luke said, shrugging his shoulders. “I guess you could pull the information out of my head if you want to but that would go a long way to ruining the rapport we have going on.”

And… while it had only been a few hours, Luke was willing to bet that Vader wasn’t actually willing to do that. He’d been cautious in all of his words and actions so far, as if he were being exceptionally mindful to keep the peace between them. 

Luke felt Vader scowl at him for a long moment.

“What did Obi-Wan and the other moron tell you about the Emperor?” Vader demanded instead and Luke had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling smugly.

He coughed and drew himself up a little before taking a moment to think. 

“Nothing. They… they wanted me to kill you.” Luke admitted slowly, his mind racing as he tried to remember everything and anything that Ben and Yoda had ever told him. “But they never… they never really mentioned the Emperor. Neither Ben or, or… well, neither of them told me he could use the Force. I would have remembered that.”

Vader swore loudly, uttering some of the foulest Huttese that Luke had ever heard. He was no stranger to cursing and proudly believed that he was more than capable of holding his own in a swearing match against even the roughest outer-rim pirate trash that decided to cross his path. But even coming from perhaps one of the roughest planets in the galaxy, Luke felt his eyes grow wide and his face redden in sheer mortification.

His father twisted and turned, stalking down the tunnel again and thinking dark thoughts. 

It was probably a good thing Ben was already dead, Luke decided, following a few paces behind and pulling his thoughts close. If Vader had the opportunity to kill him now, Luke suspected that his death would not be nearly as quick or merciful as it had been.

“Is that why you wanted my help? Why you said that you thought I could kill him?” Luke asked, hoping to pull his father out of his dark ruminations.

It seemed to work. The dark cloud of anger dispersed a little and Vader briefly paused to give him a considering look. Luke caught up in a few steps and they began walking together again.

“Yes.” Vader admitted after a moment, his thoughts still a little dark. “Sidious rightly believes that you are a threat to him. He foresaw it. Your strength and potential in the Force far surpasses his own.”

“Does that mean that he’s stronger than you?”

Luke couldn’t imagine anyone being more powerful than his father. What would that even look like? Or feel like in the Force? What kind of monster was Palpatine if Darth Vader needed help to kill him?

“Not… in the way you are thinking.” Vader said slowly. “My potential has always been greater than his. However… the injuries which put me in this suit have limited me and have given Sidious an advantage which I cannot overcome on my own. Otherwise, I might have killed him a long time ago.”

“But why would he want me to turn then? If I were fully trained - if, hypothetically, I was trained in the dark side… wouldn’t that just make me even more of a threat to him?” Luke asked, confused. If Luke was such a threat to him, why would the Emperor want him to have more power? Why take the risk?

“He is a Sith Lord.” Vader said, sounding as if the answer should be perfectly obvious.

It wasn’t.

“I… okay, I’m sorry but I have no idea what that means.”

A garbled, staticky sound escaped Vader’s vocoder and he paused in his steps again for a moment to drop his head back, staring up at the ceiling for a long moment as if praying to some deity for patience.

“Sorry!” Luke repeated, internally winching. Force, he hadn’t gone into this conversation with the intention of impressing his father by any means… but it was really throwing into perspective how much he did not know. 

Midichlorians, Sith Lords, Palpatine being a damn Force user - geez, he must look like an idiot.  

“It is not you that I am frustrated with.” Vader said shortly. “I just do not understand why you have not been taught these things already. I do not understand what Obi-Wan and your Jedi Master thought to accomplish by having you kill me and not him. Had you confronted Palpatine before now, they would have accomplished nothing except to have thrown you to the wolves.”

Luke pursed his lips. He didn’t know enough about what Ben and Yoda’s reasoning to be able to argue and it certainly seemed that aspects of his education were indeed woefully lacking. It was an uncomfortable realization, especially when he’d thought he had been well on his way to becoming a Jedi Knight. 

“So, what’s a Sith then?” Luke asked, just so he wouldn’t have to dwell on those upsetting thoughts for very long. He would, later, once he’d gotten out of this damn place and had more than an hour or two of sleep in his system. But not right now. “And how does that translate to Palpatine wanting me to be more powerful?”

Vader hesitated and gave him another long, considering look. 

“Sith and the tradition of the Sith have a long history,” Vader said carefully. “But… in short, they are dark side users and by nature, they crave power. Sidious is threatened by your power but he also wants it for himself. If you fall to the dark side and if he succeeds in making you his servant, then he will own your power, until such time you eventually turned on him.”

“So… you’re a Sith Lord.” Luke clarified cautiously. 

“Yes.”

“Okay… but,” he hesitated, trying to find the right words while making sense of what he’d been told. “If, again, hypothetically, I had wanted to learn the dark side - I could just find someone else to teach me. A different Master. I wouldn’t have to be his.”  

“You wrongly assume that you would be given a choice. The Rule of Two dictates that there will only ever be two Sith at a time – a Master and an Apprentice. The Master is the keeper of all Sith knowledge, partly to protect it and partly to control the Apprentice and keep them in line for as long as they can. If and when the Apprentice wishes to take on a student of their own, they must first kill the Master and replace him. There is no one else to learn from.” Vader said bluntly. 

Luke scrunched his face, bewildered and a little unnerved by the brutal philosophy. It seemed like an exceptionally cruel and unforgiving cycle. 

After a moment, Vader spoke again and this time, his voice was a little more gentle. “We are all either pawns or kings, my son. Sidious considers everything and everyone in this galaxy to be his. In his mind, you already belong to him. Whether you will or won’t Fall is not a question he considers. He is simply biding his time.”

Luke swallowed thickly. “Why would Ben or… well, why would they not tell me about all of this? About him?”

“I do not know.” Vader said coldly, his Force presence darkening with anger once again. 

Luke thought briefly of his experience in the cave on Dagobah. To the test that he had failed and the image of his face inside of Vader’s mask. 

You already belong to him. Whether you will or won’t Fall is not a question he considers. 

Did… did they not tell him because they thought that he was destined to Fall, no matter what? He glanced up at his father and thought of all the stories he’d heard of Anakin and how loved he had been by the people of the Republic. 

A good man. 

But one who was ultimately enticed by the dark side. 

Did they think the son was destined to follow in the footsteps of the father?

Luke pursed his lips, feeling the now familiar sting of hurt prick at his heart once again. 

“Well. The only person I belong to is myself,” he muttered darkly. “And I have no intention of being a pawn. My destiny is my own. Palpatine can go to hell.”

A fierce surge of pride flashed between them at his words, the depth of Vader’s emotion momentarily catching Luke off guard.

He had always wanted to know what it would be like to have his father be proud of him. The circumstances now were different than he always imagined as a child... but his own warm rush of pleasure mixed with a little embarrassment was almost exactly what Luke had thought it would be. 

“Your anger would serve you well.” Vader said quietly, almost to himself. “You would be remarkable. No one would compare.”

Luke hummed noncommittally, refraining from rolling his eyes. It wasn’t about power for him but he also couldn’t help but privately wonder what it would take to actually kill Palpatine. His mission had always been about killing Vader and the Rebellion’s mission had always been about overthrowing the Empire.

Killing Palpatine had always been part of “the plan” - it went hand in hand with reclaiming the Republic, after all. But… it hadn’t been his personal life goal beyond helping ensure that what needed to happen, happened.

Now though… now Luke knew that Palpatine considered him property to be claimed.

A servant who did not yet know his place.

Now it was personal. If Luke would never know peace until the Emperor was dead, then it was kill or be killed.

The rules of the Desert were simple and finite that way.

He glanced at his father and tried to imagine the power it took to bring someone like him to heel. The suit could only be part of the problem. There had to be more to it – more reasons why his father, who, by his own admittance, was more powerful than the Emperor, hadn’t killed him by now.

A Master and an Apprentice, he thought quietly.

More like a Master and a Slave.

We are all either pawns or kings.

Luke imagined for a moment that his father was being weighed down by chains of a different sort then the ones the dead slaves in the cells had been. On Tatooine, the Masters used everything from starvation, beatings, transmitter chips, and threats against Free loved ones to keep their slaves in line. Luke couldn't imagine that slavery would be very different anywhere else in the galaxy.

What methods had been employed by the Master to ensure that the Apprentice, willing or not, had fallen into line? What did it take to keep him there?

What would it take to kill a Sith Master?

“I still think it’s stupid.” Luke said after a few minutes had gone by.

“What is?”

“The Sith. The Rule of Two. It’s bantha shit.” Luke repeated. “It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Vader twisted to look at him, scandalized. “What?”

“It’s bantha shit.” Luke repeated. “What about all the things the Sith Master would choose not to teach? What if something happened and both Sith died? There wouldn’t be any left and everything would be lost. Hell, what if the apprentice wanted to teach someone without committing murder first - or in my case, patricide?” 

Luke had no interest in Palpatine - or Sidious, or whatever the hell his name was, beyond killing him at this point. No matter what Vader said, Luke was confident that he couldn’t be turned by someone who had enslaved his father.

But Vader… there was a good chance his father could do it. Luke could sense it in the Force that if he were going to be susceptible to anyone, it would be him. He still didn’t know much about the ways of the Sith but given what he did know, it was still more than enough to convince him that it wasn’t a path for him to follow.

“That is the way of the Sith. Should you Fall to Sidious, he will ensure that you kill me, as your first act of loyalty to him - "

“I don’t care,” Luke interrupted stiffly. “If I won’t kill you for the Jedi, then I definitely won’t do it for Palpatine. Even if I agreed to be trained, by you, you can’t honestly say that you would want it to end with me killing you. Can you?”

There was a long pause and he felt his fathers thoughts blanch, almost as if he'd run straight into a wall that he hadn't seen and there was a strange flurry of complicated emotions racing between them that Luke couldn't even begin to know how to untangle.

“You are young. There is much you do not understand.” Vader finally said vaguely. It wasn't an answer and it pissed him off. 

“And I would say that you’re in a cult except that would imply there are at least three members.” Luke shot back, bristling. 

Vader’s mood darkened immediately at his flippancy and Luke realized a moment too late that he'd crossed a line. He would almost swear that the temperature itself dropped. When he shivered and saw his breath fog the air in front of him, Luke realized that it actually had.

His father glared at him angrily, and for the second time today, the Force slowly took on a dark, poisonous air. Luke tensed, heart pounding a little and wondered, privately and briefly, if his father could be provoked into hurting him a second time. He swallowed and after a few seconds of tension, Vader finally stepped in front of him and lengthened his stride.

Luke closed his eyes and exhaled a soft sigh of relief.

He bit the inside of his cheek and opened his eyes again, watching Vader put distance between them while he seethed in silent anger. He trailed behind him, slowing his own steps so as to offer his father more space and make himself less of a target in case his rage did get the better of him.

He hadn't really meant to upset his father and he definitely didn't mean to start a fight. But... the talk of slavery, of the dark side, and the Sith, and all the things his teachers had decided not to tell him had put him in a bad mood. The realization that his path with the Jedi and even with the Sith were both supposed to end with his father dying by his hand was just icing on the cake. 

A few minutes passed by in cold silence and Luke was quietly surprised to realize that it bothered him.

Even if the conversation had been irritating, he'd still been enjoying his fathers company. He still didn't think he was wrong... but Luke didn't want to be at odds with him either. Vader hadn't done anything yet to warrant an attitude from him.

With a little hesitation, Luke brushed up against his father’s Force presence, whispering a silent apology.

Vader stiffened slightly and remained cold and distant, just long enough that Luke felt a pang of unease start to settle in his heart before the iciness between them slowly began to thaw. His fathers steps slowed and he paused, waiting for Luke to join him again. They resumed walking side by side, the only sound between them was the respirator. 

"Can... can I ask one more question?" 

There was what felt like the mental equivalent of an eyebrow being raised at him. There was no hint of encouragement but neither was there any sign that he should definitely not speak right now.

“Why now?” Luke asked hesitantly. “I heard from some Rebellion members about the… inquisitors? I think that’s what they were called. Anyways, I heard that you trained those people. If you really wanted to kill Palpatine… you could have had help. So, why did you wait so long?”

His father was silent for a long moment, to the point where Luke thought that he might not get an answer.

“I had no reason to try and overthrow the Emperor until I learned of your existence.” Vader finally said. “I began making plans the moment I knew you were my son. I knew that once Sidious learned of you, it would become your fate to either become his next Apprentice or die at his hand. And I assure you, neither of those options will be quick or merciful.”

"...oh."

Luke wasn't certain what he'd expected to hear. But it hadn't been that. 

He let the silence fall between them again, uncertain what to think or feel about the fact that Vader had ultimately decided to overthrow Palpatine in order to keep Luke safe from his master. 

Considering everything that had happened between them and the truly short amount of time that they'd known each other, he couldn't understand why Vader would think him to be that important. Why would he risk so much for a child he didn't know and one who might not want to know him either?

He was just... Luke. He was no one important. He wasn't rich or exceptionally smart or talented and beyond being good with mechanics and having the Force, he wasn't anyone special either. Just some kid from the outer rim who'd escaped Tatooine and gotten in way over his head. 

If he was reading his emotions properly, then his father certainly hated the Emperor enough to want him dead a thousand times over… but he’d never taken the steps necessary to see the idea through.

Why was Luke the catalyst his father had needed in order to finally make a move against his master after over twenty years? 

He thought back to their earlier conversation and remembered the depth of feeling that had accompanied his fathers passionate claim and the ring of the truth that had followed it in the Force. 

You are my son. I have searched for you because you are important to me.

Luke had decided not to kill Vader after learning that they were family. Because, for some completely asinine reason that wouldn't make sense to anyone else, his father was important to him. His reasoning was as simple and as uncomplicated as that. Luke hadn't needed to know him personally when he'd made that decision. Maybe Vader felt the same way. Maybe just the fact that Luke was his family was all the motivation he had needed.

Maybe the answer to his question really was that simple.

"Thank you," Luke said quietly. "For answering."

Vader tilted his head down at him and after a moment, lifted a hand to gently squeeze his shoulder again. It didn't linger there for long but the silence that followed them after that was the easiest it had been yet.

Cesi and Tycho set Zach down carefully against the metal wall of the cage surrounding the elevator. Zach’s head lulled to his shoulder and Wedge felt his own chest tighten at how labored his breathing seemed now even in comparison to just a few minutes ago.

“Why does this thing have power and nothing else does?” Cesi asked quietly as he approached the computer. He tapped the keypad impatiently to wake it up again and after a few seconds, the same message from before appeared.

“Honestly,” Wedge said, glancing at Tycho. “We’re not sure. But this is the active mining level – maybe the power system down this way is just in better shape than the rest of the mine. Or,” he blinked, a thought occurring to him. “It is an emergency exit. Maybe it runs on a separate power source.”

That made as much sense as anything did and Wedge hoped that that was the kind of thing the Empire would do, with it being so all-knowing and concerned for the people of the galaxy and all.

He wouldn’t bank on it though. The chances of them getting lucky were a lot higher if he didn't.

“Alright,” Cesi breathed slowly, rolling his shoulders out. “Let’s see what we can do with this Imperial piece of shit.”

Wedge watched for a few minutes as he began to pull up different boxes and screens but quickly grew tired of it. He moved to lean against the cage wall instead and tried to chase his exhaustion away by digging the heels of his hands into his eyes. 

“Fucking hell.” Cesi swore after a few more minutes had gone by. Wedge looked up and saw the other man blinking rapidly and pinching at the spaces between his eyes.

“You okay?”

Cesi nodded, gesturing blindly to the computer. “Fine – I’m fine.” he said, breathing shallowly. “The light just – fuck.” His hands raised to press at his temples. He rubbed his fingers into them for a few seconds before shaking his head and determinedly returning his eyes to the screen.

The color had drained from his face.

“You sure you’re okay?” Wedge asked, feeling his stomach twist uneasily.

“Peachy.”

Liar.

Wedge watched as Cesi clicked rapidly through a few pages of Imperial code that he’d somehow managed to pull up on the computer screen. His expression was pinched in pain and Wedge hesitantly glanced over in the direction of the main part of the cavern.

Everything was quiet and still. There were no disembodied voices speaking out from the darkness.

That didn’t mean much down here but… but he desperately wanted to believe that, at least for a few minutes, they could be safe.

More than anything though, he wished that Luke would appear.

But Wedge had meant what he’d said when he’d told Cesi and Tycho both that it was too dangerous to backtrack, even to find Luke. They were finally where they needed to be and he wasn’t making anyone go back into that damn passageway for anything.

Wedge was far past the point of caring about his pride and if it came down to it, he’d swallow any he had left if it meant that he could get himself and the others out of this place alive – but even the thought of approaching Luke again after everything that had happened and been said earlier and begging for his help made his stomach twist with disgust and shame.

Wedge didn’t know how to do that.

And Luke certainly didn’t deserve to be used like that.

How was he supposed to look his friend in the eye, after they had all turned on him, accused him of being a traitor to the Rebellion and forced him out of it, threatened to reveal his secret to the galaxy, and then somehow ask him for help?

Oh, hey Luke – so, you know how we all turned on you and told you to find your own way out? Yeah, well, turns out we were wrong and really need your help, so how about we let bygones be bygones and just pretend that whole episode never even happened? 

Yeah, right.

Wedge knew Luke as a forgiving person but… he wasn’t sure if there was a way back from what had happened between them earlier.

“This is some advanced shit,” Cesi muttered quietly, pulling Wedge from his depressing thoughts. His eyes were dark and frustrated as he scanned through the coding, quickly reading through what looked like complete gibberish to Wedge. It honestly felt like hours but in reality it had been a few minutes before Cesi took a step back, running his hands through his hair. “I don’t know how to bypass the password – but it… it looks like the whole damn system is set to shut down for twelve hours if the wrong one is entered more than three times.”

Wedge felt like someone sucker-punched him in the gut.

Twelve hours.

Twelve hours – they wouldn’t last another twelve hours in this damn place.

There were so many reasons to hate the Empire but their password protecting an emergency exit felt like a crime so heinously disgusting that Wedge honestly felt that the only fair punishment for everyone involved with that ludicrous decision was a slow and painful death.

Maybe death by that desert monster Luke had mentioned once – the Sarlacc, he’d called it. He hadn’t gone into detail but he’d said that death by the Sarlacc was supposed to be the most horrific death anyone could ever experience and he’d said it was such convincing solemnity that Wedge had believed him and still did.

“Well we’re down to two attempts now. Doesn’t give you a lot of room to play.” Ty said with a sigh.

“No, it doesn’t.” Cesi agreed. “We need a key card, or better yet, an override code.”

“Is an override code different from the main password?” Wedge asked.

“Yeah. Think of it as a master key. It should be able to open any door or lock down here. Usually only someone at the top level of authority will have one.”

Where the hell were they supposed to find a key card?

No way was Wedge moving anyone out of this damn cavern and back into that passageway again. Not now, not when they were so damn close. They were exactly where they needed to be – but… what if they couldn’t get out without one… if they didn’t have a damn choice in the matter….  

After a few minutes of silence, Wedge looked up, his mind clearing as something that seemed so obvious now that he was thinking about it, finally occurred to him.

“Did… did either of you see if any of the dead had Imp uniforms on down here?”

Cesi and Tycho glanced at each other. “Maybe… maybe one or two of them.” Ty answered after a moment of thought. “I wasn’t really looking closely though.”

“You want us to check them for a card?” Cesi asked, his confusion giving way to sudden understanding.

Wedge nodded. “There’s got to be one down here somewhere. If we can’t hack the computer, then we need the alternative.”

“Shit – let’s go look.” Cesi breathed, already turning and reaching for the blaster rifle. “Do you remember where the Imps you saw were?” he asked, directing his question at Tycho.

Ty nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

“I can stay with Zach – " Wedge never got the chance to finish.

The distant but loud sound of a chain rattling to the ground as it was wrenched from mounts on the wall echoed through the cavern. Wedge felt his blood run cold and for the first time, muffled sounding footsteps thumped audibly in his ears.

“Oh shit,” he whispered.

Wedge looked at the others and saw the same fear that he felt reflecting back at him on their faces.

Shit shit shit.

They were out of time.

“Dowse the lights,” he hissed, spinning on his feet and looking around their sparse surroundings. In a moment of clarity, Wedge remembered the bent metal rails and the sound of massive objects being thrown around in the darkness early on during their journey and descent into the mines. The metal cage around the elevator was effective enough against people – but it would be like tearing flimsy to the beast following them.

“We need to hide. We can’t risk that thing destroying our way out.” Wedge whispered quietly, heart pounding wildly in his chest. “We need to move someplace else. Divert its attention.”

“Cesi… where are – you… Cesi?”

Cesi froze, his face whitening even further at the sound of a deep, foreboding voice sounding out from somewhere in the main cavern. It still sounded a little ways off. Swallowing thickly, he drew the bolt of the rifle back with a soft click and then pressed the palm of one hand hard against his temple.

“Hide where?” Tycho demanded frantically.

“There’s the second level – a set of stairs, maybe a hundred yards that way.” Wedge said quickly, pointing. “We could take the high ground. Maybe it’ll give us an advantage.”

“Be a – man.” The words were being pronounced like an angry, drunken slur. “You worthless – piece of… shit. Come… come get… yours, boy. Be a – man, Cesi. Come get – yours.”

“And then what?”

Cesi straightened his spine, his eyes cold and hard now. “We try and kill it,” he said quietly. “Grab whatever you need – I’ll watch the door.”

Wedge turned, reaching for the electrostaff before a thought abruptly occurred to him. 

Zach.

Wedge’s eyes flew to his friend.

There was no way that they could move him with them. It would take too long and he was in too much pain to help in a fight now. He lifted his head, searching around the small space, looking for an answer. His eyes fell on the elevator in the middle of the cage. 

It wasn't set into the wall. There was a space behind it. It would be tight, but - 

“Ty – help me move him.” Wedge whispered, bending down and hooking his arms under Zach’s armpits. Ty dropped his pack and jumped into action, grabbing his legs. They both ignored Zach’s choked groan of pain. There was no time to be gentle. They moved quickly, circling around to the back part of the elevator where there was a small, tight space between it and the wall.

Sometimes being shorter in stature had its perks and Wedge was just barely able to finagle himself into the space, pulling Zach in after him. There were wires and other such things that cluttered the small area and dust floated into the air as it was disturbed. But it would work. 

"Cesi - be... a man. Worthless... shit."

They tucked Zach into the space and Wedge was grateful that there was just enough room where they weren’t contorting his body in any significantly painful way.

“Stay here and don’t move,” Wedge whispered, stomach twisting as he grabbed the back of Zach’s neck for the briefest moment and gave it a gentle squeeze. He pulled back, pausing just long enough to press Zach’s blaster into his hand.

They met eyes for a brief moment and then he was scooting backwards out of the tight space and grabbing his backpack and the electrostaff once again.

It felt too much like leaving Zach behind and even as he flipped the electrostaff charge to LETHAL, Wedge felt the nauseating urge to throw up.

This wasn’t like how it was with Caleb.

Zach wasn’t Caleb. Wedge wouldn’t – he wouldn’t do that again. They were going to be smarter this time and even if it killed him, he would make sure none of them were in a position for that to happen again. This was just to keep Zach safe.

Heart pounding the same rapid beat, he quickly made sure that both Cesi and Tycho were ready and approached the gate again.

“We’re going up,” Cesi repeated quietly.

“Second level.” Wedge confirmed with a brief nod. “You two go first. I’ll shut the gate. It’s going to be loud.”

It was as good of a plan as any.

If they were higher up, if they could stay out of reach then maybe they could last long enough to find a weak spot or convince the damn thing that they weren’t worth the effort it took to catch. Anything at all – just to buy them some time.

All they needed was some time.

Time enough to get the hell out of here and back to the surface.

Closing his eyes, Wedge took a deep breath and then released it quickly, like blowing out the flame of a candle.

“Alright – go!” he ordered.

Wedge grabbed the edge of the sliding gate and pulled it shut as soon as Tycho and Cesi hit the stairs. It screeched loudly on the rails and hit the other side with a bang that rattled the metal cage and then he took off, sprinting after them.

He took the stairs two at a time, his heart pounding a wild beat in his chest. It felt like he was a kid again, when he was the last one up at night and it was his responsibility to turn out all the lights before going to bed. The second the lights went out, he would imagine something chasing him up the stairs and through the house until he was able to find safety and refuge under his bed covers.

The only difference now was that this time, the monster was real and hiding under his sheets wouldn’t save him or anyone else.

Cesi was waiting for him at the top of the stairs. The rifle he’d commandeered was raised and pressed firmly into his shoulder, ready to be fired. As soon as Wedge hit the second landing and side-stepped around Cesi, they both began to back away, before turning from the stairs and fleeing down the walkway.

Their footsteps echoed loud on the metal, pounding a beat that seemed to scream ‘here we are, this way!’ for anyone and everyone to hear.

The walkway followed along the entire length of the wall and, at least on this section, there didn't seem to be anything except the walkway. No step-offs, no alcoves, or workstations. Just a way to look down on people that the Empire considered less than them. 

“…Cesi.” The deep, foreboding voice of a drunk man echoed again from somewhere outside in the cavern. It was much closer now and Wedge thought he could even hear the sound of displaced rocks and gravel as it moved. “You worthless – piece of… shit. Where… where are you, Cesi? Come – come get… yours, boy. Be a – man. Come… get yours.”

In their haste to get to higher ground, one of the others had left a flashlight or lantern on the floor nearby. There was a little bit of gray light reflecting on the metal of the skip, granting him just enough to be able to see his most immediate surroundings.

Zach blinked slowly, trying in vain to clear some of the blurriness out of his vision. It was almost constant now and as much pain as he was in… he was also starting to feel numb. Like his body was becoming something separate from him entirely.

He was dying. He knew it with perfect… almost peaceful certainty.

The others had gone. He could still hear them and their echoing footsteps as they ran along the upper walkway, trying to deal with a monster that even now, was taunting from the depths of darkness.

A monster that they didn’t know how to kill.

“Cesi… where – are you… boy?”

It was going to kill them – all of them – if something didn’t change.

Swallowing and shivering against a chill that seeped deep into his bones, Zach slowly looked up the back of the elevator and saw the dark shaft that was their only way to freedom. He stared at it for a long moment and heard the sound of blaster fire and shouting out in the cavern. It felt distant and fuzzy to his ears.

Force, he was tired. Tired and ready to be done with it all.

Zach dropped his head forwards, coughing weakly… and then paused, his eyes widening a little in sudden realization.

After a few seconds, he felt his heart begin to pound in his chest.

This elevator was running on an emergency generator or powerline. It had to be. If Zach had to guess, the main one had been shut down or destroyed when the factory and mines were abandoned, and that was why nothing else worked but this thing had power.

And only a few paces in front of him, on the wall just opposite of him, was the damn power box.

If the Imperials had been smart… then they would have designed this place to have the resources necessary to deal with a power outage. There would be more than one way to turn things back on. They would have set up a failsafe.

“Come on… lazy bastard,” Zach groaned, using his hands and the wall behind him to push himself up onto his good knee. Pain spasmed through his stomach and his ruined leg ached with a pain unlike anything he had ever felt before. “Get off... your – damn ass.”

His leg wasn’t going to work. It was dead or near to it. With a choked cry of pain, he dropped forwards onto his arms and elbows and began to crawl forwards, dragging his bad leg behind him. Sweat dripped mercilessly down his face. It was only a few feet away but it felt more like miles before he finally maneuvered his way out from the back of the elevator and across the short stretch of cold floor.

Zach got his good leg underneath him and sat up as much as he could. His vision swam and for a moment, Zach thought he might fall over and that would be it for him. Slowly, he tapped into his training and began to practice tactical breathing. After a couple of reps, his vision cleared again. With shaky hands, he pried the panel open on the power box and exposed the inner wires.

He’d watched Caleb reconfigure Cimiento’s powerline just yesterday afternoon and it had taken him some time to figure it out but it hadn’t necessarily been hard. But whereas the outside source had been a part of the main system and was thus complicated… this one looked relatively simple.

And judging by the fading labels over each individual circuits and switches, it might just be enough to do what he wanted.

“Alright, Zach,” he whispered to himself, taking a moment to try and dry his sweaty hands on his shirt. “Just… stay alive – for another… fifteen minutes.”

Fifteen minutes.

This could be done in fifteen minutes.

He only hoped he would last that long.

They reached the end of the first stretch of the second level walkway and it ended in a sharp point before turning to the left and continuing along the upper wall. Wedge paused at the end before turning, looking left and then right, back the way that they had come from. 

It was as good of a spot as any. It left them with two directions to run and they could stay close but still spread out. He stared down into the dark cavern and the most that he could see were the faint outlines of the mining machinery and equipment. Otherwise, it was almost totally dark. 

“Cesi – where… are you – Cesi?”

The damn thing sounded much closer now and Wedge dared to think that he could even see a faint outline of something in the darkness below them.

"Spread out," Wedge whispered, steeling himself. "Ty, take left - twenty-five yards out. Cesi, you take right. Distract and flank. Wait for my signal." 

Both of them moved slower this time, their padding footsteps more muffled than when they were running. Wedge swallowed and carefully leaned the electrostaff against the railing in front of him and drew his blaster out, switching the safety feature to FIRE and holding it at high ready in his dominant hand before pulling his flashlight out with his support hand. He waited until he was certain both Tycho and Cesi had had enough time to get into position and flicked the flashlight on and shone in down before. 

He panned it slowly across the cavern, passing over machinery and corpses, half expected for that awful face to be leering out at him from somewhere below.

There was nothing. 

Except... gravel - and shifting rocks under a massive moving weight.

Why was it making so much noise this time? It had been so silent last time – there had been no indication that the creature had been there at all until it had been too late for them to do anything except run. Why alternate between total silence and making a noticeable amount of noise? Why would it abandon such an effective hunting technique?

Wedge panned back again, slower this time. 

Nothing. 

Except... were his eyes… blurry?

Wedge blinked rapidly a few times and scrubbed at his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket for good measure. It didn’t work.

His eyes were blurry.

But it wasn’t – it wasn’t everything he was looking at. The metal grates beneath his feet were clear and normal. The railings of the safety guard, the visible pieces of machinery, hell even the damn walls – all of it looked completely normal. Except for one, massive and slowly moving space of air.

It looked like refraction - waves of heat on the horizon of a scorching hot summer day. 

It was the creature. It had to be. He couldn't see it... but the area surrounding it was distorted and seemed to advance forwards in time with the crunching footsteps. 

That was new. It seemed that it wasn't hiding as effectively from them as it had been earlier.

But why?

What was wrong with it?

Wedge shook himself. It didn't matter either way. The refracted, shimmery air was moving in his direction. He flicked his flashlight left for a fraction of a second and then whistled sharply once. 

Red blaster fire lit up the cavern from Tycho's direction and hit the moving air square on. The bolt seemed to bounce like they all had previously but there was a flicker of something and then it was gone again just as quickly. A low, angry reptilian hiss sounded below them, and the front end of the refracted air seemed to twist slightly to the left. Wedge didn't hesitate to fire his own blaster and hit it twice in rapid succession, prompting another angry snarl. 

It flickered into view again, for a few seconds longer than before, and Wedge watched as it lunged forward in anger before it slipped out of sight once more. 

Wedge switched his flashlight off, drowning them in darkness again, and instantly Tycho’s flashlight was on and he was firing his weapon again. Red flashes of light illuminated the cavern in brief little spurts as he drew its attention back to him.

Wait.

Red. 

Color.  

Wedge blinked and then blinked again.

What the… hell?

“Cesi,” he whispered loudly. “Are you seeing color again?”

There was a short pause, and another shot rang out.

“Yeah. I can see it.” Cesi breathed quietly from off to the right. “Stay focused, Captain. I got your back.”

Wedge swallowed and nodded. Dear Force, he hoped the blaster rifle would have more of an effect. It was the best hope they had now.

He shot another round as Tycho’s light went dark again and carefully flicked his light on. A frustrated snarl sounded below and he watched the refracted air twist in a circle and reorient itself once again. It didn’t move slowly now as it came his way. Wedge shot it once more, carefully, in the space he thought was its head.

It flickered into view again but this time, it didn’t fade out like before and Wedge felt his heart pound as he finally got his first good look at the creature.

It was massive.

Between ten and twelve feet long and Force, it was tall. It would easily tower over any one of them and it stood on four… no, six legs, a back set and two front ones, with the second sitting directly behind the first. There was an impressive set of spikes that followed along the ridge of its back, and it seemed to be covered in an impressive array of mutilating scars. But more than the height were the teeth. There were far too many for him to be able to count and if Wedge looked closely enough, he could see shreds of flesh - of Caleb’s flesh - dangling in horrifying strips from the sides of its massive maw. 

It glared up at him with dark, soulless eyes and watched him with a fearsome sort of intensity. Its spiked tail swished back and forth a little, reminding Wedge of a loth-cat getting ready to pounce.

“Cesi – where are… you – Cesi?”

Out of the corner of its eye, Wedge saw Cesi step forward at last, aiming the blaster rifle over the ledge and firing.

An angry screech of pain echoed through the cavern and the creature twisted in a rage, ramming its shoulder against an abandoned dozer as the blast pushed it backwards, knocking it a few inches to the side. 

“Right here, bitch.” 

Its massive head spun and the creature hissed again as it locked eyes on Cesi. They almost seemed to narrow and if it hadn’t been angry before, it definitely was now. 

And it had picked its target.

“Open fire!” Wedge shouted, leaning further over the railing and firing. He focused mostly on the eyes, hoping one of his shots would blind it and give them that much more of an advantage. He barely registered Tycho’s own shots, feeling his heart pound as the creature advanced forwards, glaring up at where he knew Cesi was also firing.

The creature moved quickly, determinedly advancing forwards hissing and snarling in pain with every blast that jolted it backwards.

Red blood glistened along its hide in the poor lighting – it was bleeding, Wedge realized. It wasn’t slowing down but it was bleeding.

All too quickly, it pressed backwards onto its hindlegs, using its tail for better balancing and stood up to its full height.

“Son of a bitch – “

It grabbed at the walkway with its second pair of front legs and swiped at Cesi with the first, tearing the metal railings apart as if they were nothing and leaning further inwards – 

Wedge felt a shudder and cried out in alarm as the walkway suddenly shifted underneath him. The metal supports under the creature began to bend and break, tilting downwards towards the ground. Cesi stumbled forwards towards the railing with a cry of alarm.

The creature lunged again, snapping at him with massive teeth and missing him by only a hairsbreadth.

Wedge holstered his blaster and snatched the electrostaff and took off towards them, sprinting - he wasn't going to make it in time. The walkway shifted again and he stumbled sideways into the back of the railing, clutching it for balance even as Cesi was thrown forwards once more, tripping over his feet. He wasn’t going to be able to save himself from falling and the other man must have known that too because rather than falling, he lunged and, using the middle rung of the safety rail as a step, dived forwards and leapt over the monster's head and towards the ground below. He bent his legs and rolled with a grunt just as his feet made contact with the floor, the rifle clattering to the ground and disappearing into the dark.

The creature dropped back down and turned, lowering its head and hissing a low, reptilian hiss just as Cesi got back to his feet and began backing away, looking around desperately for his weapon – 

“Cesi – you worthless… little – shit.” 

Wedge pushed off from the railing and raced down along the walkway, heading for the stairs -

Tycho was firing a steady stream of rounds from his position on the walkway now - Wedge could hear them and see them flashing out of the corner of his eye even as he flew down the stairs, skipping the last two entirely. He barely recognized when his boots hit dirt, racing towards the creature.

He couldn’t lose anyone else – not again.

“CESI! MOVE!” Wedge roared, taking the creature's temporary distraction and planting himself firmly before jabbing the electrostaff into its back leg.

It crackled and sparked and the creature screamed as its leg gave way beneath it. Wedge danced out of the way as it turned, swiping at him with one of its front legs and snarl. He didn’t give it time to lunge at him before he jumped forward and jabbed it again. He held the electrostaff against it for as long as he could handle the charge of hot energy.

He heard screaming and blaster fire and the sound of the rifle going off again before he felt the creature twist away and something hit him square across the chest and send him flying –

Wedge hit the dirt hard and gasped breathlessly as the air was knocked out of his lungs. Panic filled him as he lost track of time and his surroundings, too stunned to think. His vision slowly began to darken and he struggled desperately to draw in air, willing his lungs to expand.

BAM!

BAM!

BAM!

The rifle was firing, steady and consistent now, and that damn monster was screeching like a demon from hell and dear Force, he couldn’t breathe –

“Wedge!”

Someone appeared in his line of sight and then was leaning over him and there were hands on his face and his chest.

Tycho.

“Wedge,” he said urgently, eyes wide with panic. “Breathe, Wedge! Come on, buddy! You’re okay, just breathe! Breathe!”

“Cesi – you… worthless shit.”

BAM!

Wedge flinched and sucked in air completely on accident. It burned and he felt several sharp, shooting pains in his chest that would have had him screaming in pain.

“There you go, come on Wedge.” Tycho was slapping his cheek and Wedge raised a hand to try and make him stop. He coughed weakly and felt the same awful pain that could only be broken ribs even as he began to suck in shallow gasps of air.

BAM!

“Cesi –" Wedge whispered, struggling to get his feet underneath him again the second his vision had cleared enough. “Help… help him,” he ordered, bracing his hands on the ground. “Go!”

Tycho squeezed his shoulder once before taking off and disappearing back into the fight.

He had to help them. He couldn’t let anyone else die – not again.

Blaster fire sounded again and the sound of it made his head spin. Wedge forced himself to look up and he saw Cesi running for cover now as the creature lunged at him, reaching for his heels with one of its long arms while Tycho valiantly tried to cover his retreat.

Its claws snagged Cesi by the boot and sent him stumbling forwards, splaying him on his stomach with a cry of alarm. He twisted to his back, trying to aim the rifle and ward it off but he was too slow and Cesi howled in agony as the creature planted itself over his body and dug its claws into the flesh of his shoulder and chest.

Tycho stumbled backwards, dropping his weapon and crying out in pain grabbing at his arm the same way Wedge had grabbed at his when it had been Caleb –

He pulled himself to his feet, trying not to stumble as a wave of dizziness threatened to knock him back down.

Where was the damn electrostaff? Where did he drop it? Where?!

He couldn’t remember which direction it had gone.

He patted his belt, remembering his blaster and it was worthless but it was all that he had. He unholstered it and took off, ignoring the burn in his chest as he raced past Tycho and circled around so he could see the monster's face clearly before taking aim.

Wedge fired, hitting the beast in the space between its eyes – and then again and again – but it only growled, hissing lowly as it dropped its head and opened its maw wide, preparing to rip Cesi apart –

After another twenty minutes or so, the tunnel finally leveled out and after a few minutes of straight walking, they came across a sign made of a thin metal that had been firmly bolted into one of the wooden posts that supported the passageway walls.

Luke almost couldn’t believe it.

An actual Force-damned sign.

ACTIVE WORK ZONE AHEAD

PROCEED WITH CAUTION

Father had been right.

They were close.

He quickened his steps, squinting through the darkness for a hint of whatever it was that they were looking for. A doorway, a cavern, something that would get them out of here. 

After twenty or thirty yards, he saw it.

There was a wide entryway, almost twice the width of the ones that Luke had become accustomed to walking past in the passageway that he’d traveled through with the others and on the right-hand side of the wall was another thin metal sign that read

HAULAGE LEVEL ONE

Emergency Exit, South Side

Luke felt an exhausted grin split across his face.

Zach had been right after all. There were emergency exits down here.

They’d found it.

Finally.

“Thank the Suns,” he breathed, running his hand through his hair. He could practically taste the fresh air and feel the warmth of the sun on his skin already. If he ever had to be underground again, it would be far too soon. Luke had been made for the skies.

But now that they were here, it also meant that the clock to his deciding what to do was officially ticking.

If he was going to run again, then he needed to do it soon.

Luke just wasn’t sure if he wanted to.

He didn’t have a plan or path or even somewhere to go after all this was over. He had no allies beyond a small handful of friends who might remain loyal to him. Only the clothes on his back and an entire galaxy out to get him for one reason or another.

But Palpatine needed to die.

Neither Luke nor his father or even the galaxy would ever be free as long as he lived.

He didn’t know what kind of monster Palpatine was – didn’t know what sort of power or skill it would take to kill a Sith Master. He wasn’t even certain if what his father said about Luke having enough power to kill him was true or not.

But if both of them had the same goal… it made sense for them to do it together, right?

Damn him for thinking it, but Luke liked his father.

It was odd to think about in such a simplistic way… but it was true. Even after only a few hours, the temptation to stay with his father was strong. Luke meant what he’d said – he had no intention of joining him in the Empire or succumbing to the dark side of the Force and he would run if it was necessary. But the pull to stay where he was wanted, especially after all that had happened in the last twelve hours or so, was very tempting.

He’d felt the same temptation on Bespin even amidst the horror of learning the truth – it was partly why he’d jumped off the gantry in the first place. There had even been times in the weeks following the experience where he had doubted his ability to be able to turn Vader down a second time.

Luke hadn’t been expecting to encounter him again so soon – hadn’t expected to need to make this decision now and under less-than-ideal circumstances.

He could still set out on his own – he could find his own path outside of the Rebellion and the Jedi… but no small part of him wondered if it would really be so awful if he did that while staying by his father’s side.  

His father wanted him. Cared about him enough to try and defy Palpatine. He wasn’t holding back answers when Luke asked and he might even be willing to treat him as an equal.  

Luke stiffened, coming to an abrupt halt as he was pulled out of his thoughts by the loud sound of metal being bent under incredible stress from somewhere in the massive cavern. There were cries of alarm and a low and familiar reptilian hiss of the mimic. 

“Cesi - you worthless… little - shit.”

It wasn’t super close but it wasn’t very far either – on the other side, perhaps? Somewhere behind the machinery…or perhaps it was an echo of some sort and the acoustics in here were deceptive.

Only seconds later, a furious array of blaster fire followed the bending of metal and there were gray flashes of light lighting up the inside of the cavern.

Vader was at his side in an instant – a steady, powerful presence standing firm at his shoulder. Luke felt him stretching out into the Force in tandem with him and felt when they both simultaneously hit the wall of their Force block.

It felt… thicker. Or maybe their bubble had shrunk somehow? Luke didn’t have time to think about it too deeply before - 

“CESI! MOVE!”

“That’s Wedge,” Luke whispered, stepping a little further forward. The palm of his flesh hand felt sweaty and on reflex, he wiped both of them nervously against his pant legs.

“Captain Antilles?” Vader confirmed quietly, a steady presence at his shoulder.

He nodded. “And the others, I think. They must have found a different way in. Tycho, Cesi, Caleb – "

There was a furious scream of pain that could have only come from the mimic and Luke was stepping forward and unclipping his lightsaber before he consciously decided that he was going to try and help only to be stopped when Vader threw out an arm to prevent him from doing so.

He tried to duck underneath it, but his father sidestepped in front of him, effectively blocking his path.

“Do not act rashly, my son,” Vader warned. “And leave them to their fates. They brought it on themselves, and they deserve nothing from you.”

Luke froze and in an instant, he Saw with almost perfect, serene clarity in the Force, in a way that he hadn’t even imagined was possible.

He could easily become his father. The vision on Dagobah had many meanings and many interpretations, all of them right and all of them wrong equally. They were dependent on the future – on the path he decided to take.

“Wedge!”

Anakin had fallen to the Dark. Luke didn’t know why but even if he could look past it, he remembered all of the terrible things that his father had done with his pain and rage – all of the hurt and betrayal that he could sense they shared in common with each other.

Ben and Yoda were right in the sense that Luke could end up exactly the same as him.

BAM! 

BAM! 

BAM!

But he also remembered his reoccurring thought over the last few weeks that he could be different from the person that his father had become. That the fears his Jedi Masters and the Rebellion shared about him didn’t have to be true.

Leave them to their fates.

Luke couldn’t do that.

No matter what they had done or threatened to do to him – if Luke abandoned them now, if he lied to himself and pretended that they were nothing, then there was no point in going out into the greater galaxy and pretending that he wanted to do something that mattered.

Even now, Luke knew deep down that he had no interest in being a person who turned away from those who needed his help.

“It’s not about what they deserve,” Luke said, standing up a little taller. “It’s about who I’m going to be.”

His father didn’t move an inch and Luke felt his irritation skyrocket and he sent a sharp get out of my way feeling along their bond.

“And if I said no?” Vader demanded, ignoring him.

Luke narrowed his eyes. “Then I guess you and I are done.”

He didn’t want to go back to the way that things had been between them... but he wasn’t going to be used by anyone and especially not by his father. If Vader was going to stand in his way and try to dictate the way Luke lived his life, then he was going to run, and he would never look back.

He didn’t bother trying to hide his thoughts. He just let them run freely between them and he felt Vader grow still as he heard them.

“I… I can’t just leave them to die,” Luke continued emphatically. Distantly, he couldn’t help but wonder if his forceful expression of emotion was as much for him as it was to try and sway his father. “I won’t. No matter what they did… that’s not who I want to be. So don’t make me choose. Please, Father.”

Luke could love his father but he sure as hell wasn’t going to become him. If this was what drove them apart… then so be it.

Vader stared at him for what felt like a long time but in reality, it was probably only a few seconds. He could feel the complicated stream of emotions emanating along their bond, a mixture of longing, anger, fear, and fierce protection.

“If you insist on providing assistance, then I will help you,” Vader finally said, relaxing his stance a little as he seemed to come to his own decision. Luke felt his own heart flutter with hope even as he sensed his fathers distaste for the very idea of what they were going to do. “But you cannot help others by placing yourself at a disadvantage. If action is necessary, then have a plan or move with caution. Blindly rushing into unknowns is always a fools errand.”

There was another loud cry of alarm and the flashes of gray light continued to illuminate the cavern walls every few seconds, faster and more consistent than before.

“Alright,” Luke agreed breathlessly. “What do you have in mind?”

Wedge watched as the creature suddenly froze, its mouth opened wide just an inch or so from Cesi’s face. Strands of flesh and saliva dangled from its jowls and then it abruptly released its hold on Cesi, lifting its head and turning around completely to face the darkest part of the mine.

It began to growl a deep, angry chuffing sound from deep in its throat. Its massive, spiked tail swished from side to side and thin, scaly plating around its neck and the back of its skull suddenly flared outwards.

Distantly, in an almost detached sort of way, it reminded Wedge of an animal documentary he’d watched as a kid and how some predator species would fluff themselves up in an attempt to look bigger and more threatening when confronted with another predator.

There was a tense moment of almost total and complete silence and it seemed as if everything and everyone was frozen in place.

And then, in the midst of the darkness, just along the far wall, a bright green lightsaber came to life with a low and familiar hum.

Luke.

Wedge felt his heart leap into his chest, and he was just barely able to make out Luke’s outline in the glow behind his lightsaber. He advanced forwards slowly, taking calm, confident steps.

“Wedge – " Cesi gasped, reaching for him. Wedge blinked and then rushed to his friend, side-stepping the creature which didn’t seem to care or notice that he was right there. Tycho appeared just beside him and together they dragged Cesi away, trying to put as much distance between them and the creature as they could.

The dozer was standing nearby and they ducked behind it for cover, sitting Cesi against one of the massive tires. He was bleeding badly from several jagged holes in his shoulder and cussing up a quiet storm as he put pressure on the wounds with his other hand.

“Where’s the rifle?” Wedge whispered, looking out around the dozer again. The creature was still standing still, its black eyes locked on Luke, hissing and chuffing angrily.

“I dropped it – "

“We have to help Luke, we can’t just sit here – "

Wedge froze as another unexpected sound suddenly registered to his ears. He recognized the moment when the others heard it too because they stilled and grew silent.

It was the familiar, awful sound of Darth Vader’s respirator.

Wedge flexed his fingers, shaking his head to try and chase away the instinctual terror that sound evoked.

It was just the creature, he reminded himself fiercely.

“Ignore it,” he whispered to the others.

Just the creature… except… it didn’t sound like it was coming from the monster. It seemed… more distant, somehow.

Wedge stepped out from behind the dozer, looking for the rifle in the glow of discarded flashlights and Luke’s lightsaber.

There.

He spotted it, lying abandoned in the dirt a good twenty yards off, just to the right of where the creature was still standing. Its spiked tail swished back and forth, and Wedge breathed shallowly a few times before wrapping an arm around his ribs, prepping himself for a sprint.

Before he could move though, there was another hiss and hum as a second lightsaber was ignited.

A red lightsaber joined the green one and then Wedge could make out two figures moving in perfect tandem with each other, separated by maybe fifteen feet of distance. They advanced forwards together like silent, inhumanly graceful wraiths in the darkness.

Darth Vader was here.

Chapter Text

The creature of the mines had lived a long life spanning centuries, and had finally entered passed its prime. 

It was aging, but it was powerful and mighty and still greatly feared among the last of its kind. It had claimed this hunting ground as its own long ago and the others had not dared venture within the bounds of its vast territory. They stayed far, far away and it was well that they did. 

They were weaker than the creature was. Smaller and less deserving to live. 

If given the opportunity, it would kill and devour them all, just to try and satisfy its insatiable hunger. It had never known a meal to ease the emptiness inside of it. Hunger - aching and miserable hunger had consumed the majority of its thoughts the entirety of its life. 

It knew pain and it knew suffering and if it wasn’t hunting to feed itself, then it hid deep in the earth away from all the little irritants of life. 

The creature preferred to dwell in darkness, far away from the sun bearing down overhead and where no flickering lights in the wide expanse of its awareness could find or torment it.

More than anything, it hated the lights. They disturbed it more than its hunger ever could, provoking a cold, miserable rage that prompted it to action. There could be no rest until the lights were extinguished completely.

It had hunted them ruthlessly in its youth, sent out to do the bidding of the Dark Ones that had commanded it. The light users were clever and skilled but the creature had learned through suffering how to handle them. And they were nothing without their awareness, so that was always the first thing to go in the course of a hunt. Blind them - lame them, anything - just so long as they could not reach for their power. 

They were nothing without it. 

But the Dark Ones were never satisfied if the lights were simply extinguished. They were supposed to suffer. To feel pain - to know loss and misery before death consumed them. 

It wasn’t supposed to be quick. 

Over time, the Dark Ones slowly began to disappear and the creature, passed between masters throughout the course of its life, eventually grew too powerful for them to contain any longer. It broke its bonds and disappeared on its own and was satisfied when no one ever came to retrieve it. 

And the lights… the lights, those flickering, miserable little lights. The pull to hunt them was always there in the back of the creature’s mind - that had been its sole purpose for so very long and it still enjoyed the hunt whenever the opportunity arose. But as with the Dark Ones, most of the lights had been extinguished years ago and despite its desperate searching, the creature could not find the ones that hadn’t. Wherever they were, those small, loathsome flickering lights… they could not be found on this world. Begrudgingly, the creature had learned to ignore those occasional flickers in its awareness and merely settled into the routine of hunting for its next meal. It grew older and older still. It expanded its territory and when the time came, it finally slaughtered the little beasts of prey that had warped and damaged a far corner of its land over many, many years. It had gleefully chased them out and once they were all dead or near to it, the creature had taken the caves that they had made as its own.

Food was plentiful in the caves - while the creature had killed the vast majority of the little beasts and others had fled, some of them, of varying species and flavors, had been left behind entirely. Trapped in their own little cages, the creature enjoyed the sounds of their suffering and the near constant source of food for as long as the little beasts could hold out.

All had been quiet.

Until… a new light appeared. 

And this one… this one did not flicker. It burned bright and powerful. 

It shined like the sun in the sky at high noon.

It hurt and that old anger and instinct to kill it immediately began to rage inside the creature. The light did not belong here. It should not exist at all. It was too bright - it was miserable to sense and the creature felt an aching, desperate desire to eliminate the light through whatever means possible burn through it like fire.

The call to hunt rang loudly in its ears. 

The creature was older now and it knew that this particular light was wildly powerful. Much stronger than any other light users that it had hunted and killed in the past. 

But time and darkness had made the creature powerful too – and where the light user was young and inexperienced, the creature was old and knowledgeable. It had been taught how to deal with the light users and was certain that this one would be no different then the others. As soon as the youngling stepped foot into its territory, the creature buried it in darkness, quelling its power and senses with ease all while the youngling was none the wiser. 

And it was not alone either. It was with others - little beasts of no power or importance.

But the light user cared about them. That made them somewhat significant. The light user feared for their safety and would protect them with its life if necessary.

They would be the first ones to go. 

Strip the light of anything that held meaning to it, make it suffer - make it bleed. Punish it for existing. Make it know the meaning of pain before death.

The creature no longer obeyed the will of the Dark Ones but this was a lesson that it couldn’t forget. The rules for the hunt had been branded into its mind long ago. Rules so old that it sometimes believed they were its own.

And the caves that the light user and its little beasts had been trapped in were a fine place to hunt.

The darkness inspired fear and the scent of death and suffering still hung heavy in the air. It set them all ill at ease and with nothing more than a few parlor tricks over the course of a few hours - exerting only the smallest effort - the creature had divided predator from prey. 

The light user set off on its own, lost in a maze that it didn’t know, and the creature followed the little beasts to slaughter them. 

Pain was an effective punishment. It echoed in memory and the creature’s memory was very long.

It would kill the others. Make them all suffer and bleed and die - 

And then the light user would know their pain. 

It would experience death before it could claim death as its own. It would rot in misery knowing that it failed to protect what it had cared about. Light users could not help but care and this one would suffer and the suffering would be great.

What the creature had not expected was a Dark One showing up in the middle of the hunt. Its presence was huge - vast and powerful and as dark as the storm clouds that sat heavy in the sky during the spring rains. 

The creature had bristled in anger when the Dark One dared enter into its territory with no hint of fear. It had not come for the creature itself though… the light user was its offspring and it had come to retrieve it from the caves. 

That was… different.

It was wrong. 

The Dark Ones hunted for the light users. 

They were not supposed to allow them to live. 

The creature could not make head nor tail of the situation but it knew one thing for certain. It belonged to no one and it would not bend to the will of the Dark Ones again. 

And this Dark One… it was weak. It did not follow the rules that had been set so long ago. It cared for the safety of its offspring and would not destroy it the way that it should. 

It deserved to die for that weakness. 

The creature would continue its hunt for the light user - that miserable, wretched burning sun of power. It could not abandon the call to hunt any more than it could willingly cease to breathe. The light user would suffer the death that it deserved, but the Dark One would be punished for its weakness too.  

It would watch its offspring die and know its own miserable failure before the creature tore it to shreds.

The cavern had fallen almost completely silent. 

It was shrouded in darkness and smelled of death and suffering. 

It was a fitting place for traitors of the Empire to die. 

The members of Rogue Squadron meant absolutely nothing to Vader. 

Their lives were worthless in his eyes and he would have happily left them all to suffer a gruesome and meaningless death and never once have thought twice about his decision. 

It was no less than exactly what they deserved. 

Their lives, combined with the knowledge they now had, threatened Luke’s safety. And Vader had dispassionately disposed of every single threat and potential threat to his son that he’d come across over the last few years. It frustrated him now to have to exert the energy in order to save some of those very people he was more than happy to kill. He would have preferred Luke’s identity to remain a secret for as long as possible and there was no promise or guarantee that Rogue Squadron would keep the knowledge to themselves.

They had abandoned Luke in the same way that the Jedi Order and Obi-Wan had abandoned Anakin all those years ago. They had determined that his worth amounted only to how much he could do for them, with no regard to the individual that he had been. 

The moment Luke became an inconvenience, he had ceased to matter. 

And that… that would not do. 

Rogue Squadron’s imminent demise was poetic justice in Vader’s eyes and would solve the problems that would inevitably come with Luke’s identity being known throughout the galaxy. 

But despite everything that had happened… Luke wanted to save them. 

He had planted his feet, putting his hurt and anger aside and chosen to stay in order to ensure their safety. 

It baffled Vader that his son could continue to care so much and even go so far as to put himself in harm's way once again for people who had not even been willing to hear him out. 

They had left Luke to die as surely as Vader was willing to leave them to die.

And yet… at the same time, the determination on Luke’s face and his own words of warning had given Vader pause. 

And if I say ‘no’?

Then I guess you and I are done. 

His son would not bend on this matter. Vader knew it and sensed the honesty of his words chiming in the Force. 

There was something… almost remarkable about it. Something beautiful and commendable in the simplicity of Luke’s decision to do what he believed was right. It stirred memories, even… when Vader, in a different life, had once had the exact same drive and spirit to never leave a man behind. He remembered his own willingness to put the safety of others before his own. He remembered being willing to do anything it took to keep his men alive, orders from Obi-Wan or the Jedi Council be damned. 

It was a trait that Luke had gotten from him. 

And in the same way that Vader found that he was not willing to push Luke into the Dark, despite knowing that it would be so easy to do, neither could he force his son to walk away from this. 

Few people had the nerve or daring to stand up to him. 

And certainly no one had ever done it with the quiet confidence that Luke had demonstrated. Vader was used to the oily, self-serving intentions of others driving their motivations. Those few people who he had been instructed to obey, or at the very least, not to kill, were almost gleeful in their sense of power over him. They stood up to him and ordered him around with false security, protected by their names and the emperor’s goodwill. 

Luke stood up to him with none of those things to protect him. He was motivated by the same fire and compassion that she had shown on so many occasions. He was brave and he was selfless, and some long dead part of Vader was proud of the man that this child of his had become. 

Luke was everything he could have ever hoped for.

If his son wanted to save his former squad mates, then Vader would not stop him. 

But if they were going to save anyone, the undeserving wretches that they were… then time was of the essence. 

He instructed Luke to stay close and then they moved forwards together. 

The red filters of his mask had been strangely null, and he’d only seen in varying shades of black and white throughout his time in the mines. Fortunately, his eye filters were able to act as a sort of night vision, and offered him a better visual than what he imagined Luke or the others could see. The heat sensors had worked as well, and with both those features, he was quickly able to spy at least three of the members of Rogue Squadron ahead of them and to the right. They had taken cover behind a dozer and Vader frowned, looking around for any hint of the beast that had chased them there.

The cavern seemed to be rectangular in shape, though massive and comparable to one of the hangar bays on the Executor. Three, perhaps even four AT-AT’s could line up behind each other from his and Luke’s entrance to where he spied Rogue Squadron. Machinery had been placed strategically throughout the cavern and mine tracks were likewise spread out in their own little trails all along the floor. There were the outlines of what looked to be a few small trucks parked near a fueling station in one of the far corners….

There was space to move and that was something at least… but he couldn’t spy the monster itself.

Vader glanced back to Rogue Squadron and then realized after a few seconds that there was something almost… slippery… about the space directly in front of them. Like his eyes wanted to simply pass over it entirely. 

…a mind trick. One that was saying there was nothing for him to see there. 

A warning bell sounded quietly in the Force and he paused and waited, gesturing for Luke to do the same.

Luke’s earlier descriptions suggested that the creature’s primary method of hunting was through ambush. Distorting the senses of its prey, using a form of voice mimicry to lure its victims in close… and obscuring the Force. 

What he had told Luke before was true – the creature's Force abilities were most likely limited to but a few skills which had been developed and honed over a long period of time to make it a more effective and able-bodied hunter. 

But it was powerful. 

Far more powerful than a mere non-sentient creature should be. 

He had never come across anything that could block him in the Force like this. Until Luke had appeared on the scene, Vader knew only of Sidious who could play a mind trick so effective on him. There was skill and purpose in it - and some portion of its awareness had to have constantly been on both Luke and Vader throughout the entirety of their time in the mines. It had to be, if it were to successfully keep them both contained within such a small sphere of influence.

During the hours he had searched for Luke inside the mines, Vader had managed to carve out a sort of bubble of control for himself and through the nature of his connection with Luke, had been able to extend it to his son as well. 

It took concentration though and there had been and still was consistent resistance. In fact, the further down they had gotten, the more oppressive the creature's influence had become. His and Luke’s connection to the Force was growing smaller and smaller the closer they’d gotten to their exit point. In here, though, it was a pressure that he could barely shift off his shoulders. 

To his left, Luke’s thoughts were racing but they were muffled, as if coming through a particularly thick wall. Vader could not read them with any clear distinction now and that would not do. 

Gathering his irritation, he pulled the dark side in close and then pressed it outwards towards that space in the void directly in front of Rogue Squadron. It was still slippery - oily, even… but there was something… there was something there. 

Something that dared to push back. 

Vader held his ground, strengthening his resolve and in front of him, there was a flicker - a shadow or a wisp of something big against the wall. 

And then he felt it. 

A black, deep seated hatred bled momentarily into the Force. It was directed at him… but even more specifically, it seemed to be directed at Luke. 

It hates the bright light that burns, the Force whispered. The warning seemed to come as though from far away. It hates the bright light that burns.

It was gone in the blink of an eye but Vader knew what he’d felt and it was enough to make him regret being so quick to agree to help. 

A fierce protective rage curled tight in his stomach and Vader tightened his grip on his lightsaber. The dark side thrummed in his veins, more powerfully than it had at any other time in the mines. He drew on anger and shoved the void off of him, hard enough that the beast itself was startled by his ferocity.

In front of his eyes, the heat sensors finally lit up as a new heat signature flickered into view. A massive, twelve-foot long form stood near the dozer and in front of Rogue Squadron, glaring in his and Luke’s direction. The oily presence moved, bearing down on him again ten-fold as it seemed to sense that it was being seen. Its heat signature flickered in and out of view every few seconds before disappearing again.

This was no ordinary Force sensitive beast.

It hunted Jedi.

Wedge froze, his mind almost blanking out entirely as he stared disbelievingly at the two figures – at Luke and Vader – standing together in what looked like an almost united front. 

How… how was that possible?

Where had Vader even come from?

What. The. Hell?

How could he be here in this damn nightmare of a mine? The last that Wedge had heard, the Executor had been reported to be several systems away, somewhere near Onderon if he remembered correctly, with several other warships from the Imperial fleet. 

And why was Luke with him now?

Could… could Cesi actually have been right? About Luke being an Imperial spy, giving away the location of the Rebel Alliance?

Almost immediately, Wedge rejected the idea. He was ashamed that the thought even crossed his mind.

It couldn’t be that.

It couldn’t be.

It didn’t make any fucking sense. There was nothing on this planet - it was an in and out search mission involving only half of Rogue Squadron. A mission that Luke had told High Command twice that they should avoid entirely. He hadn’t wanted to be here and he would have had nothing to gain from almost being blown up with the rest of them. Not only that but the Rebel base wasn’t located anywhere near this planet. 

It would have been a complete waste of the Empire’s time.

And the point of a damn spy was to stay under the radar. Not get caught or killed with the enemy.

Besides… Luke hadn’t been lying. 

He wasn’t that good of a liar. He never had been and the hurt expression on his face earlier had been completely genuine. If he’d honestly been a spy for the Empire, he would have just slaughtered them rather than let them walk away knowing his secret. 

Vader showing up though… that was a coincidence that Wedge couldn’t make sense of. That was… it didn’t look great. It looked pretty fucking bad from his viewpoint, quite honestly. But there had to be some kind of an explanation for it. 

There had to be.

Wedge just wasn’t certain what it was. 

His thoughts and questions were interrupted by a faint shuffling sound behind him, and Wedge heard one of the others step forward to stand at his shoulder.

“Holy… shit.” Tycho breathed. Wedge tore his eyes away from Vader and glanced at his friend. 

Ty’s eyes were wide and he looked just as stunned as Wedge felt. Then his face twisted in anger, and he stepped forward out from the tentative safety of the dozer and was firing off a shot at Vader with his blaster before Wedge could even think to try and stop him. 

The red blaster bolt sailed through the air and might have even had a chance at hitting the black monster except at the very last second, it froze and hovered in the air, and then it veered to the side, changing its course and hitting the wall instead. 

Wedge lunged, grabbing Tycho by the back of his jacket and yanking him backwards even as he tried to fire another shot. 

“Get off – get off me!” 

“ENOUGH!” Wedge shoved Tycho back against the dozer and stood so that he was blocking his way. 

“What the hell is going on?” Cesi demanded incredulously. He was ignored.

Tycho glared angrily at him and Cesi slowly began climbing back up to his feet. His good arm was pressed tightly against his wounded one, trying to stem the blood flow. His leather jacket and shirt underneath it were already soaked and his face was pale and pinched with pain. 

Wedge raised his hands placatingly, breathing heavily even as his mind raced with questions and fear. 

“He – he fucking killed my family!" Tycho hissed at him, pointing an angry finger in Vader’s general direction. 

“I know!” Wedge said quickly. And he did know – he understood because he felt the same hate and anger igniting like a wildfire in his veins. Vader was a monster, one of the true horrors of the galaxy, and he had killed so many people. “I know, I get it, Ty. I do, but I think we have bigger problems right now – "

There was a hiss of rage and all three of them froze once again as they heard the creature begin to move. 

Heart clenching in cold fear, Wedge twisted away from Ty and Cesi and poked his head out once again to see that the creature had dropped lower to the ground in a crouch, its black eyes glittering like two silver orbs in the dim lighting as it slinked its way towards the walls of the cavern. 

Wedge watched it move and realized that it didn’t care about them anymore – why would it, when they were no real threat at all? It had all the time in the world to hunt them and there was nothing they could do about it so long as they were trapped down here. Its attention was solely on the newcomers and it moved so silently, slinking along the edge of the wall as if it planned to sneak up behind them both.

An ambush attack, like it had done when it had killed Caleb. 

Wedge let his eyes flicker back and forth between Luke and Vader and then the creature a few times. Why were they just standing there…? 

“They don’t see it,” he whispered in a moment of realization. “They’re still blind.” 

If… the creature was distracted by them… then Wedge should take the opportunity to grab the others and leave. Cesi and Zach were both hurt now and if the creature was distracted and focusing all of its attention on Luke and Vader then they might have the chance they needed to find a keycard and get the hell out.

That was the smart thing to do.

It was what he should do.

But… if he didn’t believe that Luke was a spy… then Wedge couldn’t imagine that he was with Vader willingly now. Not after what had happened at Bespin. 

Could he really abandon Luke to the monster that had brutalized him?

…was he willing to risk everyone else’s lives to try and help?

Wedge briefly closed his eyes, torn in two. Both scenarios felt like the right and the wrong decision. In both of them, there was still a good chance someone would die. How was he supposed to choose?

When he opened his eyes again just moments later, he’d made his decision. 

Wedge wasn’t going to turn his back on Luke again. 

“Cesi, go get Zach and try and get the hell out of here if you can.” he ordered, stepping forwards. He was stopped abruptly by a hand grabbing at his arm.

“Where are you going?” Tycho demanded, looking at him like he’d gone insane.

Wedge pulled his arm back. “I need the rifle.”

Ty’s eyes widened. “You’re not going out there – "

“I am going out there,” Wedge said firmly. “We need the rifle and if they can’t see the damn thing – "

“We?” Tycho hissed incredulously. “You can’t expect me to go out there and help Darth Vader. I don’t give a damn and you can’t fucking make me. Leave him to kill the damn thing himself - that’s what he’s good at!”

“I’m going to help Luke,” Wedge snapped back at him quickly. “Because I sure as hell give a damn about him. And you did too – unless you were lying through your teeth when you said that you thought we had all fucked up earlier.”

Wedge didn’t care if it was a cheap shot or not. But there was no place to be delicate when confronting a harsh truth.

And the truth was that Luke hadn’t deserved the way that they’d treated him. 

They should never have left him behind.

Ty blanched, almost speechless. He opened and closed his mouth a few times but seemed unable to get the words out. “But… he’s – he’s with Vader,” he said helplessly. 

“Yeah, and we left him behind first.” Wedge reminded him. “I didn’t send him away just so he could get caught by the fucking Empire. Just because he’s Vader’s son doesn’t mean he’s a bad person, right?” 

“You can’t know that they aren’t working together - "

“I didn’t ask for your opinion, Cesi! Your job right now is to live. Find a keycard and get the hell out of here.” Wedge snapped in frustration.

Cesi recoiled in surprise but Wedge didn’t wait to see or hear his response, focusing instead on Tycho.

“Are you going to help me get Luke?” he asked quietly.

Tycho turned away, caught by his own words. He ran agitated hands through his hair, turned away, and finally he just shook his head. Wedge nodded, understanding the conflict but feeling disappointed all the same. “Then help Cesi and Zach. Get them out. If… if you make it back to the ships… just leave. Don’t wait for me.”

He didn’t need to say that there might not be anyone for them to wait for. 

He waited for a few seconds more, with the faint hope that Tycho would turn and face him and that this wouldn’t be it between them. But those few seconds passed and then Wedge turned away. 

There was no going back to fix his earlier mistakes. He knew that… but Wedge would be damned if he ran away and abandoned a friend for a second time today. 

Wedge peered around the dozer and scanned for the rifle that had been abandoned in the dirt again. It only took him a second or two to find it. He took a shallow, but steadying breath and then bolted outwards, running as fast as he could and lunging for the rifle that Cesi had dropped. He picked it up, racked it back, and scanned for the creature once again. It was moving quickly in the shadows and the darkness made it so hard to see.

He inched forwards slowly, not wanting to advance forwards too far but needing to see better if he was going to have a hope of hitting it. 

One rifle wasn’t going to take down this monster… and Wedge knew by this point that he wasn’t going to be the one to kill it. But that was not his concern anymore. If Luke… and Vader had a general idea of where it was then so much the better. The pain from the rifle would set the creature off in a rage again but it meant that Luke would hopefully know where not to be. 

And if Vader was distracted… well, Luke did have an impressive record of escaping capture by the skin of his teeth.

All he needed was the opportunity.

Wedge found a good spot with some cover, brought the rifle up to his shoulder, sighted his target, and prepared to fire.

From the corner of his eye, Luke saw Vader pause and then gesture for Luke to do the same. He stopped, holding steady and waiting for direction. The small hairs on the back of his neck and arms rose eerily as a feeling of gross anticipation overcame him. 

There were some faint lights up ahead of them, from flashlights or lanterns that had been left on the ground… but it was mostly dark to his eyes. He could distinguish some faint outlines of objects and machines that stood in their way, looming black shadows against even blacker darkness… but there was no hint of movement. 

No sound or whisper to suggest that anything was there at all.

The familiar smell of rotting corpses was overpowering though. There were many dead down here. Luke didn’t need to see them in order to know that it was true. 

Faint whispers from the Force breathed danger and go back even as the pressure on and around them increased. It felt wrong to ignore the warnings and whatever sphere of influence that Vader had made for them had grown smaller. His stomach twisted uneasily at the idea of floundering in that black void of nothingness once again.  

It felt like the cavern had eyes everywhere and he desperately wished he could see where the mimic was. For anything - a hint, a whisper even. 

A faint sense of irritation flickered briefly along the intertwined strings of themselves and then Luke felt his father’s Force presence shift and press forwards. Dark and rolling, it pressed itself up against the void and pushed hard. 

Luke briefly sensed something dark and oily - a hatred that he could just barely grasp onto - and then in the blink of an eye, his father was pissed and his anger drowned out everything else. The Force blackened in Vader’s rage and his Force presence surged forwards, throwing itself against the void with all the power of a warship and pushing - 

The pressure lifted off of them both for a few split seconds before bearing down on them again. He turned, startled and confused to look at his father but didn’t have the chance to ask him what had happened before the sound of a blaster suddenly rang out from the darkness.

He twisted back in time to see a bright gray blaster bolt flying in their direction. Vader lifted a hand, freezing the blaster bolt in the air as it drew near and then with a frustrated wave, he sent it veering off to the side where it slammed into the wall instead. 

Adrenaline burned in his veins and while Luke had honestly expected nothing less from the others at this point, he was still surprised at how angry he suddenly felt because that blaster bolt had been aimed at his father - 

“ENOUGH!” 

That sounded like Wedge. Luke spared a thought to hope that, no matter what he felt personally, Wedge would at least have the good sense to stop the others from firing more shots at them.

“Stupid fools.” Vader hissed under his breath. 

All things considered, Luke couldn’t help but agree with him. 

There is no emotion, there is peace. 

Luke tried to clear his mind of anger, breathing out through his nose. It helped and a second or two later he turned back to his father.

“What do we do?” he whispered. “How do we fight what we can’t see?”

“I see it,” Vader said darkly, and his mask seemed to move minutely as though he were tracking something. Luke could feel the intensity of his thoughts but couldn’t discern enough to know what they were. “Ten o’clock. Along the far wall.”

Luke turned, adjusting his stance and trying to see what his father could see through the shadows of darkness. 

He saw absolutely nothing. 

“How do you know?” Luke asked, adjusting his grip on his lightsaber. 

“Heat sensors. I’ll show you.” Vader said. A moment later, he nudged Luke gently in the Force, pressing against what was left of his shields still standing erect between them. 

Luke hesitated but only a few seconds passed before he brought them down completely and allowed his father access to his mind. 

Almost immediately, there was a strange pulling sensation, almost like he was being sucked through a tube at a frighteningly fast speed and then his vision blurred and shifted in a way that twisted his stomach – it was such a disorienting experience that it took his brain a few long seconds to comprehend that he was suddenly seeing double. 

Through his own eyes and, amazingly, through his father’s. Trying to comprehend two different views was making his brain go haywire and so Luke closed his eyes to try and find some relief from it. It helped – the double vision ceased immediately and Luke could finally discern what he was being shown through his father’s eyes. 

His fathers vision was different – lighter even, though Luke could not say through what meant. The lenses curved his vision a little but the real difference came in what had to be infrared signatures. He intuitively knew that his father’s vision was typically veiled in red, but like his own, everything to his father’s eyes was tinted in differing shades of black and white. 

And there was a massive light gray blur moving stealthily along the far wall, just as his father had said. It flickered in and out of view every few seconds but it was tall and long. The more in sync Luke became with his father, the more features he could start to make out. A long tail, and a spiky ridged back, and six legs – one back set and two in the front. 

It was huge and Luke couldn’t help but remember with unease the terrible face he’d seen yesterday poking out from the shadows. Its evil black eyes and gaping maw filled with massive, razor sharp teeth. That distinct feeling of malicious intent - it came back full force.

Whatever this thing was… it didn’t like him. 

Luke knew it and he was suddenly certain that Vader knew it too.

It needed to die.

Vader turned his head minutely, following the creature as it moved and then Luke’s vision suddenly blurred again. In an instant, he was falling back into his own head with a breathless gasp. His eyes flew open and his own sight returned to him. 

He looked immediately to the far wall and another image – the same one from just seconds before, from a slightly different angle and from Vader’s much taller perspective – flashed in front of his eyes for the briefest moment. 

“Do exactly what I say, when I say it – do you understand me?” Vader demanded quietly. 

Luke nodded. “Yes.”

“Good.” His father hesitated for a moment and then asked, “How do you feel about being bait?”

Luke shot him an incredulous look. “I’m not fond of that idea. Like, at all.” he whispered back harshly. 

Another flickering update passed in front of his eyes. The mimic was moving now but there was no noise to indicate that anything around them was moving at all. 

He reached outwards in the Force and tried to find the mimic, searching in the direction where he knew it to be. Luke only felt the wall of their mental cage and then that empty void of nothingness. 

“I won’t let anything happen. Are you familiar with hammer and anvil?” 

Luke blinked, mind racing as he tried to remember the term. “It’s… it’s a military tactic.”

One that utilized two separate forces in an attack. A more stationary one that was meant to keep an enemy occupied while the second force, the mobile one, maneuvered around the enemy and attacked from the side or behind while its attention was stolen elsewhere.

“Yes.”

Another update. The mimic was a ways off but coming closer still. 

Luke bit his lip and felt jittery with nerves at the idea. It wasn’t a great plan and he was not thrilled with the idea of being the anvil in this scenario. But… there were only two of them and Luke couldn’t see. At least he still had his lightsaber. With a sigh, he nodded his consent. “Where do you want me?”

“Hold steady and be prepared to move when I tell you. Timing will be everything.”

And then his father moved, quickly disappearing into the shadows. Luke was able to sense his father’s attention on him faintly through the Force and in turn, he briefly kept track of Vader through the sound of his respirator before it went strangely quiet and then through the occasional glow of his lightsaber. It was a darker gray than his own was and bizarrely enough, Luke found himself wishing it were its usual red.

An update passed in front of his eyes and he was startled by how much closer the creature already was. 

The mimic was big but it obviously wasn’t slow. It had covered more than half the distance that stood between them in maybe twenty seconds. His heart pounded even as a strange sort of calm came over him. It happened sometimes right before battle - he’d first experienced it before firing the shot that destroyed the Death Star and a few other times in the years since then too. 

The Force was still whispering danger in his ears and Luke felt his muscles tense with the anticipation of knowing that something was about to happen. 

Another flickering picture from his father. The angle of it put his father not quite behind the mimic now. It would still have to pass Vader to get to Luke.

Everything was still so… damn… quiet.

…danger…

Luke felt his heart skip a wild beat in his chest as a loud whirring sound sounded overhead at last. It was the telltale sound of the power system coming to life and the realization was jarring. It felt wildly out of place - wrong, even.

Danger.

He took a step backwards, raising his lightsaber defensively as various kinds of machinery began to hum loudly all around him.

DANGER.

The sound of damaged electric wires sparked and hissed somewhere nearby and it took Luke a few seconds too long to realize what was going to happen. 

In a blinding flash, the lights came on.

“Son of a bitch!” Wedge cursed, lowering his rifle and raising an arm to try and protect his eyes from the sudden blinding flare of lights. He was aware of other startled cries of pain from the others and he felt his heart pound.

He tried to open his eyes under the safety of his arm acting as a protective barrier but quickly shut them tight again.

It was too much - it was too bright, he couldn’t see anything and dear Force, it hurt.

There was an angry, reptilian hiss and then the sound of displaced rocks and gravel as that damn monster began to run.

“Luke! Move, NOW!”

Wedge forced his eyes open at the sound of Vader’s voice shouting out a frantic order and saw through blurry eyes as Luke stumbled backwards, one arm raised to protect his eyes while blindly swinging the blade of his lightsaber with the other - 

He flew to his feet, stepping out from the relative safety of his cover and brought the rifle back to his shoulder and fired a shot half blind just as the creature lunged at Luke, its long front legs extended and its maw opened wide. His aim was true and the shot hit the creature near the back of its neck and knocked it off course. It screamed angrily, spinning around in a sudden rage and sending Luke flying into the wall with one angry swish of its tail as it searched for the source of its pain. 

When it didn’t immediately find him, Wedge had the faint hope that maybe the lights had blinded it as well as the rest of them.

Sparks and the sound of live wires short-circuiting sounded in his ears before Luke was suddenly crying out in agony.

No. No no no. 

“LUKE!” Vader shouted before he could, reappearing from wherever he’d gone to and taking off in Luke’s direction in a dead sprint. 

Wedge had never seen him run before. Vader always seemed to stroll, whether in public or on the battlefield. It was always the same and gave off the impression that he was never bothered by anyone or anything. That he was someone who thought that life had no value and considered everything to be beneath him. Just a cold, ruthless machine of a man.

A killer all the way down to his bones. 

Except he was running now as if… as if Luke’s life mattered to him. 

Vader would get to him much quicker than Wedge could.

The creature hissed again, showing off its massive teeth, the thin plating around its neck flaring outwards. It moved to intercept Vader and Luke was still crying out in pain, the sound of electricity sparking angrily - 

Wedge didn’t even hesitate. He ran forwards a few yards for a better aim and then fired at the monster again and again, trying not to think about how he was covering Darth Vader, and redirected the creature's attention to him instead.

There was a horrible distorted sense of pain and panic from Luke’s end of their Force bond, and the familiar agony of being electrocuted ran in phantom leaps and bounds through his mind.

Luke was screaming. 

Vader abandoned his plan and ran. 

His suit was not designed to run. It was too heavy and had been mounted to what was left of his ruined body through surgically implanted bolts in his back and sides. It was a miserable, chronic pain that he had had to learn how to live with and was made worse through intense strain. He could feel it now; the pulling and tearing of sensitive skin and the warm trickle of blood under his clothes. He barely noticed and didn’t give a damn either way. 

Vader had eyes and ears for nothing except Luke. 

The pain in his body, the idiot members of Rogue Squadron, the Force sensitive monster - none of it mattered. 

Luke was not meant to know such pain - it was not to be borne. 

Another rifle blast echoed in the cavern behind him that he barely heard. 

Vader covered the distance between them in what felt like seconds before skidding to a halt. He swung his lightsaber, severing the damaged wiring hanging from the wall in a series of long, entangled vines. Luke slumped immediately as the electric charges came to an abrupt stop, coughing and trembling in a daze.

Vader turned off his lightsaber and grabbed Luke by the bicep, pulling him free of the wires and yanking him up to his feet. Luke was unsteady - wavering and still riding out the aftershocks of pain. There were some electrical burns on his face and flesh hand where his skin had come in contact with the wires. The synth-skin on the prosthetic looked charred and melted in some spots but was hopefully still functional. 

“You alright?” Vader demanded.

“No.” Luke choked out, coughing and clutching the front of his suit for balance. “Was… was that - your plan?” 

Vader didn't bother to answer that question because no - that had not been his plan. 

His plan would have worked. 

It would have been easy. 

A rifle sounded again - and again, and he looked back to see one lone member of Rogue Squadron firing steadily at the creature. The impact of each round caused the beast to momentarily flicker into view on his heat sensors and seemed to force it back a tiny bit. Vader could feel its Force presence blackening in a total rage.

The beast was large and undoubtedly clever but it would have been such a simple matter to back it into a corner with Luke acting as bait. He was quick and light on his feet and while he provided a tantalizing distraction, Vader could have easily masked himself in the Force and snuck up on it to deliver a killing blow. It seemed to spin in a circle now, knocking smaller equipment over and spitting its displeasure as it searched for the source of its pain. When it didn’t immediately seem to see the one Rogue firing at it, Vader spared a thought to think that the lights coming on had temporarily blinded it as well. 

Danger.

He narrowed his eyes, pressing up against the wall in the Force that kept him contained in such a small sphere of influence. It was tighter then it had been even moments ago and he couldn't stretch his Force presence out more than a few feet in front of him.

Vader had just about had enough of this. 

Danger.   

Still pissed, Vader took advantage of the distraction that was being offered and bent low, heaving Luke up and over one shoulder. Vader held him in place by the back of his knees, ignoring his groans of pain and demands to be put back down, and then took off, moving to find them better cover once again.

Zach must have gotten the power back on. 

It was the only explanation that Cesi could think of for what had happened. He didn’t know how his friend had managed it but he was at least grateful to know that he was still alive. But in trying to help, Zach had just blinded every single one of them.

He hated to think what might have happened if the lights had come on even just a few minutes earlier. 

“Luke, move! NOW!”

Vader’s deep baritone voice was commanding and powerful and it shook him down to the core. 

They needed to get out. 

“Cesi, come on!”

Another set of boots appeared in his limited line of sight and then Tycho was slipping underneath his bad shoulder and helping support him. The motion hurt like an absolute bitch and Cesi pressed his hand harder against his wounds, willing the pain to disappear. He did his best to control his breathing and not get too light headed.

Blinking rapidly, Cesi willed his vision to adjust. The rifle went off seconds later and there was the sound of that damn monster screeching in the background and his head was pounding. Cesi braced against the tire of the dozer and tried not to throw up, staring down at the ground and trying to make sense of the rocks and gravel that were slowly but surely coming back into view.

A decent sized drop of blood plopped on top of his boot, followed quickly by another and then another. Squeezing his eyes tight, Cesi dropped his arm and pressed his shaking hand up against the jagged tears in his shoulder instead.

Tycho pushed him a little, urging him to move again. 

“I’m okay,” he said, forcing his feet to move. They felt heavy, like big blocks of cement.

His hand was already completely stained red with blood.

And… someone was screaming.

The realization came to him as if from far away, the sound nearly hidden behind the creature’s own screeching. 

“LUKE!”

BAM!

Cesi jerked his head up and turned around in time to see Wedge stepping out from his place of cover and begin advancing forwards, firing the rifle at the creature in rapid succession. 

Neither Skywalker or Vader were anywhere that Cesi could see. He seemed to be completely alone. 

Tycho froze at the sight, hesitating. Then he was turning back, shrugging out of his jacket. He took a short moment and tossed it at Cesi. 

Cesi caught it, confused, and then looked at his friend. “What are you doing?"

BAM!

“Damn it!” Tycho whispered angrily, quickly reaching for his blaster and checking the settings with a pissed off expression on his face. “I gotta go help him.”

BAM!

“Are you out of your damn mind?” Cesi asked disbelievingly. 

“Yeah, probably.” Tycho glanced at him. “Can you get Zach on your own? You’re bleeding really bad.”

Cesi looked down at his shirt and the blood that was seeping out through his fingers from the jagged holes in his shoulder and chest that burned like fire with every breath that he took. “Yeah, I hadn’t fucking noticed.”

Tycho’s lips twitched in almost reluctant humor, though it did nothing to erase the scowl on his face. 

“Why… why are you doing this?” Cesi hissed in pain as he slowly straightened up. He could feel that some of the muscles in his shoulder were shredded and tried not to think about it too much. If he did, he’d probably throw up.

A tear slipped down Tycho’s face. “Wedge is my friend,” he said quietly. After a moment he added, “And so is Luke. I… I owe him this much.”

Cesi wasn’t sure what to say to that.

He still wasn’t certain that Skywalker was who everyone thought he was – and him showing up with Vader had done nothing to convince him otherwise. But Wedge and Tycho had known him longer - had flown on more missions with him at the helm. Maybe they could see something that he wasn’t. 

Or maybe they were just completely wrong. 

Skywalker had no reason to want to come back and save them, after all. 

But… as much as he didn’t understand a damn thing about Luke fucking Skywalker, he did understand loyalty to a friend. That much… that much he could understand.

“That blaster is shit against the damn thing, you know that.” Cesi pointed out instead.

“Doesn’t mean it likes it,” Ty said stiffly. “It’s better than nothing, in any case. Besides - I owe it some pain for what it did to Caleb.” he glanced at him again. “Try not to get too much blood on that jacket, okay? It’s one of my favorites.”

Cesi bit back the urge to say he didn’t need it at all but couldn’t bring himself to actually speak the words out loud. The gesture was made out of concern and so he bundled the jacket up a little and pressed it hard against the jagged holes that had been torn into his upper arm and shoulder. He was only grateful that he hadn’t actually been bitten – the wounds hurt but he couldn’t feel any fire running through his veins. Based on what had happened to Zach, the damn thing was probably venomous as hell.

“Oh, fuck this.” Ty muttered under his breath. “Fuck Vader and the whole damn Empire.”

Tycho took a deep breath and then he was gone.

"Put me down -"

"Enough."

Vader paused, looked around and promptly decided that he hated this place. With the lights on, the depravity of it all was being thrown in his face.

The dead were everywhere. 

The doonium in this mine was being used to help create the second Death Star, Vader remembered. All of these slaves - and some unlucky Imperials - had all been left here to rot for that mechanical abomination.

It was disgusting.

It was not what he had created the Empire for.

BAM!

There was a large wheeled loader standing nearby and unless the damn beast knew how to throw things, it wasn't going to move. He crossed the distance and moved behind it, placing the machinery between him and the beast and then lowered Luke to the ground carefully. Despite his best efforts to stay upright, Luke’s legs folded underneath him and he collapsed against one of the wheels, hissing in pain.

“Are you alright?” Vader demanded again, searching along their bond again for any hint of severe or lasting damage. Their connection was fuzzy enough now that he couldn’t tell for certain. Surface level though, he spied electric burns on Luke’s neck and temple, a hair's breadth away from one of his eyes, and a few others on his flesh hand. There were undoubtedly others, hidden beneath his layers of clothes.

Vader tried to put himself at ease by acknowledging that he had done a lot worse to Luke on Bespin. 

It didn’t help. 

Luke waved him off. “I’m fine,” he coughed. “But the others - "

“Let them rot,” Vader hissed, his irritation at the little idiots skyrocketing once again. Blaster fire began to sound with the accompanying flashes of bright gray light. Items were being knocked over and he thought he could hear the angry, reptilian hissing of the creature itself.

His plan would have worked. 

Luke gave him a dirty look and began trying to pull himself to his feet. His feet slipped underneath him more than once. “No. I’ll get them myself if I have to.”

For the love of the Force. 

“Must you be so obstinate?”

“Yeah,” Luke snarked, finally managing to leverage himself up against the loader and wrapping an arm around sore ribs. “And I consider it one of my better qualities.”

…his son was exactly like Anakin, Vader realized with no small amount of dismay. He had her kind nature but Anakin’s bullheaded stubbornness. 

There would be no reasoning with him. 

BAM!

They should have just left when they’d had the chance. 

BAM!

“Stay here,” Vader growled sharply, pointing a finger at Luke’s face. “I will deal with this.”

“I can help - "

“No, you will stay here.” 

The last thing he wanted was Luke getting hurt again. 

He breathed out through his nose and rolled his shoulders before stepping back out into the open. Vader could feel the weight of the creature’s presence bearing down on him hard now and the Force warned him not to get too close just yet, lest it go away entirely.

BAM!

The bright gray image of the beast flickered into view for a brief moment and Vader watched as it turned and lunged, snapping its jowls at the rebel who was moving around it in a wide side-stepping circle. He immediately lowered his rifle and turned, sprinting off to find safety. 

As powerful as it may be, the beast was not infallible.

Pain and distractions were making it less precise. It could only focus on so many things at once, after all. 

A thought suddenly occurred to him that perhaps… his distraction was making him less powerful too. 

Frowning at the realization, Vader quickly tightened his hold on his connection with Luke, wrapping the intertwining strings of their bond in a tight mental fist so it wouldn’t be lost to him again, keeping just the barest hint of a connection open between them. He moved further forwards, leaving the loader behind him and then… Vader pulled all of his power back. All the effort it took to shield his son from the creature’s oppressive influence - he brought it back to himself and then he reached out into the Force and pushed with everything that he had against the void. 

Black rage immediately pounded like a heartbeat in the Force and he felt beasts-anger-light-Dark-kill kill kill in a sickening mantra of near single-minded bloodlust. 

The mental cage began to give a little underneath his immense strength and the bright gray image of it flickered back into view. Vader smirked ever so slightly and took the opportunity to grab at the beast before clenching his hand into a fist and squeezing.

His hold on the creature was slippery - precarious, even - and he couldn’t quite pinpoint exactly where he had it… but the beast finally shrieked in agony as its bones began to break with snapping sounds that were all too satisfying.

Wedge drew up short and looked over his shoulder, momentarily stunned as the creature suddenly began to shriek and howl. It was a far different noise than he’d heard from it yet and combined with the disgusting sound of snapping bones and the sight of one of its front legs bending forwards unnaturally… it made his stomach twist and roll. 

From overhead, Tycho had frozen as well, his steady stream of blaster fire coming to an abrupt halt. He spared only the briefest moment to be wildly grateful that his friend had come back to help him and fervently wished he’d been the kind of leader where none of this would have been necessary in the first place. Then he shoved those thoughts away and Wedge followed in the direction that Tycho seemed to be staring in and caught sight of Vader emerging once again from the shadows. He was alone this time and he was so damn tall. 

A walking nightmare of a man and it was utterly terrifying to be so close to him now. He always looked the same - no expression, no personality. No hint or sign to suggest whether or not he experienced emotion at all.

Wedge had seen him once or twice during his time with the Empire. Brief glimpses, really - but he’d never gone to battle with Vader leading the charge. The people that had always spoke of the experience with breathless awe and a healthy amount of fearful respect. 

He had a little more experience with going to battle against Vader and somehow, through sheer luck alone, had made it onto the list of those fortunate few who’d come out of it alive. 

But not like this, when there was nothing except space and a monster standing between them. 

Luke was the only one that could claim that unique honor.

Luke.

…if Vader was distracted, then where was Luke?

Heart suddenly pounding, Wedge looked up sharply and then ran the distance to stand underneath the walkway just below where Tycho was standing and quickly switched the safety on the rifle to the ON position.

“Ty, catch!” he shouted before tossing the rifle upwards. Tycho leaned over the railing and caught it by the barrel and pulled it up before racking it back and bringing it up to his shoulder and firing off another round. The beast shrieked, jerking to the side as the round made impact. 

“Go get Luke,” Tycho called down tightly. “Behind the loader - I can handle this.”

Wedge turned and got out of the way dodging a torn up corpse. He took cover, crouching low to better hide behind a few minecarts that were left sitting on their rails. Vader had pulled Luke from the wires and then carried him off, him protesting all the while - but which one was the loader? There were a few big pieces of equipment and his day job wasn’t exactly construction. 

The rifle went off again and he shook his head. 

He’d figure it out. 

Wedge moved quickly, arching out in a wide half circle to position himself more behind Vader. He seemed to be keeping himself at a deliberate distance from the creature while still moving forwards towards it, almost forcing the creature back.

Tycho began firing his weapon more consistently, turning the creature’s attention away every time it seemed to try and move towards Vader himself, like an irritating fly that one just couldn’t manage to swat out of their way. It shook its massive head, snarling in pain, and the sound of bones snapping sounded loud again. 

Why couldn’t Vader just break its damn neck instead of being a sadistic psychopath?

Unless… maybe he couldn’t. 

Luke hadn’t had the Force in the mines. 

How Vader still did, Wedge couldn’t even begin to guess - but perhaps that was why he was keeping his distance and not attacking the creature outright. 

Or maybe he just didn’t want to stray too far away from Luke. 

Wedge bit his lip. It didn’t matter either way, so long as he stayed busy. Tycho would be okay for a few minutes on his own. He had taken the high ground once again and Wedge wasn’t going to waste the opportunity that was being given to him. He moved quickly, hoping to avoid Vader’s attention for as long as possible.

He’d thought that the dark had been bad but everything looked so much worse in the light.

There were so many dead. 

And there were rats. 

He hadn’t seen or heard them earlier - but even they were abandoning their free meals and were scampering to get out of the way. Wedge tried to avoid stepping on them but heard more than one angry squeak beneath his boot. He felt one run across his boot and finally kicked another directly out of his path in frustration.

It landed on the bloated stomach of a decomposing Gigoran. A metal collar and chain were still attached to its neck and the body was writhing with maggots.

Wedge swallowed back his gag reflex and hurried away, flinching whenever the rifle went off or a loud smashing sound echoed through the cavern.

He hated the Empire. He hated it.

Suddenly, from the corner of his eyes, there was a flash of yellow and he turned to see what it was. 

“Luke!” Wedge shouted, finally catching sight of his friend leaning against a wheel of what must be a loader. He covered the small remaining distance between them and grabbed Luke by the shoulders, looking him over. “Luke, Luke – I’m so sorry! Are you alright? Are you okay?” 

Luke hissed in pain and pulled away from him. He was pale and had one arm around his ribs, obviously trying to breathe shallowly. Having been swatted by the creature as well, Wedge was willing to bet he had a few busted ribs - not including whatever Vader might have done to him already. Luke looked more than a little singed, tired, and his jacket, the yellow leather one that Wedge hadn’t remembered him wearing earlier, was torn and scratched up in places… but at least he hadn’t been put in binders.

Short of shooting them off, Wedge didn’t have the tools with him to get someone out of Imperial grade designs. 

“I’m fine,” Luke said tightly, his blue eyes flickering back to Vader anxiously. “But all of you need to get out of here. Where’s the exit? It’s supposed to be on this level.”

Wedge forced himself to ignore his regrets and straightened up. Getting Luke and everyone else out took priority over his own failures. He looked around before orienting himself in the direction of the emergency exit. “It’s over that way,” he said, pointing. “But Luke, it’s locked. It’s been password protected.”

Luke’s face twisted and he looked briefly baffled by the idea that an emergency exit would be locked. “Who the hell…?” he cut off mid-sentence, shaking his head. “Never mind – what… what kind of system is it?”

“A computer system?” Wedge offered helplessly. “I don’t know, Luke - it looks Standard Imperial to me. It needs a keycard or an override code. Can… can you hack it?”

Luke opened his mouth to respond but just then there was the squealing sound of metal being shredded. Luke pulled himself to his feet and for a moment, it seemed as if nothing had happened between them at all. They were friends and comrades and together, they peered around the loader as one to look and see.

The creature had backed up a fair distance and had taken one of the minecarts in one of its front paws. Its wicked claws were digging gouges into the thick metal sides with horrifying ease. It backed up a little more, hissing a terrible sound and then in an impressive display of physical strength, flung the entire cart directly at Vader.

He dodged it effortlessly, side-stepping it with almost casual ease. The minecart hit the wall and the sound of it echoed powerfully through the cavern. In front of Vader, the mine tracks that had been bolted into the floor immediately groaned and both sides of the rails suddenly snapped in half across the middle with ease. They peeled up off the ground and then hovered momentarily in the air before one of them was launched forwards at the creature with a wave of Vader’s hand, flying almost faster than Wedge could follow.

As it neared the creature, it slowed down and the railing began to crunch, bending in on itself until it was left hovering in mid-air, shaking as though being pushed and manipulated by two separate forces. 

Wedge didn’t want to think about what kind of power it took to crush a steel beam like that. 

And… he had been right after all. 

The creature was Force sensitive.

The second rail went flying, arching outwards slightly as if to hit the creature from the side but it was deflected and embedded itself a few feet into the stone wall instead.

“We gotta go.” Wedge breathed.

“I need my lightsaber,” Luke said at the same time. He turned and looked at him. “Just have Caleb hack the system - he should know how to do it.” 

Wedge grabbed at the sleeve of his leather jacket, startled at how quickly Luke made to leave. “Wait - wait! I can’t, Caleb is dead. But we can just go, forget the lightsaber and let’s get out of here now, while he’s distracted!”

Luke froze, turning back to him with wide eyes. “Caleb is dead?”

Wedge nodded, throat thick with emotion. “I’m so sorry. For everything,” he repeated quietly, running a shaky hand through his tousled hair. “But I need your help, Luke. Please.”

A mixture of emotions flitted across Luke’s face and then he ran his prosthetic hand through his hair. He glanced back at Vader and then to the elevator, once… twice… three times. Then his eyes widened and he dropped his hand and dug into his pockets, searching for something – whatever it was, he found it quickly and held it up for him to see.

It was a keycard. 

“I need my lightsaber,” Luke said quietly, extending the card to him. “I’ll help you. But I need my weapon.”

Wedge swallowed, accepting the card and slipping it into his back pocket. They could leave - they had their way out and the idea of going back out there and exposing himself to either of the two monsters just for a weapon was terrifying. 

It was utterly asinine.

But he wasn't going to leave Luke behind a second time... and if Vader was going to be on their tails, then they might just need it.

“Let’s go get it then.”

Zach. 

It was only the thought of his friend that convinced Cesi to turn away from the fight. It felt so very wrong to turn his back on an enemy and leave two of his friends behind unprotected.

It seemed that he was getting a lot of practice doing that today. 

But Zach needed to get out of this damn mine or else he was going to die. 

And Cesi was bleeding – badly - and combined with his busted ribs, he knew that he wasn’t going to be much help to the others at this point. Not with his arm out of commission the way it was. He was lucky it hadn’t been torn off. He thought of Caleb and his heart ached.

Cesi turned and after briefly looking around to get a better grasp of his surroundings. He hadn’t gone far since the start of this thing and he easily spotted the stairs that had taken them up to the second level walkway and from there, found the alcove that the elevator itself was tucked into. It seemed farther off then he had thought that it would be.

He took off at an awkward run, navigating his way through machinery and dodging fallen bodies of the slaves that had been slaughtered here weeks before. He only stopped to check the rotting corpses of the few fallen Imperials for a keycard that would get the elevator working. 

He didn’t find one. 

Desperate, he looked around again because there had to be something down here that could help them. 

All Cesi wanted to do was save his friend and everything was stacked up against him - he hadn’t felt so completely useless since he’d been a child dodging both his fathers belt and his drunken wrath. 

There. 

Another Imp uniform. 

It was further away but the effort to check would be worth it.

He took off, stumbling a little over his own feet and trying to remember how to breathe properly as his vision began to blur. 

There was a crash behind him and the creature screeched in anger and pain and Cesi felt his heart leapt in his chest. He turned, using his free hand to wipe sweat – or perhaps tears – from his face as he tried to find Tycho or Wedge, or hell, even Skywalker at this point. 

He walked backwards without seeing, torn in two at the thought of leaving the others but needing – needing with an ache so desperate and painful to ensure that Zach lived and got out of this nightmare alive that he couldn’t bring himself to run back and help them. 

There was so much noise and his head was still pounding from earlier – he took another step backwards and didn’t notice when the ground beneath him became metal instead of dirt. He didn’t hear the hum of machinery that sounded low and rumbling behind him over the shrieking and fighting and a blaster that was going off over and over and over again. 

He took another step back and this time, he noticed when his foot met nothing but air. 

“Shit, SHIT!” Cesi gasped, flailing as he lost his balance and fell backwards. Instinct and blind panic had him throwing his arms out in front of him, forcing his upper body to lean forwards once again. His gut slammed against the edge of something hard and his vision nearly blacked out entirely as the air was knocked from his lungs. His ribs ached, a pounding, grinding, miserable pain like he’d never known before. He clenched his fingers even as he began to slip, scrambling desperately to find something to grab onto but the metal beneath his fingers was slick and there were no grooves or bumps for him to snag on to.

There was a loud whirring noise behind him – no, below him – and Cesi felt his heart racing an insane, frantic beat as terror filled him to the brim. 

He didn’t know what was at the bottom of whatever pit he was slipping into but he knew that it was bad. It was bad and he didn’t want to die – 

“HEY!” Cesi shouted desperately, trying to muscle his way up but lacking the strength that he needed. His hands were slick with his own blood and the metal seemed so damn slick. “Someone – HELP ME!”

They hadn’t gone more than a few steps when Luke heard someone cry out for help. He drew up short and turned around again, searching for whoever it was that had called out for help. 

The lights still felt too bright and painful to his eyes but at least he could see clearly again.

But he didn’t see anyone. 

And as much as he tried, Luke couldn’t sense anyone either. 

The Force was gone. 

There was nothing except the tiniest thread of awareness that stretched solely to his father. It seemed that Vader had dropped him back into that black void of nothingness all over again and the loss of what little he’d had hurt. Someone might as well be gouging his eyes out or be driving sharp little needles underneath his fingernails - both of those forms of torture were vastly preferable to the dead emptiness that was currently suffocating him. 

If it was Vader’s way of keeping him out of the fight, then it was pretty damn effective. 

Or at least, it might have been, if Luke wasn’t just as stubborn as his father apparently was. All he needed was his blade and he could rejoin the attack - if Vader was the anvil now, then all he had to do was show Luke where the monster was and he would be the hammer - 

“Wedge!” the voice called again, more desperately than before. “Someone - HELP ME!”

Luke spun around in a circle and saw from the corner of his eye that Wedge was doing the same, his blaster held up at high ready. 

There. 

It was Cesi, Luke realized. Hanging on to the edge of some kind of pit that was set in the ground and seeming unable to pull himself out, maybe thirty or forty yards off.

Feeling torn, Luke spared a half second to glance at his father and hope that he would continue to hold his own before he turned back around and took off running as fast as his feet could carry him.

No one was going to hear him.

Not over the sounds of that damn monster – not when they were all equally fighting to survive. 

Cesi closed his eyes as he felt his fingers slipping further. He tried to tighten his grip, willing his fingers to find something to grab onto but there was nothing and despite his best efforts, he was sliding, centimeter… by… centimeter. 

He let out a weak sob as he came to the very edge, his fingers hanging on to almost nothing and then - 

And then he slipped. 

He fell. 

There was a moment of what felt like complete and utter weightlessness as he fell towards whatever terrible fate that awaited him at the very bottom and Cesi knew this was it – it was all over for him and all he could think was that he would never know what happened to the others, whether they lived or died or not – 

And then just as quickly as he fell, there was a sudden vice-like grip on his wrist, and he felt as his shoulder was almost ripped out of its socket as his fall jerked to an abrupt halt. Stunned, Cesi opened his eyes and looked up at whoever had saved him.

It was Skywalker.

“Don’t let go!” Skywalker grunted, straining to pull Cesi back up. Cesi didn’t have time to feel stunned, instinctively grasping back at Luke’s hand as adrenaline flooded his system once again. 

“Give me your other hand - " Cesi gasped back.

Sweat dripped down Skywalker’s temples. “I can’t - " he said tightly, curling the arm clutching his up a little. Cesi kicked his feet, trying to find traction on the wall of the damn hole and help pull himself out, but there was nothing to brace them against. Skywalker’s arm trembled and then uncurled again, dropping Cesi back down to where he’d been. It was only then that Cesi realized that the other one - his false and stronger hand, was presumably holding on to something else so that he wasn’t pulled over the edge by the weight of Cesi’s body.

Cesi tried once again to muscle his way back up but his arm was still slick with blood and he was weak – he didn’t have the strength that he needed to get himself over the lip. He tried to swing his leg over the edge but couldn’t catch the edge. In any part, the motion jarred his busted ribs and at the same time, his grip on Skywalker slipped and he would have fallen completely if Skywalker hadn’t managed to keep ahold of him, though he slid forwards further towards the edge as well. 

“I got you – I won’t let you fall, just hang on!” Skywalker repeated quickly. 

The sound of the blaster rifle echoed in the cavern and the damn monster screamed out in anger and pain and it seemed to drown out everything else.

Wedge bolted after Luke, holstering his weapon as he ran.

That damn crusher. 

The doors had been left open. 

Wedge had left them open. 

And now it stood as another painful testament to his failings as a leader. 

All he could think was why had he been so stupid as to leave the crusher open? Why the hell hadn’t he just closed the damn thing earlier? It would have been so easy! What if it fucking killed someone? 

Luke got there first, throwing himself forwards and snatching Cesi's arm just as he slipped and fell. Wedge was only a little ways behind him and as soon as he was close enough, he threw his body over the back of Luke’s legs to help hold him in place. 

“Luke! I got you! Pull him up!” 

Luke immediately reached down with his other hand and grabbed a hold of the back of Cesi’s belt and with a shout of fury and determination, heaved him the rest of the way up and over the edge. 

Together he and Luke dragged Cesi away from the edge of the pit and then Wedge went back and with Luke’s help, they heaved the heavy metal doors up and slammed the one side closed before moving to do the same to the other. 

“You alright?” Wedge demanded, falling to his knees in front of his friend. He barely noticed as Luke moved out of the way. Cesi was still where they’d left him and his hands were shaking something fierce. His breathing was hard and fast and Wedge couldn’t imagine what was going through his head. 

All he could hear was the grinding motor of the damn crusher sounding loud in his ears - his own failures laughing at him in the cruelest way. His heartbeat seemed to pound in time with it and he wanted to throw up.

Cesi could have died. 

He almost died and it would have been all his fault. 

Just like Caleb. 

But perhaps even worse because this was something Wedge had had control over. He should have known better. He should have been thinking more clearly. He should have done it differently.

Dear Force, why hadn’t he just closed the damn thing when he’d had the chance? Why why why - ?

Wedge grabbed Cesi, barely remembering to try and be gentle and checking to see that he wasn’t any more injured than he’d been before. “Cesi – are you alright?”

Cesi only nodded - he seemed completely shaken. He was horribly pale now and dark eyes kept flickering back to the crusher even as he pressed a blood-soaked hand numbly up against his damaged arm. “I’m good – I’m okay.” he croaked hoarsely. 

“Are you sure? ”

“No!” Cesi snapped at him, his shoulders tight with pain and tension. He kept his eyes firmly on the ground, using what seemed like tactical breathing exercises to calm down. A small voice in the back of Wedge’s mind whispered a reminder that Cesi didn’t like attention and he slowly sat back, wiping sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. 

He’d almost gotten someone else killed. 

Wedge jumped at the sound of an absolutely thunderous crash and turned, trying in vain to calm his shattered nerves. 

Vader and the creature were closer then they’d been before and there was a trail of debris and destruction marking their path through the cavern. One of the large support pillars had collapsed, throwing up dirt and dust that seemed to sit like fog in the air and obscuring the section of the cavern. The lights nearest to Vader flickered for a few seconds and his red lightsaber lit a path as he advanced on the beast, his cape flaring out behind him. 

An angry hiss echoed back at him and then Vader faltered in his step for the briefest moments. A blaster shot instantly rang out from the second level walkway, followed by another and then another.

“I missed - you… Ani. I - missed you… so much.”

The creature’s warped voice sounded again. This time it was the haunting, echoing sound of a woman whose voice sounded weak and fading. 

Ani.

Anakin, Wedge realized dumbly. 

Because Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were actually one and the same.

“Ani, I - missed… you. So - much. So… much.”

The air turned cold. 

Frigid and sharp enough to draw blood. It was filled with pain and anger so real and palpable that for a few seconds, Wedge could easily imagine that it was his own. Power crackled in the air once again – lightning in a terrible storm – and all around him, metal began to bend and shriek in tune with the rage and pain that was Vader’s.

“Oh shit,” Luke breathed.

The small intertwining threads that connected Luke to his father blackened with rage. 

A juxtaposition of emotions flooded along their bond, unguarded and powerful, almost enough to knock the very air from Luke’s lungs. 

Hurt. Grief. Shock. Anger. Pain. Longing. 

There was so much feeling. Old hurt and sorrows that spanned a lifetime and somehow felt as though they were still fresh and new. It felt like what Luke imagined deep grooves being carved into raw, flayed skin felt like. It was a wonder that his father hadn’t drowned in the misery of it all a long time ago. 

“Be brave… Ani. Don’t… look - back.”

Though Luke had never known or heard it before, he knew without needing to be told that the gentle voice the mimic was now stealing belonged to his late grandmother. 

“Don’t - look back. Be brave – Ani. Don’t – look… back.”

Shrapnel and debris flew through the air all around them like it had all been sucked up into a whirlwind and was launched at the monster without hesitation or mercy. Metal and rocks and pieces of machinery slammed into a space that suddenly shimmered like refraction on the distant Desert sands at high noon and hints… or flickers of the mimic appeared for brief instances in front of his eyes. Not the bright gray images shared with him from his father. 

It was actually coming into view for a few sparse seconds at a time. 

Objects were embedding themselves deep into its thick hide and it screeched in pain and rage, stumbling about and almost collapsing entirely under the absolutely brutal assault. In flashes that came in time with the creature's appearance, Luke felt the Force stir as it reacted. 

The inky black void seemed to pulse and instantly some pieces of flying debris veered off before making contact with it, crashing into walls and machinery with a clatter. 

His father took advantage of its distraction and lifted a hand, curling his fingers inwards and somehow latching on to the mimic with the Force. The intent to tear its lungs to shreds and watch it suffocate flitted over from his fathers side of their bond. The mimic twisted, using one of its long front legs to start ripping the offending pieces of metal from its hide and Luke watched in amazement as its injuries immediately began to stitch themselves together.

What was this thing?

There was no way it could just be a Force sensitive animal. 

Animals - even predators, knew when they were outmatched. They knew when to turn tail and run. And if Vader hadn’t been trying before, he certainly was now. Luke had the terrifying thought that Vader’s rage, the way it was now, could tear worlds apart as effectively as any Death Star ever could.

But this thing… this thing was just taking the abuse.

It didn’t make sense. 

No animal would do that - not for a meal as small and petty as they all individually were. 

No… no, it had to be something more than a motivation for food or even territory.  

It was taunting his father because it wanted to. There was a reason behind it. Which meant that… that it knew what it was doing. 

“I missed - you.” It said angrily and warnings began to ring loudly in Luke’s head. “Ani - I… missed you - so… much.”

“ENOUGH!” Vader bellowed. Clenching his fist, the dark side gathered in the air above his father and then arched outwards like a funnel cloud and slammed into the mimic with ruthless force. It was easily pushed down under the power of his fathers rage.

Danger.

Vader took off and Luke could only stare, his heart pounding a wild beat in his chest as his fathers own words of caution played on repeat in his mind.

Have a plan or move with caution. Blindly rushing into unknowns is always a fools errand. 

“I… missed - you so… much.” 

This wasn’t a plan.

This wasn’t caution.

It was just rage. 

And the creature wasn’t even trying to get back up. The mimic was just letting his father come at it. It was doing nothing to escape the hold Vader had on it. It was just taunting and waiting… and its long spiked tail swished behind it once like a loth-cat getting ready to pounce.

DANGER.

Luke started running, ignoring the startled shouts and cries for him to come back. He had eyes and ears only for his father. He was approaching the refracted air, where the mimics head must be, raising his lightsaber to deliver what would surely be a killing blow, and ignoring everything else -

“Father, wait - "

The world around Luke completely whited out.

For the second time in so short a period, pain flooded through his and Luke's Force bond with reckless abandon. 

The only difference was that this time, Vader did not know which one of them was suffering. 

His head had already been pounding - a torturous ache that had sprung up and startled him almost as much as the sound of his mother's voice had. He could feel the creature ripping into his mind, tearing through his memories in a manner that was eerily similar to the Sith version of a memory walk and had been further exacerbated by his own attempts to force it out. 

It clung to him viciously, in a manner that he had not anticipated. 

It wanted to hurt him.

And now… now it was as though he were being consumed in the fires of Mustafar all over again. The hot sting of Obi-Wan and her betrayal curling in his blood like a knife that had shredded his heart was fresh and new and the heat - the hot, burning anguish that ate at his body and mind.

It was torturous, the worst pain he’d ever known - scalding and terrible, eating through layers and layers of his flesh, melting his lungs and scorching his eyes, and why couldn’t Obi-Wan just kill him already?

He wanted to die and he deserved to die for all that he’d done and there was no going back and please, please just kill him.

The mental claws scraping inside his head brought him back just enough to realize that it was a memory - Mustafar had been years and years ago and somewhere in the here and now… someone terribly and wonderfully important to him was crying out in agony. 

Luke. 

The beast wanted to hurt him but even more…  it wanted to hurt Luke. 

He couldn’t allow that. 

He wouldn’t.

He grasped at the fluttering strings of the Force and forcibly wrapped his presence around the claws the beast had sunk into his mind and yanked - 

It felt like hot fire and acid and the pains of Mustafar echoed loudly around him. Vader gritted his teeth and pulled again - and again, ripping the creature out of his mind but refusing to let it go either. He could feel it now - its anger, its hatred, the very breath in its lungs. 

It lived only to kill.

And Vader knew it wouldn’t stop hunting until it killed Luke. He found the string of light that connected them together and felt the dark void pressing down on it. The beast was forcing his memories down their connection, forcing Luke to experience what he felt. Vader snarled and threw up his shields, closing himself off from Luke entirely. 

The beast was clever. 

More than he’d thought it would be. 

That had been his mistake. 

The creature’s mistake was in the fact that it preferred to play with its victims instead of killing them outright.

Vader gathered his power together, pulled himself to his knees and then pushed.

As quickly as it had begun, it ended, and Luke was gasping and coughing and crying, tasting blood in his mouth and scrambling blindly backwards in a desperate attempt to get away and avoid having to experience that torture all over again – 

His limbs were trembling from shock and the phantom pain of what he could only name as being burned alive ate at his mind. Then there were hands hooking underneath his armpits, dragging him backwards across the ground - 

He felt empty.

Something was gone. 

Something important - what was it… where was…?

“Luke – Luke!”

Luke blinked, staring unseeingly up at… at Wedge… and tried to comprehend what the hell that had been and why – why…?

“Are you alright?” Wedge demanded almost hysterically. “Where are you hurt?”

Everywhere, he wanted to scream but even as he thought it, Luke realized that the pain was fading and then was gone entirely. He looked down at himself, half expecting to see fire or burns engulfing his body but he was fine. 

He was fine.

His hands were shaking but he was fine. 

Luke shook his head quickly, swallowing thickly and trying to chase the memory of that terrible pain and suffering away. “I’m okay. I think I’m okay, I swear. Where’s my – "

An agonized, ungodly screech sounded, loud and grating until Luke was convinced his ears would start bleeding if it didn’t stop and Luke looked to see his father advancing mercilessly on the creature and it scrambling backwards to get away for the first time. 

His father threw out a hand and his lightsaber flew into it. Without missing a step, he reignited the blade with a kreesh and then charged forwards, swinging the bright red blade in an angry, but graceful overarching swing at the mimic. The creature lashed out with one of its long front legs as if to swat his father away from it but the lightsaber made first contact.

The mimic screeched, screaming and hissing. It lunged forwards, snapping at Vader viciously and Luke saw that it was missing one of its front legs. 

Vader stepped to the side to avoid it and then lifted a hand. For the smallest moment, the creature seemed to lift off of the ground entirely, hanging weightless in the air before it was slammed back down with enough force to break steel beams. The lightsaber swung in the air again and the creature twisted its head out of the way at the very last second, turning to lash out with its tail instead. 

Vader jumped, dodging it entirely and slashed another long gash into the mimic's back flank. He paused, slowly herding the creature into the corner of the cavern closest to where they were, trapping it so that it had nowhere to go.

It hissed deeply, glowering darkly at Vader and flaring its neck plates out wide. 

Luke was aware of Wedge and Cesi beside him, watching everything with wide disbelieving eyes. 

A truck creaked and groaned as it was lifted off the ground by invisible hands and with a wave of his fist, Vader launched the entire thing at the mimic - 

At the last possible second, the creature crouched low and rushed past Vader with horrifying speed. At the same time, there was a loud, thunderous crash as the truck slammed into a row of large metal barrels that were sitting along the wall, each of which had a triangle with a flame in the middle plastered on the front. 

They exploded in a fiery blaze that had all of them shielding their eyes from the explosion and the intense surge of heat that followed it. Vader himself was thrown backwards in the blast and a cry of pain could be heard from before the sound of it disappeared in the rest of the noise and confusion. Flames twenty or thirty feet high spewed up the walls and lit up the cavern in a terrifying blaze that was enveloped in walls of poofy black smoke. 

Almost instantly, some of the lights overhead began to flicker as the delicate wiring along that side of the wall burned, hissing and sparking in the flames. 

“No. No, no, no – ” Luke whispered before scrambling up to his feet, scanning the smoke and flames desperately. “Father!”

There was no reply and he tried looking for their bond in the Force and for the first time since Vader had found him, he felt nothing but darkness.

It was gone.

Their Force bond had gone dark. 

What… what if his father was gone?

That seemed... impossible. 

It was too soon. 

He wanted more time and it wasn’t supposed to just end here. 

Not like this. 

Nothing was supposed to be more powerful than his father. 

Luke looked around and thought that he saw Tycho running along the upper walkway in their direction before smoke and flames obscured him from view. 

He took a few more steps forwards, using his sleeve to cover his airways before hollering, “FATHER!”

“WEDGE! LOOK OUT!”

Up on the walkway, Tycho skidded to a halt and moments later, the smoke and flames rose up higher in the air and blocked him from view entirely once again – but a rifle blast sounded just seconds later, and they saw the bright red bolt emerge from the smoke and shoot straight through the air. From somewhere in front of them, Luke heard the mimic hiss in pain and anger as the shot made contact with it. 

The smoke parted, twirling and spinning as the creature advanced forwards towards them and this time… this time, Luke could see it. 

Really, truly see it. 

It was as horrible and monstrous as he remembered it being. That awful face that had glared out at him through the shadows of the mine.

It had hated him then and it most certainly hated him now. 

At least the feeling was mutual.

“Stay behind me.” Luke ordered tightly, his own righteous anger igniting like a fire inside of him. He heard Wedge and Cesi’s shuffling feet and sensed more than saw them both taking refuge behind him. 

Father had said the creature was manipulating him. That it was trapping him inside his own mind and cutting him off from the Force.

But it was still there for him to reach for - Vader and the tiny whispers he felt even now had proven that to be true. 

He just wanted it back. 

Luke searched inwards again and found nothing. 

The mimic took another step towards him and the moment seemed so slow. It was as if there was all the time in the world for him to try and figure this out. He searched again, looking for anything and was frustrated again by the nothingness he felt. 

The Force is not lost to either of us, is it? 

But it’s gone. It’s been gone.

Why hadn’t he asked his father how he’d managed to shift the void off of him? How had he found the Force?

It feels like nothing, as you say, because the creature in the mines is manipulating you.

…how… how had Yoda lifted his X-wing out of the water?

I don’t believe it. 

That is why you fail. 

Father had said that the Force was still there. 

Could the answer really be that simple? 

Luke narrowed his eyes and tried to believe that it was actually there. And this time, when he reached for the Force… he felt something shift at his touch. 

In front of him, the creature hesitated for the first time, narrowing its black eyes at him as if sensing a change. Thin plating around his head and neck flared outwards and it hissed that familiar reptilian hiss and arched its back like a pissed off loth cat. 

“Come on, you bastard,” Luke said between gritted teeth, easily matching the creature's anger with his own. “Come and get me.”

This whole time, Luke hadn't been afraid of being captured by Vader. Wedge had gotten that all wrong. The anxious, almost fearful glances back and forth - the need to have his lightsaber - all of it. He had misunderstood entirely.

Luke wasn't afraid of his father.

He had wanted to help him. 

The realization floored him and Wedge honestly didn’t know what to do with it.

He wasn’t sure what it meant or how it fit into his understanding of anything anymore. And unfortunately, he didn’t have the luxury right now of trying to figure it out either.

The creature was coming back. 

It hissed darkly, its black eyes glinting wickedly in the light of the fire that was burning. The smell of some kind of gasoline was strong in the air.

Then Wedge felt a sharp, agonizing pain pound in both temples, almost as if something were clawing its way into his brain. He gasped out loud, one hand flying to press against his forehead. “Oh, shit - " he hissed, eyes immediately beginning to water in pain. "Oh shit, oh shit - "

“Wedge - come… inside,” his mother’s voice called out and he felt his blood run cold. It was horrifying to hear her now after she’d been gone for what felt like so long. “Time to… eat - Wedge. Time for… dinner.”

It was wrong. 

Wedge needed it to stop.  

“No, you don’t - " Luke hissed. He took another bold step forward as if to better shield them both, lifted his left hand and in a manner that was far too similar to Vader, began to curl his fingers inwards; instantly, there was a sick sort of screeching sound in front of them and then the creature spun in a furious rage, coughing and hacking as it was mercilessly choked –

The clawing fingers in his brain released their hold on him almost immediately. The ground almost seemed to lurch underneath him and Wedge grabbed blindly at Cesi standing next to him in order to try and hold himself steady, trying to comprehend what had happened.

The dangling hook of a dragline standing in front of them was swaying slightly. 

Something had happened. 

Wedge blinked and looked at Luke again. 

And… for the first time, he saw it. 

The resemblance between Luke and Vader. 

It had seemed so impossible earlier.

He hadn’t understood it - and he still didn’t, not really but… he could see it now even with the lack of any physical resemblance to compare them to. 

A blast from the rifle sounded once more, the red streak of light punching the creature backwards a few steps. Luke slid forward as a result, as if he were being pulled by an invisible line. He dug his heels into the ground and kept his fist curled tight though, the muscles in his arm and neck straining with effort it took to hold on.

The creature hacked a breathless sound, unable to draw in air as it tried to break free -  

Looking at him now, in this one moment, Wedge could absolutely believe that Luke Skywalker was the son of Darth Vader.

“Come on – " Skywalker forced out between gritted teeth, beads of sweat slipping down his temples. “Just… break.” 

The rifle went off again and the blast seemed to hit the creature in the neck, forcing more air from its lungs in a wheezing kind of snarl. Skywalker suddenly gasped, his face whitening in pain and then the ground lurched again, more powerfully this time. It rippled like a rolling earthquake and the epicenter was the creature itself. The power of it sent both him and Wedge stumbling to their knees.

Cesi braced his hands against the ground while Wedge tried to do the same, attempting to find his balance while the world seemed to do its damnedest to fall apart.

“Luke.” The creature spat out, turning its massive head back to glare at Skywalker with black eyes. The ground rippled again and this time, Skywalker did lose his balance stumbling as if he’d been personally pushed over.

The creature drew in a breath of air and its maw hung open as it panted. Angry, echoing words spewed out in Vader’s deep baritone voice. “Luke – come… with me.”

Skywalker cried out, lifting a hand to clench at his hair with a knuckle-white fist.

Wedge scrambled forwards to cover Skywalker and fired his blaster in rapid succession as the creature stepped towards them again. It hissed, undeterred and took another step and the ground trembled, rippling and lurching violently.

Skywalker blindly waved one hand and the dragline that stood perhaps twenty feet in front of them swayed and then slowly tilted to the side with a groan before finally toppling over in front of the creature with a mighty crash. It jumped backwards and hissed its reptilian hiss before turning, vanishing like a wraith into the smoke again to find a way around it.

Wedge scooted closer to Skywalker and grabbed him with one hand by the shoulder, keeping his blaster extended outwards with his other hand.

“Luke… Luke!” he said urgently, shrewdly searching for any hint of movement in the smoke and flames. “We need to move, come on!”

“Can’t - ” Skywalker choked out in a pained whimper. There were little trails of blood bleeding out from his eyes now.

All three of them looked up as one unit while the terrifying imitation of Vader’s breathing sounded to the right of them now. It was much closer than before. 

“Luke – I… am your – father.” the creature snarled, its awful face appearing once again from behind a massive piece of machinery. Smoke and fire billowed behind it and it glared at the three of them with its black eyes. Wedge saw its muscles tense as it prepared to move. “I am – your… father. Luke… join – me.”

Skywalker scrambled backwards on his butt, pushing both Cesi and Wedge behind him, and then throwing his arms out in front of them protectively as the creature suddenly lunged towards them with a screech. The sound echoed throughout the cavern and made his blood run cold. Tycho’s rifle sounded again and again and again with no effect and this was it, they were all going to die -  

It was within just twelve feet of them, maw opened wide, one of its long front legs outstretched, when a massive rush of power exploded around them, throwing up dirt and rocks, and Cesi watched in total shock and amazement as the creature was violently thrown backwards away from them. It slammed into a massive pipe that was protruding from the wall and hit the ground with a scream of fury even as it immediately scrambled to find its footing once again.

And then Vader was there, placing himself firmly between Skywalker and the monster, Skywalker’s green lightsaber in hand. One gloved hand was outstretched, and Cesi could feel the hair on the back of his neck raise as he felt the sheer amount of raw power that was lighting up the very air. It was nothing that he could see and the best that he could compare the feeling to was electricity in a lightning storm. 

The creature was hissing, and it lunged forwards towards them again only to immediately hit an invisible barrier. It screamed in frustration and raged, seeming to strain against some incredible power but was unable to advance forwards. 

“Luke, get up!” Vader snapped over a smoldering shoulder. In fact, there was smoke rising up in several places on his suit and there were patches burnt out of his cape rimmed with red and orange. “Stay on your feet!”

In front of them, Skywalker had a look of utter relief on his face, and he quickly scrambled to obey. He shed his jacket, tossing it aside and using the sleeve of his black shirt to wipe the blood from his eyes, painting streaks across his face.

“Are you alright?” Skywalker asked quickly. His eyes briefly dotted over Vader’s figure, as if trying to assess him for injuries. There was a crack running down the back length of his mask and wires were exposed and charred in the shoulder of one of his arms - a prosthetic arm, Cesi realized dumbly. He wondered what other injuries there were that they couldn’t see. 

“No.” Vader snarled shortly, his fearsome gaze locked solely on the creature. The black hatred in the air felt so tangible that Cesi was convinced he could reach out and touch it with his fingers. 

Skywalker’s expression twisted uneasily but his attention was diverted by the creature slamming up against the barrier and shrieking its outrage. Then it twisted around, using its teeth to rip more protruding metal from its body. 

“Nothing we’re doing is having an effect on it,” Skywalker said quickly, wincing as he coughed. “And the smoke - "

“The power is still on,” Vader assured him tightly. “The air filtration system will push most of it outside.”

Cesi glanced around, coughing into his sleeve but even now… it seemed like Vader was right. The smoke was dark but if he looked closely enough, there were corners of the cavern where the smoke seemed to be being pulled towards and then slowly sucked upwards. 

“Don’t… look back – Ani.” It hissed angrily, adding a sinister edge to a voice that was otherwise soft and gentle. “Be brave. Don’t – look… back.”  

“I cannot keep it back for long. Take the others and get out.” Vader continued stiffly.

“Yeah, because you’re doing so great on your own.” Skywalker snarked at him, shaking his head. “If you can hold it for a little longer, we could make a run for it - ”

“No,” Vader said immediately. He turned his head to look at Skywalker then. “It will continue its hunt for us outside the mines as well.”

Skywalker paused, glancing back at the creature with a stressed look on his face.

“You need something that will pack a bigger punch,” Wedge interjected. His expression blanched almost immediately and he looked uneasily at Vader who stared right back at him. “It’s… it’s healing too quickly.”

His evil red eye lenses trained on him and Cesi stirred, ready to reach for his blaster at the slightest hint of trouble -

“Captain Antilles, take your men and get out."

Wedge paused and glanced uneasily between the two and clearly at odds with the idea of taking orders from Vader. 

Skywalker offered him a quick reassuring smile. “It’s okay, Wedge. I’ll be alright. Do you still have the keycard I gave you?”

A keycard?

Cesi jerked his head around to stare at Wedge, suddenly breathless. 

If they had a damn card, they could finally get out. 

Wedge nodded, digging his hand into his back pocket. He froze, a horrified expression coming across his face. He searched his other one and then dug into his jacket but seemed to come up with the same result. 

“Luke - " Wedge said, his voice sounding strangled even to himself. “I don’t, I don’t have it. It must have fallen out somewhere - ”

“Go with them - "

“Knock it off, I'm trying to help!” Skywalker snapped back at him. Vader made a sound of frustration and Skywalker glowered at him fearlessly. Then he paused, his eyes widening in realization. “Father, the computer - it’s a standard Imperial system. It should accept your override code.”

The creature rushed the invisible line again and while it obviously was hitting something, there was no sound to show for the massive beast slamming its full weight against whatever that something was – though Vader slid backwards on his feet a few inches before tightening his stance and taking a difficult step forwards. 

“I am not giving rebels my personal code,” he said incredulously. 

Skywalker waved a hand, deflecting a piece of the broken walkway that was flying their way. It crashed into the wall with a loud bang that echoed throughout the cavern. "I'm a rebel and you said you would help me!” Skywalker snapped again. “Just change the damn code when we get out of here!”

“Luke – "

“Father!”

Vader snarled in frustration and he swung Skywalker’s lightsaber to split another massive piece of debris right now down the middle. The broken pieces veered off to the side and avoided them all by a hairsbreadth. “Five – eight – five – three!” he snapped. 

“Thank you!” 

“Five – eight – five – three,” Wedge said, repeating it a few times with eyes wide. He twisted, turning to Cesi. “Tell me the code.”

Cesi quickly repeated the numbers.

Wedge nodded and then shoved him with one hand. “Good, now go! Get Zach - I’ll find Tycho!”

With one last conflicted look at Skywalker, Wedge turned and took off.

Cesi watched for a moment as the creature began slinking its way between the massive pieces of machinery once again, searching for a weak spot in the Force wall, perhaps. When it didn’t find one, it began to pace back and forth along the border of power that marked a line where it could no longer pass, like an animal in a zoo, frustrated and angry.

“Ani… be brave - don’t… look back. Don’t - look… back, Ani.”

The air began to feel like lightning in a storm once again. 

Cold and dark and dangerous. 

Cesi turned and ran and he didn’t dare look back.

Luke stepped so that he once again stood side by side with his father, pushing as much of his Force presence as he could up against the creature to help keep it back and away from them for as long as possible. He was still trapped in a type of cage but it was nothing like before. 

Together they both watched as the mimic glared at them and then its massive head raised and it looked around, searching for… something – after a moment, it glanced back at them and then ducked low, slinking behind some of the larger pieces of machinery. Luke looked in the direction it was heading and saw that it was clearly making for one of the exits in the wall.

He dared to hope that maybe it had finally had enough but didn’t have enough time to finish the thought before Vader clenched a fist and brought his arm close to his chest with an angry jerk. The metal walkway above the closest exit was instantly torn out from the wall and crumbled to the ground with a loud crash. Jagged pieces of metal and rebar blocked the way in a massive heap. 

His father wasn’t going to let it leave now – leave and disappear into the darkness again, only to return for them at some unknown time - perhaps he might have, earlier, before it had done so much damage to the both of them. Before it had dared to resurrect his grandmother's voice and taunted his father with words of love and painful goodbyes from the past.

Now it was personal. 

But how were they supposed to kill it?

Wedge hadn’t been wrong - they needed something more powerful. Something quicker than trying to choke it out or breaking it piece by piece. 

Where were they going to get something that packed a bigger punch than his father though?

Vader had bent and broken the damn thing more than once already and it kept getting up again. It healed too quickly. At this rate, the only thing that was going to kill it was a bomb – 

Luke froze, his racing thoughts coming to a screeching halt as he finally remembered. 

He dug his hand into his pockets, searching desperately until he felt his fingers land on a small, round piece of metal. 

“Father,” Luke said breathlessly, holding up his hand to show him the transmitter that he’d taken from the spine of the dead Wookie slave just the other day. He’d almost forgotten that he’d even had it. 

Transmitters could blow a full-grown man to pieces in the blink of an eye. Their small size was deceptive to someone who didn’t know the danger of them – they were wildly powerful and if they could just get in the right place, it would do more than its fair share of damage. 

Their eyes met and Luke knew without needing to ask that they were on the same page. 

Hammer and anvil.

“Do you know how to activate it?”

Luke nodded. “Beru taught me how.”

“Then I’ll hold it for you,” Vader said. The Force began to darken as his father pulled on the dark side once again, forcing it to respond and obey his will. He clenched his fist and Luke felt it rush forwards in front of them like a black fog of hate and anger. Seconds later, the mimic was shrieking in pain, a gurgling choking sound escaping its throat as it began to squirm violently from side to side, trying to escape from the death hold his father had on it.

It shook its massive head and slammed into the side of a dozer and knocked it a few feet. Luke thought for a moment that it might even tip over entirely but then the creature was digging its claws into the dirt and resisting as his father pulled it backwards towards the wall inch… by… inch.

Vader snatched Luke’s arm just as he took a steadying breath, grabbing him by the bicep and preventing him from advancing forwards. Luke turned to look at him, startled. Their eyes met once again and some unnamable emotion passed between them. 

“What?”

There was a half second of hesitation. 

“Be careful.” Vader finally warned.

Luke glanced back at the mimic and then offered his father a small reassuring smile. “I got this.” he promised. 

The grip on his arm tightened for the briefest moment, almost enough to hurt and then Vader was releasing him. "Go." 

And then Luke took off, moving as agilely as he could, letting whatever remnants of the Force he could snag propel him forwards. 

His lungs and chest burned as he ran, pushing his body past the last of his endurance. Once he was close enough, he tugged on the Force and used it to leap up to the top of the dozer. He landed lightly on the balls of his feet and without hesitating, jumped for the second story walkway that sat only a few feet higher. Most of it had already been destroyed or was otherwise unsteady at this point but this part looked to be mounted well enough into the wall that it might be willing to withstand his weight for a few moments.

Luke turned, finding his balance easily and looked down at the creature struggling just below him. He could hear the disgusting crunching and snapping of bones over the sounds of its angry screeches as his father continued to try and break it faster than it could heal. The walls above him seemed to tremble and he felt the walkway shaking under his feet as the creature’s Force presence began to ripple out around them once again.

The chip was held loosely in his closed fist and he scanned the beast quickly before finding his target location and leaping off the walkway a short distance onto the mimic's back.

It hissed in rage and anger and Luke could feel its powerful muscles shifting under his feet and knew that it would throw him off in an instant were his father not keeping it mostly in place. He moved quickly between the spines and found his balance near its shoulder blades. In a quick movement, he planted the transmitter on the back of the mimic's neck, the tiny but effective barbs on the back implanting themselves in the mimic's thick, scaly hide. They wouldn’t have sunk in too deeply but Luke only needed it to stay in place for a few seconds. He pressed down on the small green light with his thumb and held it down to the count of five.

A shrill beep sounded outwards, above the sound of screeching, and then the color changed from green to a flashing red, indicating its imminent detonation in – 

five…

four…

three…

Luke turned and leapt for the ground below him but moved just a second too slow. Behind him, the creature screeched in absolute agony as the transmitter went off with a blast that threw Luke off balance. He hit the ground hard, with enough force to knock the air from his lungs, and then skidded a little ways. The creature was still shrieking and he quickly covered his head with his arms as a splatter of hot liquid fell over him that could only be blood and other such disgusting things. Then Luke was moving, scrambling to his feet, heedless of whatever pain he was in, knowing only that he needed to move - 

He'd only managed to put just a few feet of distance between him and the mimic when an absolutely massive wave of power exploded behind him in the Force, like a massive krayt dragon erupting out from underneath the desert sand.

“Son of a bitch!” Luke gasped, as he was once again thrown off his feet. He barely managed to catch himself on his forearms as he fell, his head and mind exploding as the Force returned and his awareness of the galaxy once again flooded his senses. It was overwhelming – a beautiful and terrible agony that seemed to penetrate every fiber of his being and extended across the entire universe. 

He couldn’t think or hear anything and for a brief moment, Luke forgot everything. He dazedly watched stars blink in and out of existence throughout time itself, and watched distant planets rotate on their axis’. He felt the heartbeats of millions -of what must have been every life form on every planet in the entire sector – from tiny rodents in their burrows under the earth, to fowls gliding gracefully in the air, and sentient species going about their lives. Somewhere in the galaxy, Han was still encased in carbonite, his thoughts frozen and lingering on Leia’s face as though it were the last thing he’d wanted to see and then Yoda on Dagobah, leaning on his staff in the doorway of his hut, staring out into the Force and it felt like he was looking straight at Luke and knew… then he was gone, lost in the millions of others that flashed in front of his eyes.

There were massive creatures that were centuries old deep in the oceans, singing songs as old as the galaxy itself. The mimic's two massive hearts sounded like a war drum in his head, and lastly he recognized the small number of people that were spread out immediately around him, their emotions bleeding into the Force like black ink spilled on white paper.

There was so much… it was marvelous - a wonder and a beauty that he had no words to describe. It also hurt - it was painful and terrifying to see so much and he wasn’t prepared for the experience… but it would be easy, effortless even, to simply get lost in it all. Some small part of him, instinct perhaps, whispered that that was a dangerous thing to do but he, for the life of him, couldn’t really understand why that would be….

“Luke!” 

He twitched, feeling the dirt and rocks under his hands. His flesh hand had been scraped raw and he knew it was bleeding. The realization brought him back a little, grounding him in the strangest way.

“LUKE!”

Luke. 

That was… that was his name. 

“GET UP!”

Luke blinked, the swirling images of distant stars and galaxies being replaced by red dirt, flame, and smoke. His eyes were stinging painfully and he remembered… that he needed to move. Moving was important. The Force and someone else - maybe even more than one someone - were shouting at him to move.

He needed to move now. 

Dazed, his head and ears ringing, Luke forced himself to find his feet, trying to bring his awareness back to the here and now. Almost immediately, they slipped underneath him and he felt his knees slam into the ground, though the hurt felt as though it came from far away. He felt as unsteady as a newborn bantha experiencing the desert sand for the first time. How the… hell were limbs supposed to work…?  

The massive creatures in the oceans sang and sang and somewhere else in the galaxy, far, far away a strange looking bird had its feathers ruffled by a breeze as it sat on the twig of a tree in full blossom - 

- the Force wanted him to move - 

Luke blinked again, lifting his head to look around and saw as the mimic stumbled, its massive body slamming sideways into the wall. It was covered in blood and gore now and something about its face or neck seemed terribly wrong but he couldn’t spare the seconds to understand why. 

Laughter and music from a festival on a planet light years away echoed strangely in his ears but more immediately, metal groaned loudly overhead and the sound was grating and miserable to his ears under the cacophony of noise. He looked up, following the sound.

Above him, the structural integrity of the walkway had already been damaged earlier and the force of the explosion from the transmitter going off had rocked it back into the wall and it was all going to fall down and Luke was right underneath it – 

Strong arms yanked him up to his feet and there was a brief flurry of movement that churned his stomach in the most sickening kind of way before Luke felt as he was pulled close to someone’s chest. Danger danger DANGER rang like a blaring fire alarm in the Force and Luke instinctively raised his arms to try and protect his head. The respirator breathing in his ear gave away who it was behind him and then Vader was twisting around and hunching over him protectively as metal, rock, and debris fell around them in an absolutely deafening crash.

It seemed to last for an age though in reality it was probably only twenty or twenty-five seconds at most before the thundering noise quieted down to a few occasional crashes from falling debris hitting the ground… and then nothing at all. 

It was quiet.

It took Luke a few seconds longer to realize that his mind was growing quiet again too. His father’s familiar Force signature was a gentle pressure curled around and on top of his own, like a weighted blanket. It acted as a shield to protect him from the painful awareness that had thrown him off his feet and there were almost indiscernible whisperings of quiet calm relax that were easing the tsunami of pain and awareness which had taken over his mind.

Every part of him ached, all the way down to the marrow in his bones and he couldn’t remember a time, save perhaps in the days following Bespin, where he had felt so completely exhausted.

Luke slowly lowered his arms and then raised his head to survey their surroundings. Behind him, Vader let go of his protective hold and took a small step back to create a little distance between them but kept a steadying hand on his shoulder and his force presence curled protectively around his own. 

“Are you alright?” 

His voice seemed to boom. It sounded harsh and loud to his ears and for a split second Luke thought that he could see the sound waves rippling outwards in the air in front of him. They almost seemed to dance, twirling in an intricate sort of way and were made of colors he’d never seen before. Then he blinked and then they were gone.

“I… I think so?”

The whispers - the call to become one with the Force slowly slipped away and Luke breathed a sigh of relief when reality finally seemed to cement itself once again. 

Something shifted behind them and rocks clattered lightly as they were displaced. Together, he and Vader turned as one. 

Underneath a pile of metal grates and beams and fallen rocks, laid the mimic. 

It wasn’t dead yet but it would be soon. Its breathing was wet and labored.

Luke could only stare at the twitching, gasping creature. He felt nothing.

The transmitter chip had done its job well and it had blown a massive hole into the back of the mimic’s neck. How the damn thing hadn’t blown its head off entirely, Luke couldn’t begin to guess… but the damage was done nonetheless. Exposed spinal cord, shards of broken bone, and torn muscle tissue were visible. Blood seeped from the wound freely, dripping down its scaly leather neck and pooling in a large puddle around its body. Many of the impressive spikes that had adorned its back were broken or missing entirely and some of its limbs were grotesquely broken, courtesy of his father’s rage. It had been impaled by more than one piece of rebar. 

Pinned to the ground like an insect to a board.

Its massive legs twitched every few seconds and they slowly approached it, Luke leaning on his father for support. The creature’s black eyes turned once again to focus on them and seconds later, a sharp, miserable pain instantly shot through his head. Luke gasped in surprise, raising a hand to press against his temple as the mimic forced its way into his mind once again. Its maw fell open and this time, an unfamiliar voice, weak and feminine, sounded out from it.

“…Luke… Lu-ke….”

Beside him, his father stiffened and his thoughts were quickly closed off before Luke could do more than register the grief and pain that the sound of that voice provoked. 

He was confused for two or three seconds before it clicked, and he remembered and then understood.

The creature only copied the voices of blood relatives. 

“…hi Luke.” It gasped wetly, mimicking the quiet voice of a woman whose name he’d never known. Luke felt his head pound in utter agony, pulsing as memories that were too old for him to remember on his own were ripped from his mind. Weak cries of pain briefly followed the sound of his name. “Luke… hi – Lu…ke –  Le… Le….”

Luke couldn’t stand to hear anymore and he took a moment to gently tug his lightsaber away from his father. The light was a bright, brilliant green once again and inside, Luke could feel the kyber crystal humming with satisfaction. It felt like reuniting with a long lost friend. He stepped forward, raising his weapon high and in one a clean stroke, he severed the mimic's head before it could utter another word. 

His headache immediately faded to something easy and manageable and Luke watched as the creatures’ black eyes slowly glassed over on its disembodied head and the monstrous, twitching body finally grew still at last.

It was over.

Chapter Text

His mother. 

That had been his mother’s voice. 

The realization left Luke stunned. He had never dreamt he would ever know anything about her. She had always been someone so far outside of his reach and imagination that she may as well have been a distant star while he was growing up.

Luke didn’t even know her name. 

What else had she been going to say? When and where had that memory occurred? Was that when he had been born? When his mother had given him life and a name? It must have been, or at least, sometime not very long after. Beru and Owen had had him since he’d been a week or so old and neither of them had known who she was either. Or… if they had, they had simply chosen not to tell him. 

And Luke had never really pressed for more information. He had been interested, of course… but he had always been afraid of what the answers to his questions would be. 

Once he had grown older, it became harder to hide from. He quickly recognized the differences in what other children called their adults, versus what he called them; Mom and Dad, instead of Aunt and Uncle. Beru and Owen had explained it as best as they could but the realization that he wasn’t theirs had been disquieting and the feeling had only been made worse once he had started grade school. Luke had been teased and taunted relentlessly because his last name was a slave name. 

It would have been much easier for him to adopt the name Lars and avoid the ridicule entirely but neither Owen or Beru had claimed him as their son, even if they loved him as one. Instead, Luke had learned and quickly became proud of what his father had done by escaping slavery and giving freedom to his own life. He had always longed to know who Anakin had been but could excuse his absence due to the fact that he had been dead . 

His mother though. 

She was a different story entirely.

There was no history there for him to understand or to make excuses for. 

Luke had always thought—or feared to think—that maybe she just hadn’t wanted him. There were only so many reasons that children were given to relatives or left on doorsteps, after all. Beru’s more immediate presence and love for him had filled in that motherly space during his childhood and it had been easier to get lost in the name of his father and the knowledge that people had had of him than to dwell on a woman he knew nothing about. 

The last place he had ever expected to be confronted with her reality was in this damn mine. 

Luke stared down at the dead monster, not knowing what to think or how to feel. 

Hi Luke. 

His eyes began to sting from the harsh smoke that still hung in the air and in a sudden wave of dizziness, his vision blurred. The green light of his lightsaber in his hand felt strangely harsh and he turned it off. It took him a few seconds of fumbling to try and clip it back on to his belt. 

He hadn’t realized until just now that his hands were shaking. 

Turning away from thoughts of his mother for a moment, Luke stared down at them and saw that his flesh hand had been scraped almost completely raw and was bleeding, and that his fake one looked… wrong. Contorted, somehow. Something was obviously broken inside and he could suddenly feel the fake nerve sensors misfiring, trying to send pain signals up his arm though it wasn’t working properly. He felt grateful for whatever was interrupting it and kept the false pain feeling only like pins and needles.  

It was more than could be said for the rest of him. 

The adrenaline rush that had kept him going throughout the fight was beginning to fade and as it did so, Luke felt his complete and utter exhaustion slowly return. Everything hurt and his body was suffering from the stress and abuse it had taken. His head felt light and heavy all at once and the Force was sparkling or shimmering strangely in the corners of his eyes. 

It hadn’t just been his lightsaber that seemed bright and harsh. All of the lights looked strange for some reason. They looked the way that light did when his head was under water.

Luke blinked a few times to try and chase the strangeness of it away but it didn’t seem to help.

Confused, Luke glanced up at Vader to ask if he was experiencing something similar but the words died in his throat before he could ask.

Vader was trying to hide it, but bitter grief and pain surrounded him like a dark storm. It was such a stark contrast to what Luke had come to expect from his father that he wasn’t entirely certain what to do. Vader’s eyes were still locked on the dead creature, his thoughts dark and unhinged. 

He was sad. 

Wary of disturbing him, Luke bit lip and scanned his father’s suit and armor carefully instead. The gas explosion had done some damage to it but Luke hadn’t had the opportunity earlier to see how much. At least he wasn’t smoking anymore and what small flames there had been on his cape had gone out, leaving it singed and ruined. The rest of his suit looked burnt in several places too, but the damage seemed surprisingly minimal. A crack ran down the back length of his mask, though it wasn’t big or wide enough to show his face underneath. It didn’t seem to be affecting his breathing either. 

One of his arms was messed up too - and Luke felt an odd sinking feeling in his gut when he realized that it wasn’t his right arm but his left one. The charred and exposed wiring and damaged paneling revealed that, just like the right, the left was also a prosthetic. 

And he was bleeding. It took Luke a moment to realize but there was definitely blood staining Vader’s front and sides. It glistened oddly in the hazy lighting of the cavern, revealing the deep red color against the dark of his suit. Luke couldn’t see any sign of an obvious injury but clearly that didn’t mean that there wasn’t one. 

“Father?” 

Vader twitched and after a few seconds, his mask turned to look at him at last. “What?”

Luke gestured to his suit. “You’re bleeding,” he pointed out hesitantly.

Vader looked down and then pressed a hand against his side for a moment. When he drew it away again, it came back stained with blood. Vader stared at it for a moment before wiping the blood off as best as he could on his pant leg. 

“Do not concern yourself with it.”

Luke couldn’t guess what Vader’s tone was or whether he was in any serious pain or not… and Luke wasn’t really certain if he was supposed to argue. A few hours in a mine together didn’t quite make a relationship. But Vader was his father and it felt wrong to just ignore it. Even so… Luke was forced to concede that he wasn’t a doctor or a medic or anything resembling an authority figure on injuries and he definitely didn’t want to be the one to screw with his father’s life support. 

“You’ll let me know?” Luke asked instead. “If you need anything, I mean.”

Something flickered between them - a mix between exasperation and fondness.

“I am fine, Luke.”

Luke didn’t think that that was true but he doubted Vader would offer him more than he already had or that he was someone who would appreciate persistence on the subject. He slowly nodded, committing to be mindful of it for the time being, and then glanced around their surroundings. 

Most of the lights in the cavern were still on, except for the corner where the gas explosion had occurred. Those overhead lights had gone out and it was dark, except for the flames that burned through the black plumes of smoke that polluted the air. Everything else was hazy and they were surrounded by rubble, debris, and a multitude of the dead. 

There were so many of them.

Luke found his eyes were drawn back to the creature again and he took a small step backwards to try and avoid the ever expanding pool of blood that was extending out from its gruesome wounds. 

The mimic was no less frightening in clearer lighting than it had been in the dark. Its jowls were massive and shreds of torn, ragged flesh were still trapped in its massive teeth. Its hide was dark in color and covered with old, fading scars. Its scales shimmered, reflecting light and the faint image of their surroundings the same way that a mirror would. Luke had never seen anything like it before.

And… there was a faint aura of darkness lingering around its dead body. A poisonous taint in the Force that he hadn’t previously noticed. Just black hatred and pain, so powerful that it was lingering even after death. But as the seconds and minutes passed, it seemed to grow fainter and fainter. 

“Have you ever seen anything like this before?” Luke finally asked. 

Beside him, Vader shook his head once. “No. I have not.”

“It’s not… natural though, is it?”

“I cannot say,” Vader said after a moment. “But it was used by someone for a dark purpose.”

His father didn’t elaborate any further but Luke could feel him thinking. His thoughts were dark and contemplative. Whatever it was, the creature was bothering him a lot. Perhaps because it had given both of them a harder fight then he’d anticipated. 

Luke had heard more than enough stories about Vader taking on entire garrisons without any assistance and coming out the lone victor. One creature, even of this size, should have been no problem. He thought about pressing further for more of Vader’s thoughts about it but… Luke was tired. 

He just wanted to get out of here and be done with it. 

The smoke lingering in the air stung at the back of his throat again and Luke coughed hoarsely, the motion jarring his broken ribs. He hissed, wrapping his arm around them carefully.

His father glanced towards him again and his turbulent thoughts abruptly seemed to clear and then his presence shifted in the Force. Luke watched as he waved a hand in one sharp gesture. Almost immediately, the smoke surrounding them dispersed. The thick, rolling plumes of black smoke shot off towards the individual corners of the cavern and disappeared up and out what could only be the air ventilation shafts. In a matter of seconds, the hazy, stinging air became clear once again.

Luke felt his lips twitch upwards into an almost smile - he had no idea that doing something like that with the Force was even possible. But his smile faded just as quickly as a harsh coughing echoed faintly from somewhere in the cavern. Luke turned his head to try and see who it was. It took a few seconds before he finally spotted Wedge making his way from the back of the cavern. It seemed that he had been successful in finding Tycho and was supporting him on his shoulder. They were both moving slowly, Tycho coughing harshly and consistently and both of them looked pretty terrible.

Wedge paused, stopping short when he caught sight of Luke and stared at him for a long moment. It looked like he had picked up Luke’s discarded backpack as well. He seemed to glance between Luke and Vader a few times before resting his eyes on Luke and mouthing ‘thank you’. 

Luke glanced sideways towards his father for a moment before offering Wedge a single nod. Wedge’s thoughts were oddly forceful and all of them felt turbulent and guilty, with an underlying sense of both grief and relief. 

He still wasn’t certain how he felt about anything that had happened earlier. It was painfully fresh and Luke needed some time and some sleep before he could decide if it was something that he was going to be able to forgive. But no matter what, he was glad that both of them were alright. 

There was nothing else to say right now and Wedge murmured something to Tycho and then after one more uncertain glance towards Vader, they continued on their way, making for the exit that they must have found earlier. Luke watched them go but decided to try and give them all as much of a head start as he could before trying to follow. 

He had his doubts about whether or not whatever small truce that had existed between them and his father for the duration of the fight would hold up in close company. And Luke had no idea what he would even say to them at this point.

Considering how they had reacted and all the accusations that had been thrown his way, Vader showing up now and both of them working together, even if just to defeat a monster, would do nothing to convince them that they had been wrong about who he was. His reputation, his standing with the Rebellion - Luke couldn’t see how it wouldn’t go up in flames at the end of all of this. If there had been any doubt about what would happen to him before… surely, it was all gone now. 

The thought made him feel… a little hollow inside. 

Luke tried to shove the feeling away from him, unwilling to linger on it. It was outside of his control and he had already made his decision - how bad his departure looked to those who had betrayed his trust shouldn’t matter. 

Get up and move on, as Uncle Owen had been so fond of saying. He blew out a slow breath and glanced at Vader for a moment. 

“Where’s your lightsaber?” Luke asked, remembering its absence for the first time. He took another step back to see if it was on the ground anywhere near them and almost instantly, his vision blurred again and he felt his knees give out underneath him. He would have hit the ground had Vader not reached out and steadied him. 

“Careful,” Vader chided, before helping to ease him slowly to the ground. “Sit for a moment.”

Luke nodded, suddenly feeling queasy in his stomach. He swallowed and realized that his throat was dry. His head was beginning to hurt again and the Force was still shimmering oddly in the corners of his eyes. His whole body felt strange, actually. Almost as if it didn’t quite belong to him. Or maybe… maybe it was too small for him. 

Honestly, he felt like a rancor had chewed him up and spit out the remains. It made him want to throw up. 

“Luke.”

Luke blinked, looking up at his father. 

“My son, you need to focus.” Vader said sternly, with the air of someone explaining something that should be perfectly obvious. “You experienced a very intense exposure to the Force. It will take a few minutes for it to settle once again. Just relax and focus on grounding yourself.”

Grounding himself. 

Luke wasn’t sure what exactly that entailed. It wasn’t a term he was familiar with when it came to the Force. But… maybe it was similar to meditation. He had been taught by both Yoda and Ben to embrace the Force. To feel it and open himself up to it and become one. 

A Jedi is one with the Force. 

With that thought in mind, Luke breathed slowly and tried to relax. There was hardly enough time to properly meditate but he could be calm and quiet and open himself up to the Force; then it should settle again, like his father had said.

But after a few dizzying minutes... Luke wasn’t really certain if it was helping or not. It didn't feel like the Force was settling - it just felt vast and like it would suck him in if he looked at it for too long. Disturbed, Luke turned away and focused on Vader’s Force signature instead. It seemed much steadier than his was. The way that it was curled around him reminded Luke of a wall that was keeping everything else out. He leaned on it, hoping that his signature would settle. 

His father either didn't notice or didn't mind. His focus had returned to the dead creature lying pinned to the ground in front of them. It wasn't hard to imagine what he was thinking about. 

Hi Luke. 

“What was her name?” Luke asked quietly. He kept his eyes firmly on the ground in front of him, not daring to look up. 

The respirator cycled once. 

Twice.

Three times.

And then finally…

“Her name was Padmé.” 

Padmé. 

Luke tested the name out, whispering it softly to himself. It was a pretty name, gentle and kind sounding. 

It felt as though some small piece of himself that he had never even realized that he was missing was settling into place somewhere deep in his heart. It made him feel rooted… somehow. Connected to something that he had needed, something that he had been drifting a little bit without. 

He was the son of Anakin and Padmé.

Luke felt his eyes blur with tears and he wiped them away with the back of his left hand before they had the chance to fall. 

“Thank you,” he whispered hoarsely.

If his father was surprised by his gratitude, he didn’t show it. “You have a right to know such things,” he said instead. 

Luke huffed, shaking his head. The sheer irony that it was Darth Vader saying that to him and not someone else he’d put his trust in was not lost on him. “Yeah, well. Not everyone thought so.” he said quietly.

In front of him, Vader's boots turned so that he was facing him more directly. Luke could feel the intensity of his gaze and steeled himself before daring to look up. As their eyes met, Luke got the strangest feeling that his father knew and understood exactly how he felt. Something soft and wordless passed between them - a mutual understanding, if nothing else. 

“Here,” Vader said after a moment. He paused to open one of the many little pouches on his belt and pulled out a small plastic package. “Clean your face off.” he instructed, tossing it to Luke before handing him a small canteen as well.

Luke opened the plastic package and found that it had a few folded pieces of medical cloth inside. He huffed and then popped the cap of the canteen off and took a slow sip of the water inside before wetting the cloth in his hand with it. He scrubbed his face with it for a moment and it came away with a surprising amount of dirt and blood. He grimaced and soaked it again before ringing it out and repeating the process. 

He couldn’t help but regret being so hasty to change his clothes earlier. The ones he was wearing now were the only spares that he had and they were officially disgusting. Luke tossed the little makeshift rage aside and then took a moment to pick some exploded pieces of the creature off of his shirt and pants. He grimaced in disgust at the feeling of its blood cooling against his skin through his clothes. 

There was no price he wouldn’t pay to have a shower right now. 

Or even just the chance to sleep. 

“Come. We should not linger here longer than necessary.” Vader said once Luke had finished cleaning himself as best as he could. 

Luke nodded his head. With the Force still... hyperactive, he could tell that the others were still somewhere nearby. Part of him had hoped that if they lingered just long enough… that the others would get out before them and that would be the end of it. Maybe they were already going up and out or maybe they were taking a moment to recuperate. Regardless... his father was right. It had been long enough and Luke was more than ready to get out of this damn mine. 

“Do you want to find your lightsaber?” Luke asked again, accepting his father’s hand and allowing him to pull him up to his feet. 

“There is nothing left to find.” Vader shrugged. 

Oh.

“Did it break?”

“Yes.” Vader said simply, though there was a hint of annoyance in his tone. “It shattered in the explosion.” 

Luke winced, feeling sore and hurt. He glanced in the direction that Wedge and Tycho had disappeared off to and hesitated. Even if it wasn’t… it felt far away and he was exhausted. Without any exchange passing between them, his father switched his grip and wrapped a careful arm around his waist, helping support his weight. 

They stepped together, moving slowly towards their exit. Every few seconds, Vader swept debris out of their way, making the walk much easier for both of them.

“That’s what you get for blowing yourself up, I guess.” Luke blew out after a moment. He didn’t necessarily feel vindictive but he knew the inconvenience of losing a weapon that he liked. And... there was something amusing to be found in the fact that both of them had lost a lightsaber in their last two encounters with each other. 

There was a faint impression in his mind of Vader raising his eyebrows at him. “I did not blow myself up,” he said wryly. 

“I suppose the truck just threw itself then.”

“It was strategy.”

Luke hummed. “Yeah, sure.”

A flicker of amusement passed between them. 

“You are one to talk. You were supposed to move out of the way, not get electrocuted.”

“I didn’t turn the power back on,” Luke pointed out indignantly. “Besides, that whole operation was your idea. I was only standing where you told me to be.”

His father simply shook his head with a tolerant sort of humor and Luke couldn’t help but smirk smugly in response. He wasn’t certain if everything that had happened today was supposed to erase the history that already existed between them… but there was something different between them regardless and it wasn’t unwelcome. 

Luke could no more name his father an enemy now than he could anyone else he cared about. 

And he would be lying if he said it wasn’t nice to have someone that he could relate to when it came to the Force. Or that it hadn’t been thrilling to fight with someone as powerful as his father was.

Yoda lifting his X-Wing out of the swamp had seemed grand and impossible and awe-inspiring at the time. It was the moment that Luke realized how much more the Force was then just the paltry tricks he had accomplished up until that point. But his father was something else entirely. For the first time, Luke felt like his eyes had finally been opened to what could be accomplished with the Force. 

It made him realize that he may have been overly arrogant in his former attempts to kill Vader. Reckless, like Yoda had said he was. With the exception of their first encounter together on Cymoon 1... Luke was fairly confident that his father had always gone easy on him. As brutal as Bespin had been, it still didn't come anywhere close to what he had witnessed today. 

“Thank you for saving me,” Luke said after a long moment. 

His father paused and for a few seconds, Luke wasn’t able to detect any emotion from him at all.

Finally, a wane sort of amusement flickered between them and he got the sense of his father offering him a dry smirk from behind his mask. “Which time?”

“Ha ha,” Luke rolled his eyes. 

They passed a few more rotting corpses that had been gruesomely torn apart - Vader shifted them carefully out of the way - and Luke felt the amusement slowly fade from both of them. If there was anything to laugh about, it could wait until they got out. 

The dead deserved their respect.

Their exit turned out to be an elevator that was tucked away into a small alcove. It was surrounded by a massively tall cage-like structure. The cage itself looked sturdy, towering over them almost a story high. Luke could see that the elevator itself sat in the middle of the floor and looking up, Luke spied the dark shaft directly above it that was their way out. 

As they drew closer, Luke felt his head begin to hurt again as chaotic emotions suddenly assaulted him. 

Rage

Pain

Grief

Sorrow

The impressions were so powerful that Luke would have stumbled if he hadn’t had Vader to lean on. He pressed a hand up against his temple, hoping that it would ease the painful assault somehow. It didn’t and his hope that the others might have gotten out ahead of them was dashed in an instant. The elevator hadn’t even been brought down yet; there was a computer screen standing beside the elevator’s double doors that was still on and waiting for a four digit password to be inputted. 

Wedge was lingering in the entryway just in front of them and Tycho was sitting against the cage itself, his knees drawn up to his chest and his hands tangled in his hair. He seemed to be trying not to hyperventilate.

Cesi was sitting on the ground just off to the side of the elevator with Zach’s head cradled in his lap, crying silent tears. 

Zach was dead. 

Luke froze, stopping in his tracks at the sight. 

What the hell had happened? Zach - he hadn’t been fine when they had gone their separate ways earlier but Luke didn’t think he had been close to death either.

He didn’t have time to process anything else before Vader was stepping forward again, unaffected by the loss. 

Three sets of red-rimmed eyes looked up as they approached and Luke felt resigned terror intermingle with terrible grief and guilt and pain. They were such powerful impressions that if Luke hadn’t known better, he could have been convinced it was all his own. Wedge’s breath hitched slightly as Vader stepped into the small space and he quickly stood up straight, ready to act if he had to. Luke watched uneasily as his hand instinctively dropped to the blaster on his belt and hovered there. 

Luke could practically feel his father narrowing his eyes as he immediately fixed his foreboding gaze on Wedge. The air around them grew colder and meaner. Even the shadows around them seemed to grow darker, taking on a sort of life of their own. “Is there going to be a problem, Captain Antilles?” 

“Father,” Luke murmured under his breath, trying to remind Vader that they hadn’t gone through the effort of saving them just so he could get angry and kill them all now. 

Vader ignored him, keeping his eyes trained steadily on Wedge. 

Around him, Luke felt the Force pound a beat in tune with the frantic pounding of hearts all around him. It made his head hurt even worse and Luke hissed, wishing it would just stop. Wedge’s eyes flickered to Luke and lingered on him for the longest moment and then back to Vader before coming back to him again. He almost seemed to be asking what he was supposed to do. 

Luke shook his head, giving Wedge a warning look to not try and do anything stupid.

Wedge glanced at Cesi and Tycho and Luke followed his gaze. Tycho was still coughing hoarsely, but watching Vader with wary resignation. His face was covered in soot and his eyes were tinged red. He didn’t have any weapons on him that Luke could see. Cesi was weaponless too and his front half was completely soaked in blood now. He wasn’t a threat. 

The fight was over before it could even start. No one was in a position to do anything and Wedge knew that. Luke met his eyes again and watched as Wedge slowly dropped his hand from his blaster and stepped back, slumping once again against the cage wall. He pinched the space between his eyes and sniffed wetly, his face twisting with grief. 

After another moment, Wedge shook his head and took in a shuddering breath and blew it out slowly. “No,” he said quietly. “There won’t be any problems.” 

“Good. I will hold you to your word,” Vader warned. “And mark mine - should any of you break that promise, you will suffer the consequences.”

“There won’t be any problems,” Wedge repeated tightly. He glanced at Cesi before boldly meeting Vader’s eyes again. “I - I would like to take care of my men though.”

There was a tense silence for a few seconds before the coldness in the air dissipated once again. Satisfied that there would be no kamikaze showdown between him and the surviving rebels, his father waved a hand. “Do so. But stay out of the way.”         

Wedge’s eyes flashed at the sneering tone but he at least had the self control not to argue. Instead, he glanced around and then bent over to grab his backpack and cautiously made his way over to Cesi. He knelt down beside him and began checking out his damaged arm. 

“I’m going to get this fixed up, okay?” Wedge whispered.

Cesi didn’t seem to hear him - or if he did, he didn’t care to answer and Wedge didn’t push for anything else. Instead, he worked quickly to peel two different jackets off of Cesi, revealing bloodstained clothes and gruesome wounds in the meat and shoulder of his arm. 

It was a nasty injury. Shredded muscle and even hints of bone were visible in some spots. 

Luke distantly thought that he would be lucky to keep it after all of this was over. Like Zach would have been lucky to keep his leg.

“Come here,” Vader said suddenly before twisting and pulling Luke with him before he was ready. 

Luke gasped, stiffening his spine as pain radiated up along his side. “Ow, ow - careful!” he hissed. A silent apology flickered between them and Vader immediately slowed his movements, bringing him to the opposite side of the cage, away from the others. When they were close enough, Luke reached out and grabbed the cage wall with his fingers and then slowly turned around, doing his damnedest not to move too quickly. 

Vader kept hold of his bicep and helped to keep him steady as Luke eased himself to the ground once again. Luke groaned, holding his broken ribs and took a minute to get his breathing under control before nodding up at his father, whispering that he was good. 

Vader took him at his word and stood up to his full height once again, making his way over to the computer. 

You okay? Wedge mouthed to him. He looked weary but concerned.

Luke nodded stiffly, trying to breathe through the discomfort. 

On the ground, Cesi pulled out of his grief long enough to stare up at Vader warily and then with Wedge’s help, he scooted backwards a little so that they weren’t in the way, pulling Zach’s body with them. 

Vader ignored them both entirely and tapped on the keyboard quickly, pulling up different coding files and searching through them for a quick moment. Finally, he clicked back and entered in his override code. 

5853

The computer screen switched to a brief LOADING symbol and then the words ACCESS GRANTED appeared on screen. 

In front of them, the elevator whirred and a rush of warm air brushed against them all for a brief moment as the mechanisms that were needed to bring the elevator back down were finally activated. The number panel showing where the elevator was located lit up with a dull sort of light and Surface Level slowly became Level 1. 

“Will it take long?” Luke asked. Wedge was trying to put pressure on Cesi’s injuries and his hands were covered with blood.

“The system is currently operating at half power,” Vader said, glancing at him for a moment. “And we are several miles below the surface. But I may be able to speed it up by diverting some other system operations solely to the elevator functions.”

“Maybe you should do that,” Luke agreed tiredly. His backpack had been discarded by the gate where Wedge must have left it. He stretched a hand out and summoned it to his side with the Force. The lights around him seemed to grow even brighter the moment that he did so; it was enough to make him squint in discomfort - but it responded to him all the same. 

Luke pinched the space between his eyes for a moment and then unzipped his backpack before reaching inside.

“Wedge,” he said quietly.

Wedge’s eyes flickered to him and Luke held up the first-aid kit that he always kept with him. They had used a lot of stuff for Zach’s leg earlier but there was still some supplies and anything was better than nothing. He tossed it over to him and Wedge caught it easily. A look of gratitude was thrown his way and then Wedge was quick to pop the lid and start pulling out the remaining gauze and antiseptic. 

Part of Luke wanted to help but… he couldn’t. He hadn’t noticed it before during the fight but now that things were quiet again, Luke could feel the wall that was still standing between him and the others. The events that had divided them had not been fixed and the additional presence of Vader was creating a new sort of tension. Luke would keep his distance unless asked. 

After a moment, he felt his eyes drawn to Zach once again. Luke could tell that he had been dead for a good fifteen or twenty minutes. His body had turned gray.  Luke could see that some of the veins in his hands and neck had turned black sometime in the last few hours. A nasty, rotten odor emitted from his wounded leg and in the Force, his body felt hollow and empty, with only the faintest echoes of pain still lingering around it. 

Caleb was dead too, Luke remembered tiredly. He wasn’t sure how that had happened and he hardly dared to try and ask. In the end, it didn’t really matter either way. Dead was dead. Luke only hoped it had been quick and as painless as possible. But two out of six for what was supposed to have been a simple in and out mission wasn’t going to be easy for anyone to explain. 

He just wasn’t certain if he was supposed to be feeling grief or not.

Or if it was wrong that he… wasn’t. At least, not yet. Maybe he was just tired but it was hard to grieve for people that he hadn’t really gotten the chance to know. Luke was no stranger to loss… but there hadn’t been the time for either Caleb or Zach to really become his friends. Luke had been the outsider in a group of people that hadn’t liked him and the last time he’d seen them, Zach had called Luke a traitor and a monster and helped throw him out of the Rebellion. Luke would never have wished anyone dead for what they had said and done earlier… but he just didn’t know how he felt.

The Force was alight with emotions all the same. It seemed to be getting worse by the second and it felt like having the wind knocked out of him. 

Level 5

Cesi was crying silently but everything about him suggested that he was screaming somewhere inside his head. Loss, terrible, gut-wrenching loss , permeated the Force and Luke thought that he could hear Cesi weeping inside his mind, whispering broken apologies and pleas for Zach to please come back. 

Tycho felt blank - numb and exhausted - and the feeling seemed to sink deep into his bones. 

The Force shimmered again and then it was Wedge thinking it was my fault, it’s all my fault, I did this, over and over on a chaotic repeat in his head and it felt like drowning but there wasn’t any water. Wedge was devastated, and his emotions in the Force suggested that he was on the verge of a complete breakdown. 

Only the act of taking care of Cesi seemed to save him. 

Hi Luke. 

Luke pressed his eyes shut, trying to block it all out but he didn’t know what he was doing. He’d never experienced this intense barrage of emotions before and he didn’t know how to turn it all off and his head was throbbing now -

“Luke,” Vader said suddenly. His voice seemed especially loud. Luke blinked and looked up, focusing blurry eyes on his father. He was still at the computer, trying to divert the power but had paused to look at him. 

“What?” he asked hoarsely. 

“Focus on your breathing and not on the Force. Try to feel the air in your lungs. In and out.”

In and out. 

Luke nodded, breathing in slowly and trying to match the pace of his breaths with the repetitive sound of Vader’s respirator. 

In and out. 

In… and out.

In… and out. 

“Just like that. Remember - ground yourself. ”

Level 9

“...I don’t know what that means,” Luke admitted after a few seconds. 

The respirator stalled for a few seconds as his father sighed. If he wasn’t wearing a mask, Luke was certain that he would be pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. The irritated, flickering thought of ‘I'm going to kill someone’ passed freely between them. 

Luke felt his face flush with embarrassment at the realization that this was another piece of information that he should know but didn’t. 

Vader typed a few things into the computer, navigating his way through the systems pages and then reentering his override code and exiting out entirely. The elevator hummed and a few additional lights around the shaft flickered to life. Then he turned, crossing the distance between them again and dropping into a squat in front of him. 

“Sorry,” Luke said.

“It is not your fault. But I am going to teach you something, so pay attention,” Vader said firmly. “You are Force sensitive. And every Force sensitive has a natural shield between them and the Force which regulates what and how much they experience. With time and training, you can learn to further manipulate and control the experience that you have. You are often aware of the emotions of those around you, correct?”

“Yeah,” Luke agreed slowly. 

“And if you decide not to listen, you can tune those emotions out?”

Luke nodded. “Yes. But it's never been anything like this before - "

“Your shields are wide open.” Vader interrupted bluntly. “You are far more connected to the galaxy than you realize, Luke. Your power and your potential for power is significant but you must realize that that can make you vulnerable if you are not careful. Force deprivation like you experienced can cause one to recklessly open all their protective shields in an effort to find their connection. Once that connection is regained, the result is an unfiltered experience, which can be painful and even deadly.”

Luke thought about every time he’d stretched outwards into that void of nothingness, searching desperately for any hint of the Force, never being able to find it. He had tried opening himself up to everything and anything. And then it had come back and the painful explosion of awareness had nearly consumed him. It had felt like euphoria but… it had also felt like drowning. 

There had been so much to see and to feel and he remembered the faint whispering call to become one with the Force and the relief that he’d felt when Vader had drowned out the noise of the galaxy, holding it at bay until that call had disappeared. 

Even now, his father was actively protecting him from the worst of it, his Force presence curled around his own.

It made sense. 

A gross amount of sense. Every time he had reached for the Force, it had felt like too much. But how did he make it stop? He hadn’t known there was a shield filtering things for him in the first place.

“Well, how do I close it again?” Luke asked uneasily. “I was taught that I should become one with the Force.”

“You become one with the Force when you are dead,” Vader said with absolute disgust. Luke had the stray thought that Ben had better stay far, far away from his father, even if he was technically dead and gone, because Vader wanted to use all the powers that be and bring him back to life just so he could annihilate him. It was almost morbidly funny except that it wasn’t. 

It really, really wasn’t.

“Until such time, you need to be able to work in tandem with the Force, without it overwhelming you. Close your shields the same way that you tune me out.” Vader continued, still seething. “Your connection to the Force is the same as this,” he tugged deliberately on their shared bond. “Only much larger. Build a wall in your mind - a barrier between you and everything that surrounds you. You control the Force, Luke. The Force does not control you.” 

A barrier. 

Luke thought of the thread of light that connected him to his father and how he’d experimented with it only hours ago. How he could raise a mental shield between them, keeping his thoughts and feelings private, and how his father could likewise do the same. 

He hadn't thought of tuning out other people's emotions in the same way until now. But it didn’t sound too hard. 

Level 20

“Alright, just… give me a second.” 

He tried his best to calm and settle his mind and once he was ready, he felt Vader slowly relax his hold on his Force presence again - not completely - but enough for Luke to feel the difference. 

The haziness in the corners of his eyes slowly increased until he once again felt as though he could peer into the neighboring sector of the galaxy. There were flickering hints of laughter and voices of people that he knew and didn’t know echoing all around him.

A group of school children, somewhere in the galaxy, playing innocent games and giggling with each other. 

“ - Lord Vader is unavailable..."

A Togruta woman with orange skin and distinctive facial markings, sitting crisscrossed on a forest floor, her eyes closed. 

“...Rogue Squadron should have returned by now - " 

A fleeting whisper of Ben Kenobi, on a plane of existence that was different from anything Luke had known or experienced.

...sick yellow eyes sitting under a dark hood, their owner staring out into the deep expanse of space, looking for something... or perhaps someone that he couldn't find...

His connection to the Force was different then his connection to Vader, Luke realized after a few seconds. There was a bond between them, a string of each of themselves wound together to create one. It wasn’t completely open anymore but it wasn’t shut between them either. It was just comfortable. But now that he was looking for more, Luke could see that his connection to the Force seemed to be hundreds of thousands of tiny connections, each thrumming with light and power, going every which way. They were all bright and dazzling to look at and seemed to stretch into the very far reaches of the galaxy.

Wide open, just like his father had said. 

“I can see it now,” Luke said breathlessly.

A quiet hum of satisfaction and approval passed between them. “Good,” Vader said encouragingly. “Now strengthen the wall, my son.”

Just like earlier, no small part of him wanted to keep looking and see where the strands of light would take him. There was just so much to see - to learn, to feel and be a part of. It would be a simple matter to get lost in all the whispers and flashing pictures that the Force wanted to show him. 

“Luke,” Vader warned after a few seconds. His presence in the Force twitched, poking him sharply and dimming his connection for a few seconds. It brought him back a little and refocused him. 

Right.

Close them. 

With some effort, Luke turned away from the whispering voices and began rebuilding his shields, one by one.

Wedge finished tending to Cesi’s arm as best as he could and got him back into his leather jacket to try and help him stay warm. He was sluggish and slow to respond to simple questions but Wedge couldn’t tell if it was because of the blood loss or because of Zach. Probably a mixture of both. 

Tycho at least seemed to be breathing a little easier than he had been when Wedge had found him up on the walkway; he had been exposed to the gasoline smoke for far too long and needed clean oxygen but… Wedge dared to hope that he would be okay with some rest. 

It was Luke that he was concerned about now. 

He still couldn’t tell what the real situation was between him and Vader. 

Was Luke a… captive? A prisoner of the Empire?

It didn’t seem that way. 

He still wasn’t in binders. But that didn’t necessarily mean anything all the way down here. There just wasn’t anywhere to go.

Except Vader was treating Luke… maybe not kindly - Wedge didn’t think Vader had the capacity to be kind. But he was being attentive and clearly gave a damn about whether or not Luke lived or died. It was more humanity than Wedge had personally ever thought to expect from the man responsible for killing thousands.

That and... Luke kept calling him Father.

And not only was Luke his son but... Luke also cared about him. Even if he didn't understand it, Wedge couldn't deny that reality. He didn't know what Luke had gone through since Bespin - he didn't know how someone came to terms with a revelation like the one he must have gotten.

Luke, I am your father.

He shook his head. All he could think of was that sometime between then and now... between acknowledging the inherent danger he was in by virtue of blood alone... Luke had also, at least to some extent, stopped viewing Vader as an enemy. It was the only explanation Wedge had that made sense for what he was seeing now. It should have been obvious; Luke had said as much hours ago, even if not directly. 

He’s a person. He’s my father. I came from him. Everything that’s good about me - some of it came from him. 

Wedge would never be able to forget the panic in Luke's voice when Vader had gotten caught in the gas explosion or the expression of pure relief that had appeared on his face when Vader had reappeared and saved them. The caring had startled him almost as much as Luke's impressive and angry display of power had. 

Wedge shook his head, still trying to wrap his mind around it while at the same time, feeling like he would never be able to unsee it. 

Luke Skywalker was the son of Darth Vader.

Maybe the idea of anyone caring for such a horrible, evil person was just too foreign for Wedge to be able to comprehend. But it wasn't just Luke.

Someone else had cared about Vader too. Whoever’s voice it was that the creature had stolen earlier. 

Another family member - because the damn monster had only mimicked blood relatives. Vader’s mother, maybe. A sister, a grandmother - hell, anyone really. Someone that had loved and cared about him. 

Ani, I missed you so much.

Wedge had never realized how dangerous it was to humanize a monster until just now. But it had a terrifying ability to put things into a different perspective. It meant that the monster wasn’t really a monster at all… he was just another person, like any of them were. The only thing that separated him from everyone else were the choices he had made.

Whoever wrote the propaganda on Vader - both Rebellion and Empire alike - deserved to get paid a lot more than they probably did. 

In any case… Luke needed help. Wedge understood almost nothing about the Force and he hadn’t even considered that Luke not being able to feel it earlier would have hurt him somehow. But whatever was happening, whatever Vader was trying to walk him through, it seemed to be taking a toll on him. He was pale and shivering, despite the fact that there were clearly beads of sweat dripping down his face. 

Settling down hesitantly beside Cesi, Wedge kept his eyes on Vader, uncertain of what he should be doing and painfully aware of the fact that there was nothing he could do.

He couldn’t help Luke with this. 

And even if he could, he didn’t think it would be his place to try anymore. Not after what had happened between them earlier. Not when he had turned his back on a good friend who had done nothing wrong except be related to the wrong person. Wedge was under no illusions that Luke coming back to save them meant anything had been fixed - all that had happened was that Luke had proven himself a bigger and better person than probably more than half the people in the galaxy.

Wedge couldn't help but remember with perfect clarity the devastated look on Luke's face before Wedge had turned around and left him to fend for himself. He only hoped he would get the chance to try and apologize. 

Force, if only he had done things differently. 

If only he had been better - if only, if only, if only....

He distantly thought that he better understood how jaded and angry the older generations were and how those who'd experienced war and battle lost themselves in drink, haunted by memories and mistakes of the past. 

All Wedge really knew was that if he dared to think about Zach or Caleb, he would completely fall apart. 

He wanted to fall apart. To lie in bed and let himself feel everything that he couldn’t let himself feel right now. The mission had been a disaster and all of it could have been easily avoided if he’d just listened to Luke when he’d said that they should go. Two lives lost and in the end, it had all been for nothing. It had all been his fault. 

Wedge sniffed, pressing the heels of his hands up against his eyes. He felt miserable and tired and completely sick to his stomach. 

He didn’t even know if he was going to be able to get Tycho and Cesi and Luke back home. What the hell was he supposed to do?  

He didn’t have the answers and he couldn’t talk to Luke and every single part of this mission had been a disaster and it was all his fault and he could still hear Caleb screaming on the edge of his thoughts - 

Wedge forced himself to focus, to stay present - he couldn’t think about Caleb or Zach. It was too much and the others still needed him.

Instead, he just watched. He brushed away the stray tears slipping down his cheeks and watched as Vader shifted a little closer to Luke and lifted the front of his shirt, exposing what he could of Luke's stomach and chest. Wedge craned his head to try and see - the right side of Luke's ribcage was an angry red, soon to be purple and black. They were definitely broken. They looked a lot like what Wedge imagined his own ribs looked like. 

His own injuries were thoughts for later though. There was nothing to do for broken ribs except give them the chance to heal and considering how everything that had happened was his fault, Wedge couldn't bring himself to bother anyone on his account.

Luke winced as Vader pressed on his side with one hand and for the first time in several minutes, cracked his eyes open to give him a glare. “I could have told you they were broken if you’d just asked,” he said testily.

“Shields,” Vader reprimanded.

“I’m working on it.” Luke groused, before dropping his head back and closing his eyes again with a slight huff. Vader only made a sound of irritation and then continued prodding and inspecting whatever injuries Luke had until he was satisfied. 

Wedge exchanged a disbelieving look with Tycho, unable to wrap his head around the interaction. 

It was completely surreal. 

No one would ever believe this. And worse… no one would ever believe or trust that Luke hadn’t betrayed them. Not unless they heard it for themselves. 

Except.

He paused, remembering something. Slowly, Wedge drew his backpack towards him. It scraped along the ground and felt obnoxiously loud to his ears though neither Luke or Vader seemed to notice or care. He unzipped the zipper and stuck a hand inside, searching along the bottom of the bag until he felt his fingers brush against something round and smooth. 

Found it. 

As unobtrusively as possible, Wedge drew out an inky black recording pen. He used it sometimes to record mission briefings or other important conversations, just so he wouldn’t forget. 

He had no idea if he would even be returning to the Rebellion after all of this was over. Vader didn’t usually take prisoners and none of them were particularly high up in the ranks. But regardless... at some point, someone would come looking for them after they hadn't checked in. It might be tomorrow or in a few days from now. But if he couldn't tell them himself, he could at least try and make sure that they knew what had happened. 

With all those thoughts in mind, Wedge set the pen down on his lap, and quietly pressed down on the cap to turn it on.

Luke exhaled shakily as the whispering words slowly faded from his mind once again but this time it was through his own volition. Once the last parts of his shield were carefully put back into place, he opened his eyes again and was surprised to realize that he was sweating.

Level 79

It was quiet again. The shimmering in the corner of his eyes was gone now and he felt steadier than he had before. 

“It feels better,” Luke reported, his irritation at being poked fading as quickly as it had come and being replaced with relief. He could feel Vader’s Force presence still hovering nearby but it wasn’t wrapped around him like it had been earlier.  

“Well done. You learn quickly.” Vader sounded proud and it made Luke flush with embarrassed pleasure to hear it. His father offered him a canteen of water that he had ready and Luke accepted it, taking a grateful couple of gulps. It felt absolutely divine against his parched throat.

“Try not to engage with the Force too much until after you have had some sleep.”

Luke hummed in agreement, taking another sip of water before screwing the cap back on and setting it aside. He was more than relieved that the Force was back and that he no longer felt as though he had been buried alive. But he also had no interest in being thrown into another experience like that again any time soon. Not until he knew more and was confident in his own level of control. It seemed far too easy to get lost in without someone who could help pull him back if or when he wandered too far.

Level 86

“What happened to your face?” Vader asked suddenly.

Luke blinked at him, confused by the abrupt change in conversation until Vader gestured briefly to his right temple. 

“Oh,” Luke lifted his hand, touching the scar with the very tips of his fingers and then shrugged. “That happened on Hoth. I got attacked by a wampa while I was out inspecting the power grid. Clawed my face up pretty good. It was, I don’t know… maybe a few days before you attacked our base?”

His memories of that time weren't very clear - something about almost being eaten and then almost freezing to death in the same day period did that to a person. The only clear memory he had after the attack itself was of Ben telling him to go to Dagobah. From there, he just remembered coming out of bacta and feeling like he’d been hit by a speeder bike. 

To Luke's surprise, his father began simmering with new irritation. “You had already been promoted to the rank of Commander on Hoth,” he pointed out. “And the Rebellion wasted your talents by having you run patrols?”

“If it helps, I volunteered.”

“It does not.”

“Well, I can’t do anything about that.” Luke shrugged. "The Rebellion doesn't exactly have the manpower that the Empire does." He could practically feel his father rolling his eyes at him and thinking unkind things about the Rebellion as a whole. Luke took the opportunity to check and see if his father was still bleeding. He was… but Luke dared to think that maybe it had slowed some. Vader still looked more out of sorts then he was used to though.

No small part of him wanted nothing more than to just pass out and sleep for a week. But he was resigned to the fact that he wouldn’t be able to do that until they had gotten out of the mine. Even if his father's more serious injuries were outside of his control, Luke thought that he could still try and do something useful. If nothing else, it would help keep him awake.

“Could I fix it for you?” he asked, sitting up a little straighter. “Your arm, I mean?”

Vader paused, surprise fluttering between them. “Do you know how?”

In response to that, Luke raised his eyebrows and lifted his fake hand. “Yeah, I think I might know how to do a patch job on a prosthetic,” he said, with only a faint touch of sarcasm. 

The current condition of his prosthetic was probably not a great confidence builder in his repairing skills but the fingers were still working enough that Luke thought he could do it. 

Level 94

There was a moment of hesitation - suspicion even, though it was fleeting at best.

“Very well.” 

Luke nodded and shifted a little, before pulling his backpack a little closer towards his person.

He unzipped the bag and dug through the remaining contents until he found his other first-aid kit with the supplies for his prosthetic inside it. They weren’t terribly advanced tools. Some of them came with his discharge packet that he’d gotten after his surgery, as well as instructions for basic maintenance, and other things were stuff that he’d picked up on his own. His budget was limited but what he had was enough for a temporary repair job.

Vader finally shifted out of his squat and sat down beside him. Luke gave him a few seconds to get comfortable before shifting to sit a little closer to him, and turning to face his ruined arm more directly. He crossed his legs and after a moment of hesitation, pried the paneling of his fathers left arm off, further exposing the ruined wires. There was no synth-skin on his father’s prosthetic. It was a dark colored metal – black, like the life-support suit was. More robotic than life-like.

Luke had been informed that synth-skin was more popular nowadays. The Rebellion had given him the best that they could afford, and he’d been grateful to accept it, but as the weeks had gone by, the less and less he liked the realism of it. He had often wondered if it would be easier to accept the loss of one of his limbs if it just looked robotic instead of a gross imitation of what it had been. Maybe Vader felt the same way.

He took a moment to search his father’s arm and get a little familiar with the basic design of it. He wasn’t certain if the false nerves were still firing pain signals but he remembered the projection of absolute pain and agony that had been forced on him by the mimic. The memory alone made him shiver. It had been utterly awful - an indescribable agony that could fuel a lifetime's worth of nightmares. Luke didn’t want to take the chance of adding to that torture-fest and retrieved one of the two interrupter chips he had from his kit, finding a slot, and quickly inserting it into place.

“Can you feel this?” Luke asked, flicking the sensor strips in his father’s arm twice.

There was a faint but now familiar impression of a raised eyebrow being directed at him. “No.”

Good.

Luke nodded and then picked up a small pick to pry some of the ruined wires out where he could work with them better. He separated them from each other as best as he could and sealed the damaged ends with a few clamps. The spare wires and cables were limited since he hadn’t lost as much of his arm as Vader clearly had, but they were similar enough that Luke was fairly certain he could make them work. 

Something about mechanics had just... always appealed to him. Prosthetics were new but in the end, weren't really that different from any other piece of machinery. He'd done a lot of reading about them during his free time in the last few weeks

He worked in silence for a few minutes, getting lost in thought. There were a lot of things that he had heard about his father over the years - and more than ninety percent of them were exceptionally unkind and disturbing. A lot of those things did... but also didn't quite match up with the person that he was slowly getting to know. There was undoubtedly truth to be found in all of the things that had been said about Vader; but, as Owen had always been firm to remind him when he had been a hot-headed teenager... there were two sides to every story. 

“So… is it true that you executed one of your admirals over Hoth?”

He could feel his father raising an eyebrow at him again. 

“Yes. Admiral Ozzel.” 

Ozzel. That was the name. 

“Why did you kill him?”

“Is there a reason for this particular line of inquiry?” Vader asked, sounding distinctly unimpressed. 

Luke shrugged. “No. I was just curious.”

Level 107  

There was a pause where he sensed his father debating whether or not the question was worth his time. A feeling passed between them and Luke was suddenly perfectly confident that whoever this Ozzel had been, he didn’t exist on his father’s list of priorities or potential regrets. 

“Fine. If you must know, he was grossly incompetent,” Vader said stiffly. “There were never supposed to be ground troops on Hoth. Had he listened to me instead of his own self-serving ego, the Executor would have dropped out of hyperspace on the outskirts of the planet and the Rebellion would not have been alerted to our presence.”

That… that would have been an absolute bloodbath. If that had happened, they would never have had the time to put up the energy shields and escape the planet before an orbital strike took them out. They had lost more than enough lives as it was. Anything worse could have been the end of the Rebellion entirely. 

Judging by the quiet unease lurking on the edge of his senses, the other three were thinking the same thing. 

“It was still an Imperial victory,” Luke muttered. 

“It was,” Vader agreed. “But only just. Ozzel had made similar mistakes previously and refused to learn. My men should not have died so needlessly and you would not have been involved in the air defense of the base. I would have caught you on the ground. In the end, he paid for his idiocy with his life.”

Luke chewed on his lip for a moment, thinking that over. He wasn't going to advocate open murder... but Luke had been in the military for a few years now and he knew that there were offenses and crimes punishable by death during times of war. Especially during times of war. Willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer was one of them. The killing would have been justified, even by Rebellion standards.

Huh.

"Had it gone the way that you wanted… what would you have done? Just walked inside the base to grab me yourself?” Luke asked incredulously.

Vader gave him a look. “You think I could not have?” 

“It was the entire fleet!”

“And?” His father was definitely amused now.

Luke shook his head, huffing in disbelief. Crazier than Vader’s rather blasé attitude was the fact that Luke wasn’t sure if it would have actually been impossible for him to achieve. After today, Luke could confidently say that his father was his own army. 

Level 124

A faint clicking sound came from the inner part of Vader’s arm and Luke paused in his thoughts, frowning to himself. He waited a few seconds to see if the sound would occur again and a moment later, it did. 

“Hang on.” Leaning to the side, Luke grabbed his flashlight from his backpack and switched it on, shining the light on the inner parts of the prosthetic.

Other than the wiring itself, most of the damage had seemed superficial - but the design of the damn thing was terrible. 

He scanned the inner mechanics intently, looking for loose screws or bent pieces of metal that he might have missed which might cause that clicking sound. It took him a moment to find a small screw that was slightly out of place. It was in an awkward spot and he had to use one of his smallest screwdrivers to set it back into place. Once it had been tightened, Luke shifted his father’s arm to watch how everything moved. After a minute or two, he hesitantly decided that it was fine and began prying a few wirings from their moorings so he could replace them. 

Maybe he was just tired but everything was so… overly complicated. It was frustrating to even look at, let alone try to repair. He could do it but he just didn’t get it. 

“This thing is a piece of junk,” Luke muttered off-handedly once a minute or so had gone by. “Aren’t you filthy rich or something? When’s the last time you had an upgrade?”

He was half expecting some kind of snarky remark to be sent his way but instead, Luke felt his father’s thoughts grow quiet. Luke faltered for a moment, glancing at him. Vader had turned his face away from him now and it was quite clear that he wasn’t going to answer this question. Heart sinking, Luke slowly returned to his work, and began splicing the new wires together with the old ones. 

It struck him suddenly that the suit was old. Not just a lousy design - but old.

Outdated and of poor quality. 

It was worse than poor quality, actually - it was almost criminal. Even just in the one limb he was working with, there was little to no flexibility in it. He could see hints of where it connected to actual flesh and bone and that looked wrong. Like… it had been attached so that it was deliberately pulling on the skin. His own limited experience with a prosthetic limb told Luke that a botched surgery like that would be incredibly painful.

Were both of his arms like this?

His father ran the entire Imperial Navy. It was a recent promotion, Luke knew… but he was still someone of importance within the ranks of the Empire. 

Or at least he was supposed to be. 

One would think that a man of his status would have access to better quality prosthetics. To surgery that could fix such an obvious mistake. But from what Luke had heard or gathered through his own searching for information, Vader had been in the same style suit for the last twenty-odd years. 

He didn’t change. 

He didn’t get upgrades. 

Whatever care he got… it must be the absolute bare minimum that a person could get. Just enough to keep him in working condition, without regard for his overall health or comfort. 

It was supposed to hurt. 

Master and slave, Luke remembered his thoughts from earlier with a twinge of unease. 

Masters didn’t care about their possessions. 

What kind of power did Palpatine… or Sidious, or whatever his name was, have over his father? If he could confidently express his ability to take on the Rebellion as a whole, then what kind of monster was Palpatine if Vader needed help to kill him?

Forget about Hoth.

There were far more important things to talk about. Except... the things that he wanted to ask his father were private. If the universe were kind, maybe they would be having it in a different setting - specifically one without an audience. Luke let his eyes flicker to the others for the first time in several minutes. They were alive and he was glad that they were. But no one in the Rebellion and certainly not in Rogue Squadron, had the right to listen to the things he wanted to know. Not after what they had said and done to him only hours ago. 

No matter which way things went, the relationship between him and his father was only between them. 

But the clock was ticking and there were still things that Luke needed to know before he decided what he wanted to do. There wasn’t a lot of time left for him to find out either.

Steeling himself, Luke released a steady breath and kept his voice low. 

“Father?” he asked hesitantly. “Could I ask you another question? A more serious one, I guess.”

There was a brief pause and Luke was certain that Vader was feeling conscious of their audience as well.

“Yes,” Vader allowed after a moment.

Luke licked his lips and nodded, trying to figure out how to put his thoughts into words. All of their conversations leading up to this point had been peaceful and his father had been more or less willing to answer his questions. He hoped that that would continue, even though they were no longer alone.

“Why are you okay with all of this?”

Vader’s mask turned towards him slightly. “Specify. With what?”

“With the Empire. And everything that it does. With… with slavery? I just want to understand,” Luke hurried to explain. “And no one else seems willing to tell me the truth about anything.”

There was a poignant pause and Luke could sense the others listening for Vader’s answer as much as he was. He dared not look to see what the expression on their faces were now. He began setting the first set of finished wires back in the moorings.  

After a minute or so, his father spoke. 

“I was promised that the Empire would see the end of such things,” Vader said with a new air of coldness. His anger didn’t seem to be directed at Luke and so he just stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue. “The Republic had failed. It was evil and its politicians corrupt and self-serving. And despite proclaiming otherwise, it had failed to free the collective people of the galaxy. It endorsed slavery by virtue of creating the clone army and sending them to die in a pointless war. I helped create the Empire. I thought that by doing so, it would protect my family. I thought it was the answer to fix everything that was wrong.”

“But it didn’t.”

“No,” Vader admitted. “It did not. By the time I realized… it was already too late and I no longer cared.”

Luke frowned and felt his heart sink a little.

“About anything?” 

Something exasperated and tired fluttered between them. His father turned to meet his eyes once again. “Luke, I have not cared about anything in a very long time.”

Vader's words from earlier almost immediately came to mind.

I had no reason to try and overthrow the Emperor until I learned of your existence. 

No reason at all to care about anything until there was suddenly someone left to care about. 

I thought it would protect my family. 

Was that really what it had all come down to in the end? Family? 

Something in the Force whispered that he was on the right train of thought - there was more to it, Luke was certain. There always was. But a large piece about whatever had happened - whatever Anakin Skywalker had done and who he had become as a result... it ultimately came down to the notion of family. To love and all the terrible things that people would do for the ones that they loved. Even now, his father was acting out of some form of love - Vader's defiance to Palpatine had been prompted out of a desire to keep Luke from suffering the same fate as him. 

It was sad; tragic, even. 

It was the reason why Luke had felt and could still feel a flickering flame of something good and light inside of his father. 

Love could fix and destroy everything.

Maybe that was why the Jedi had feared it so much. Maybe it was why Yoda had tried to forbid him to save his friends when they were suffering on Bespin - maybe it was why attachment was forbidden. 

There is no emotion, there is peace.

He understood grief. He understood being angry and wanting someone to understand the pain he was in by suffering it themselves. Losing Beru and Owen might have undone him completely and he knew that he had channeled his anger in the aftermath of what had been done to them and turned it on Vader. Ben had... maybe not encouraged it... but hadn't turned him away from that line of thinking either.

Luke had wanted justice - Tatooine style justice - but justice all the same for his lost family. It had seemed to him that Vader was the source of everything that had gone wrong in his life - if his father had been alive, then Luke remembered feeling that Beru and Owen would have been too. Their deaths never would have happened. 

He didn't think he would have turned his anger on the rest of the galaxy though. At the very least, he liked to think that he wouldn't have. But he hadn't been left alone either - he'd still had Leia and Han and Chewie and the Rebellion to keep him steady and give him purpose. 

Luke began working on another clump of torn up wires, trying to figure out how best to word his next question. 

“Can I ask about the Death Star?”

This time, he got the faint impression of an eyebrow being raised at him. “What about it?”

“I don’t know,” Luke said helplessly. “Just… what did you think about it?”

“You want to know whether I approved of its creation or not,” Vader surmised flatly. 

Luke pursed his lips and stripped another stray wire with a little more force than necessary. “Yeah, I guess I do.” 

There was another moment of silence; his father debating whether or not he wanted to answer. In the background of Luke’s thoughts, he felt Tycho stir out of his exhaustion and apathy for the first time. Anger and resentment replaced it, as well as bitter loneliness and grief for the family that he had lost. It was enough for Luke to feel guilty for even bringing the topic up; it was almost cruel, considering that Tycho was being confronted with someone responsible and could do nothing about it. Luke should have been more discreet. 

“No. I did not care for it.” 

Truth.

Huh.

Level 166

“Well, what about Alderaan?” Luke insisted. “Leia said that you supported -”

“I did not. I was merely present when the order to destroy the planet was given. It was a waste. There was no reason for Alderaan to be destroyed. It was a gross demonstration of power and nothing else.”

“But you didn’t stop it either.”

Vader only shook his head once. “No. I did not.” 

There was something mournful in his voice - in the Force even. Luke doubted that anyone else present would be able to pick up on it… but he could. And as small of a feeling as it was, tucked down way deep inside where no one could see, Luke sensed that his father genuinely regretted what had happened. 

Something inside of him wilted in relief at the realization. If Vader hadn't cared at all... Luke wasn't certain how he would be able to come to terms with that. But there was something there and... and it didn't make anything okay... but it was important.

I have not cared about anything in a very long time. 

How far into apathy and self-loathing did one have to fall in order to watch a planet be destroyed and do nothing to stop it? 

“But whether I agreed with its creation or not, I was still tasked to protect it,” Vader continued in a flat tone. “And I assure you that my failure to do so was not without punishment.”

Luke hadn’t considered that. 

Not that he in any way regretted his actions that day. But… in the same way he regretted that there had been many innocent lives taken, as acceptable as a target as they may have been considering the circumstances, he thought that it wouldn’t be a crime to feel apologetic that someone he cared about had suffered on account of his victory either. 

“Sorry,” Luke offered sincerely. 

Vader shrugged. “It was not your doing. Nor is it your responsibility to worry about me. My decisions have been my own.” There was a moment of silence and the tension in his father seemed to ease a little. “However… destroying the Death Star is one of the few rebel activities of yours that I am… quite proud of. You did well.”

Surprise and bewilderment from several sources flitted around in the Force, though it was easily ignored in favor of the warm feeling taking root in his chest. Luke felt a small, disbelieving smile start to grow on his face and he quickly ducked his head to hide it, refocusing his efforts on Vader’s arm. 

One of his greatest achievements and despite standing on opposite sides of a war, having been enemies in every sense of the word… and it had still made his father proud the way that he had hoped it would. 

He quickly finished repairing the remaining wires and reinserted the interpreter chip before wiping his fingers clean on his pants and closing the paneling. 

“Alright. Try that. It should work now.”

Vader rolled his shoulder a few times, testing it out. A hum of satisfaction passed between them, as well as a faint sense of gratitude.

“You told me earlier that you’d lost your right arm.” 

“I did.”

Luke nodded and then bit the inside of his cheek before asking, “...so, what happened to this one?”

There was a long moment of silence. 

“I lost it in a duel,” Vader finally said. “With Obi-Wan.”

Luke froze, his thoughts screeching to a halt. 

“Ben did this?” 

His father nodded once, his thoughts becoming dark and brooding again. “Yes.”

The very air around them turned cool, the way that it had earlier and Luke shivered, glad that Vader’s anger was not directed at him this time. He wasn’t certain why that revelation took him by such surprise. It was obvious that there was a history between the two of them. He knew that he had been lied to about a lot of things and had accepted that he had been set up to be a weapon against his father. But he hadn't quite put together that Ben might have tried to kill him at some point too. 

That didn't sit well with him. 

It didn't sit well with him to realize that Ben had been willing to lie and say that Vader was dark and twisted and evil, more machine than a man... and then just fail to mention that he had personally contributed to the injuries that had forced his father into his life support suit in the first place. Or that he would encourage and use Luke to try and finish the job. 

He had tried to make sense of what their relationship might have been a few times in the last few weeks and was reasonably certain that some of the things Ben had told him had been the truth. 

Like the fact that Vader had been Ben’s student. That they had been good friends and had fought in the Clone Wars together. And that… at some point, they had become enemies. 

It must have been a bitter parting, for Vader to still be so angry and for Ben to have been so sad. 

Something had happened that had turned them against each other but Luke wasn’t brave enough to ask and find out for himself right now. Instead, he hesitantly decided that it must have been whenever Anakin had chosen to help create the Empire.

At most, it was a lie of omission. 

But somehow it stung and offended Luke more than any of Ben’s more blatant lies had. 

It felt personal. 

He pursed his lips, scowling at nothing. 

Level 182

Luke decided not to pry any further for both their sakes and was saved from having to actively retreat from that line of conversation when his prosthetic hand suddenly spasmed. More than half of it abruptly became a nothing more than dead weight on the end of his stump and the rest tingled strangely and had a delayed reaction time by almost five seconds. 

Luke hissed, clutching at his arm as if by doing so it would hold back the uncomfortable sensation. It didn’t and he squeezed it for a moment before moving his flesh hand and quickly popping the panel on his wrist. A slightly burnt smell emitted from it and Luke crinkled his nose in distaste.

It was fried - he was lucky it had held out at all and he wasn’t certain if it could even be fixed, just judging by the damage it had taken. 

He could feel his father’s eyes lingering on his fake hand and after a few seconds had gone by, he held out his own with almost an air of expectation.

Luke hesitated, drawing his hand a little closer to his person purely on instinct. It wasn’t as if Vader hadn’t touched him before now, he rationalized out in his head, trying to stave off his sudden nerves. But it was one thing to fix Vader’s prosthetic. Luke wasn’t really on board with the idea of letting his father do the same for him just yet. 

Or ever.

Vader’s lack of remorse about the whole thing was still offsetting. Though, judging by the distinct impression of a raised eyebrow directed his way, his father was likewise not impressed with his hesitancy. 

“You challenged me,” Vader reminded him sternly, still obviously peeved about the mention of Ben. “And if you want to survive in this galaxy, then you need to accept that there are consequences that come with engaging someone in battle. Get over it.”

Luke blinked, slightly taken aback by his bluntness. 

It stung. 

Mostly because it wasn’t what he wanted his father to say. Some childish part of him wanted Vader to just feel regret or some semblance of remorse for taking his hand off. But even as he felt hot with a new surge of annoyance that that wasn’t going to be the case, he also sensed that his father wasn’t trying to be harsh. 

He wasn’t even angry.

He was just being pragmatic.

And… as annoying as it was, Luke could at least appreciate that his father wasn’t treating him like he couldn’t handle it. Vader treated him like he expected Luke to be able to meet any challenge that came his way head on and then thrive.

Luke bit the inside of his cheek to hide his own scowl and then slowly breathed out through his nose before extending his ruined hand out for Vader to take. 

His spine tingled uneasily but Vader’s grip seemed to be gentle and after subtly testing it, Luke realized that he would easily be able to take his hand back if he wanted to. He did his best to relax as his father maneuvered it around, inspecting it with a critical eye. 

After a moment, Luke was forced to shift a little when Vader positioned his wrist so it sat on his knee. His father worked quicker on his hand than Luke had on his arm. He knew exactly what he was doing and used the Force to carefully put some tiny inner pieces back into place that had come undone and bent others back into shape, before he finally began stripping and replacing a few essential wires to try and fix the delay issues.

Finally, once that was done, Vader took the small pick in his hand and carefully poked the pad of each of his fingers. Each of them twitched at the right time and the sensation came through much clearer than before. 

“Some of the smaller pieces are broken beyond repair and will need to be replaced. But they will work sufficiently for the time being.” Vader finally said, letting go of his hand. His tone was gentler now that his former irritation had faded. Luke pulled it back towards himself and then let his hand sit in his lap for a moment. “I can arrange for you to get a new one if that is preferable to you.”

It would be rather moot and petty at this point to say that he would prefer to have his real hand and not a fake one at all. But… his father was being his own version of kind and so Luke reigned in his lingering sullenness and simply shrugged, humming noncommittally to the idea. 

Then he paused. 

Accepting a new hand - getting a new hand - would take time. 

It meant going with his father and not taking the chance to run. 

He wasn't certain if he wanted to run now. Not now that he had learned a few things.

Even… even if he did, Luke knew that he didn’t want this to be the end of things between them. 

He liked his father. And... he had nowhere else to go. No one to rely on and maybe no one else who could or would be willing to teach him about the Force anymore. He would still try and return to Dagobah and speak to Yoda - he had promised, after all. But the temptation - the pull to be where he was wanted - was powerful. If there was any hope for his father to... to maybe come back from whatever dark place he had been trapped in for so long, it was dependent on whether or not Luke was around. 

Vader's capacity to care seemed to only extend so far. 

But Luke also knew that if he did go… if he dared to side with his father, then there wasn’t any going back from that choice. Regardless of whether or not he joined the Empire, he was still choosing a side. 

Luke would be choosing family over conflict… but the rest of the galaxy would see it as Luke Skywalker joining Darth Vader. 

They would see it only as a confirmation of what they must have all feared all along - that the son was no different than the father. That Luke would fail and that he would Fall. 

Monster. 

Traitor.

Liar.

There was a lot riding on his decision. More at stake than he could fully appreciate at the moment. He could feel Vader’s eyes on him even now and felt the intensity of his thoughts and gaze. It made his stomach twist into uneasy knots and he scrubbed his lower jaw with one hand. 

Glancing up for a moment, Luke saw that the elevator was currently at Level 201.

It was getting much closer - a little more than halfway down now.

He was running out of time. Luke knew what he wanted to do... but not what he should do. 

The silence slowly became strained with unsaid words between them and Luke thought that even the others could sense the change now. It felt like the quiet calm before battle and his heart began to pound. 

“Luke,” Vader finally broke the silence. 

Luke stilled and closed his eyes. He slowly pressed his hands together, hoping it would hide the fact that they were shaking. 

“Come with me.”

It was just like last time. 

Except that it didn’t feel like the last time. It felt like this time his father was actually asking - like he was offering Luke a choice and wouldn’t make him do anything that he didn’t want to do. 

Luke looked up at his father’s mask. He couldn’t name the emotion he was feeling now.

So much had happened between now and Bespin. It felt like his life and his priorities and his understanding of his place in the galaxy was ever shifting and he didn’t really know which way was up or down. 

“I don’t know if that is what I am supposed to do.” Luke admitted quietly. 

Level 209

“You do not want to return to the Rebellion,” Vader said after a minute or two had gone by. “I can sense that in you.”

And that was true enough. 

Luke had already decided to go his own way before his father had even found him. He could not stand to be a pariah, an outcast that was accepted so long as he was useful and convenient but distrusted as a whole. 

“No,” he agreed quietly, shaking his head. “I don’t want to go back.”

In the Force, he keenly felt Wedge’s emotions flicker for the first time in several minutes - something that felt like panic and regret. Luke let his eyes wander towards the other three for the briefest moment before looking away again. 

Monster.

Liar.

Traitor.

We don’t need you. 

He wasn’t going to go backwards. He wasn’t going to let anyone use him or lie to him or throw him in prison or put him on public display all because Vader was his father. He wasn’t going to be a weapon.

He deserved better than that.

Luke was half expecting Vader to jump on the opportunity to give him a list of reasons why he should join him instead. He felt tense, waiting for the inevitable to happen. 

But Vader stayed quiet and the complete lack of pressure or argument between them slowly deflated him like a balloon. 

His vision on Dagobah, with its unlimited possible meanings and outcomes. His future was dependent on the choices that he made. He knew that and could accept it easily enough. 

But Luke also remembered his certainty that while Palpatine may be unable to push him into the dark side… his father could. And now, that was the crux of his dilemma. Vader had power over him by virtue of being his father alone. The one person that Luke had longed to know all of his life - who he loved and was willing to see the humanity in - he didn’t know how he could possibly resist once he gave in. Vader could convince Luke to do things that no one else would be able to. 

Vader had to know that and it scared him. 

If he walked this path… if he tried to save his father, how could Luke know for certain that he wouldn’t Fall in the process of trying? Everyone else, those older and more experienced then he was, seemed convinced that he would. That hadn't said it in so many words but Luke was certain that that was what they thought. He was certain it was why Yoda hadn't wanted to train him. 

Like his father. 

“Everyone has lied to me,” Luke finally murmured. “About everything. And all I can think is that they’re afraid that I’ll turn out like you.”

There. 

He'd said it. 

The words - his greatest fear - were out in the open and Luke felt painfully vulnerable to whatever was going to come next.

He held perfectly still as, after a moment of hesitation, his father seemed to sigh. Then his hand reached out towards him and tilted his chin up. 

“They are wrong to think that,” Vader said, looking him dead in the eye. “You won’t turn out like me. You are better than I am. And whatever you do moving forward, you will be better than I was too.”

The unexpected words hit him with such power that Luke was completely speechless. 

They are wrong.

That was... no one had ever said that to him before. 

No one had ever expressed a belief that he would turn out differently - that he wasn’t doomed to fail. And it was the very last thing he had expected his father to say to him. Tears blurred his vision and his throat was thick with emotion. Luke scrubbed his jaw again and then pinched the bridge of his nose, willing his emotions to get themselves under control. 

“You really believe that?” Luke whispered hoarsely.

There was a flicker of something warm along their bond in the Force - the faintest impression of a smile directed his way, softer than sunlight. 

After a moment, his father lifted his hand and cautiously brushed a few dirty strands of hair out of Luke's eyes. He was doing it again - taking in the features of Luke's face the same way he had done hours ago, when Luke had first accepted his help. Luke could just barely make out his eyes - the red tint of the masks' lenses made it hard to determine what color they were. 

“I do.”

The Force whispered a soft chime of truth. Luke buried his face in his hands and felt his shoulders start to shake with repressed emotion. There were no words to describe how desperately he wanted someone to believe that he would not fail and become Fallen and dark and wrong. To hear it now - from his father, no less - was cool water after a long period of dehydration. 

It was a weight being lifted off his shoulders, a burden that he no longer felt like he had to carry in full. It made the idea of going forwards just a little easier to bear. 

Yoda must have lost his mind in his old age. 

Without his shields in place, Luke had broadcasted everything he’d seen in the Force earlier and Vader had caught the faint, flickering image of that little green monstrosity standing outside of a mossy hut on Dagobah.   

He was crazy. He had to be. It was the only thing that Vader could think of that made sense as to why the old Jedi master would deliberately instill such fear of failure inside of his student. 

That, or it was a very clever, manipulative technique he and Obi-Wan had decided to use to keep Luke on their side of things. 

Lie about everything. Or at least, only offer small portions of the truth. Refuse to train him, make him beg for the opportunity to learn, and then reluctantly concede. Put the fate of the galaxy on his shoulders and drill the idea that he could not fail lest everything be lost into him so hard that he would rather die then disappoint anyone. 

It was the same thing that the Jedi had done to Anakin so long ago with their talk about him being the Chosen One. 

The Jedi Council had exploited him for his power but hung him out to dry at every available opportunity. In the end, Vader was confident that they had done just as much as Sidious had done to ensure that he Fell.

How could they not see how remarkable Luke was? How compassionate and selfless he was, even when wronged by other people? How he demonstrated all of the qualities of a Jedi and then some? How could they possibly expect Luke to succeed when all they saw was what he was not? When they wouldn’t even tell him the truth?

He knew nothing about Sidious. 

About the Sith. 

About the dark side.

About anything. 

They would have let his son go up against the most dangerous powers in the known galaxy with less training and knowledge than a padawan and it was infuriating. 

It was gross negligence. Vader didn’t understand it and he would not forgive it. But if Luke would just let him, he would correct their mistakes. 

If. 

He wanted Luke. More than he had ever wanted anything.

Vader waited, exercising all the patience that he had inside of him and then some, allowing Luke what time he needed to collect his thoughts. He couldn't rush this. This time couldn't be like Bespin. He was clinging to the hope that if he did everything differently... then maybe Luke would come to him on his own. He wasn't certain what he was going to do if Luke actively refused to leave with him. 

He just hoped it wouldn't come to that. 

Minutes passed between them in silence. 

Level 247

Finally, Luke drew in another shuddering breath. 

“You said… earlier, you said that the Emperor considers me property,” he continued softly, only the faintest tremble in his voice. His gaze was fixed on something in front of him and his thoughts felt muted and dark. “A slave – one that does not yet know his place.”

For a moment, Vader saw and remembered Luke being caught in those damn wires - being electrocuted and crying out in hurt and agony. 

At the time, he had only cared about getting Luke out of trouble as fast as he could. 

But now, the memory of it felt like having witnessed an unwanted reality of what might be - of what would be, if he failed to get rid of the Emperor before it was too late. It was a waking vision of his child suffering under Sidious’ cruelty until he broke into pieces that couldn’t be put back together… and who no one would want to try and fix. 

When all was said and done, Sidious would force Luke to kill him and… and then his son would be alone. 

Alone with only his pain and his hatred for company. 

A slave. 

Like his father. Like Vader was and… and as Anakin had been. Like Shmi and the rest of their family who were lost to them now, either dead or scattered throughout the galaxy. 

Whether his son had been born into freedom or not, Vader knew and had known ever since the bounty hunter had revealed Luke’s very existence that day on the bridge that his son would be doomed to suffer the same fate as him unless something changed. The electrical burns on Luke’s face now felt like a horrible mimicry of his own. And Sidious would do so much worse to Luke if he ever had the opportunity to try and bring him to heel. It would be worse - worse because Luke was Free in ways that Anakin had never been. He would not surrender easily. 

“Yes,” Vader confirmed quietly. 

Luke nodded slowly, still looking at the ground. “Then neither of us will be free until he is dead.”

It wasn’t a question. 

Only a statement of fact. Vader thought that his silence spoke for itself. 

Level 265

“Could we do it?” Luke asked hesitantly. “I mean… is it even possible?”

Was it possible?

Vader thought of Sidious’ power, of the darkness and evil that surrounded him. Even now, the thought of going up against his master made him shiver. He knew, perhaps better than anyone, how very dangerous Sidious was and how great his power could be. The creature that they had just dealt with was a cakewalk in comparison and it had given Vader the best fight he’d had in years. Killing Sidious would not be easy and… and it might be that one that neither of them survived. 

If Luke were to Fall… if he gave in to the dark side, then Vader fully believed that it would be a won and done. 

If he Fell.

Vader could admit to himself, now more than ever, that he did not want Luke to be like him. As a Sith, Luke would be phenomenal. Powerful and grand - a true force to be reckoned with. There would be no one who could contend with him while he was at his full strength and in that sense, he would be safe. 

But the dark side required anger. It demanded pain and suffering in equal measure to the power that it gave. Vader had more than his fair share of reasons to be angry. He experienced more than enough pain to fuel his power and then some on the daily. Even his Inquisitors - they had their rage at the injustices that had been committed against them. Their anger at the fall of the Jedi, at losing those they had loved, at the pain and suffering they had experienced before they had finally been forced to submit. 

Luke didn’t have any of that. 

He was angry, yes. And he could Fall, easily - Vader could sense that in him well enough. But the dark side was more than just anger. There was not enough there to sustain his power. To make him all that he could be - and needed to be, in order to take on Sidious. Nor did he naturally have the desire to be that angry. As strange as a concept that it was, even the desire for power seemed foreign to him. 

Luke would need to suffer. Incredibly. Horrifically. To experience pain and misery and then to keep experiencing it. He would need to be broken and recreated from the ground up, the same way that Anakin had been. 

And Vader couldn’t do that to him. 

He didn’t want to and nor could he stand by and let someone else try and do it either.

He just didn’t know if Luke being trained as a Jedi would be enough in the end. The Sith were all about willpower. Strength. Fortitude. Aggression. And the Jedi were supposed to be… passive. They were supposed to be restrained, without attachment or emotion - they were supposed to be merciful. 

They were weak. 

And despite what appearances he put on for the public, the Emperor was anything but weak. He would not practice the same restraint that a Jedi was supposed to adhere to in battle. Sidious would see Luke’s weaknesses and exploit them to the nth degree. 

Could we do it? Is it even possible?

Vader couldn’t bring himself to make Luke Fall -  he didn’t have it in him to make his own child suffer like that. But would his own weakness - his love for his son... would his inability to do what might be necessary sentence Luke to death anyways? 

“I don’t know,” Vader admitted tiredly. “But you cannot run from him forever, my son.”

He couldn't either. Running had never been an option for him; and he would never have taken the steps to kill him either, had Luke not appeared on the scene. There was much that still needed to be done but he had the plans and people in place to make it happen, even now. But it wouldn't matter - all of his plans that he'd made during the last several years would all be for nothing unless Luke came with him. Vader didn't have the will or desire to take on his Master otherwise. And if Luke wasn't a Sith...

“I’m not planning to run,” Luke responded haughtily, before Vader could finish his thought. “I know I’ll have to face him eventually. He’s an Enemy now and if he wants me for a slave, then it’s kill or be killed.”

Vader paused, turning his head to stare at Luke anew.

Kill or be killed. 

That was a distinctly… un-Jedi like attitude. 

It was a Desert mindset.

The same one that had driven an untrained child to try and avenge his father against a much more experienced, much more dangerous opponent. 

Something... something that Vader did not have a name for slid into place. Like the lost piece of a complicated puzzle. 

He wasn’t certain why he hadn’t thought of it sooner; the revelation seemed perfectly obvious now that he was considering it; perhaps he was guilty of getting caught up in the title of Jedi more than he was of paying true attention to the attributes he already knew about his son. 

Because Luke… he was anything but passive. 

Slowly, his earlier pride over who his son had grown up to be came over him. He would always resent the fact that Luke had been hidden away from him. That his only child had been stolen and given to people who barely qualified as family. That he’d been forced to grow up on that miserable dustball of a planet which Anakin had won the right to escape from. 

But… perhaps Tatooine would serve Luke well in the end. 

Even if the Jedi were passive… no one who grew up on Tatooine could be. It wasn’t in their nature. Especially not when it came to slavery. Those that were Free… they would fight - tooth and nail, to their last breath - against the Masters. 

“Desert Law,” he murmured to himself. 

“Yeah,” Luke hummed in agreement. “I can’t seem to escape that stupid planet. But….”  

“But we are People of the Desert. Children of the Suns.” 

"And though the Masters holler, with their chains and their guns, we stand and we fight, and we let the blood run." Luke finished the old Desert adage with a wry half smile on his face. 

Level 311

Anakin had left Tatooine a lifetime ago and had, with the exception of his concern for his mother, never looked back.

But he remembered her culture. Her people. Her slaves. The Desert was harsh and unforgiving and for the sake of survival, its people were too. He had drawn on that inherent strength that came with growing up in a cruel environment often at the Jedi Temple, trying to be strong and brave in a new place and among new people. Slavery had existed on Tatooine for hundreds of years and the threat of capture was not one that was ever taken lightly. Those who had lost family and loved ones to the Masters swore to never forget and never forgive. And when the threat came upon those who were Free, the unspoken rule was always kill or be killed. 

That could work. 

It could. It might. 

Luke hadn’t been raised by the Jedi. And he hadn’t been taught as much as Vader had originally suspected. There was plenty that he didn’t know.  Maybe... maybe he wouldn't need to Fall. Maybe he just needed to be Luke. 

Vader chewed his lip, getting lost in his thoughts and ideas. He could finish Luke's training himself and after a few minutes of thought, he said as much. 

Luke sighed at the offer, tilting his head to the side in silent acknowledgement of the offer before picking up a small rock to play with. It wasn't an outright rejection this time and Vader felt his heart begin to pound in anticipation. 

“You know what it will cost me if I go with you, right?” Luke asked hesitantly. 

For a moment, Vader was confused. 

What did Luke have to lose by coming with him now? He had been cast out by the Rebellion. They didn't want him and they didn't trust him. Even after going through the effort to save their miserable lives and risking his own in the process, the remaining Rebels were wary and suspicious of him. In contrast, Vader could offer him everything; wealth, power, protection, resources, training -  

It should be a win-win. 

The Rebellion was nothing in comparison. 

But… Vader paused, trying - trying to understand. It was important that he got this right. Everything that mattered was hinging on Luke's decision. And Vader could sense that he was so close to making it. 

He searched along their bond for a few seconds, trying to guess at the deeper meaning of the question. And it wasn't... Luke wasn't talking about the Rebellion specifically. 

He had fought for it, yes and even if he was turning away from it now, it still meant something to him. But it was more than that. Luke had his friends. His reputation. People that he loved and cared about. Whatever small semblance of a life that he’d built for himself since he’d gotten off Tatooine. 

Even if it was not ideal, even if it wasn’t perfect… it was still everything that Anakin had once given up. 

By choosing to leave with Vader... Luke was picking a side. Unless through some massive stroke of luck and understanding, there would be no going back to any of it. 

He would be a pariah. An outcast. Hated and feared and despised by people he was willing to give up everything for. 

Anakin had lost everything too. It had hurt - desperately. The ache of what he had thrown away still haunted him even now, in those quiet moments he had to himself. He never allowed himself to dwell on it for very long. He had made his bed and for all the sins he had committed, it only seemed fair that he laid in it. The difference was that Anakin had lost everything in a mad, stupid quest for power and had willingly sold his soul in the process… and Luke. Luke would be giving up what mattered to him most in a desperate bid for freedom.

Luke wanted to know if he understood - if, at the very bare minimum, Vader appreciated what he would be giving up for this chance they had together. 

He thought of Padme. Of her smile and the sound of her laughter and the way her hair looked in sunlight.

“I know what it will cost you, Luke." Vader said after a long moment. "And I know what I am asking you to do." 

Luke nodded and took in a steadying breath before offering him a genuine smile. “Then I’ll help you kill him.”

Level 327

The elevator door pinged quietly and then a few seconds later, the double doors finally opened at last.

Chapter Text

The doors were open. 

They could finally get out. Leave this place and never look back. And yet, Wedge was frozen in place, unable to move, and stunned to his core.

He hadn’t been prepared for anything that he’d just heard. It was nothing like what he would ever have expected. Never - not in a million years. There had been more packed into the conversation that they’d all just listened in on then he even knew what to do with. More than what any undercover agent in the Empire had ever learned or successfully reported back to the Rebellion. 

There was more than enough proof that Luke wasn’t or ever had been a spy for the Empire. And it might - it might save or at least preserve some of his reputation - at least among those who knew him best. That was what Wedge had wanted.

But there was also so much more. There was proof that Vader… was an actual person underneath the mask that the galaxy knew him by. Wedge had, in the bastard’s own words, proof that he disagreed with and was actively seeking the death of the Emperor, that he hadn’t approved of the Death Star, and had disapproved of the destruction of Alderaan.

Wedge even had an explanation for why any of it had happened in the first place. 

And he had everything recorded. All of it. The entire damn conversation.

Had circumstances been different, Wedge thought he would have felt excited or would have at least had a few drinks over some of the knowledge he had just overheard. That Vader wanted to kill Palpatine. It even sounded as though he might be actively betraying the Empire as a whole, though that seemed unlikely. But instead… Wedge just felt deflated and tired.

The whole conversation had taken several left turns and a sharp drop off the edge of a steep cliff. It could change everything… but it also didn’t change anything. Not really, anyways.

He had still left Luke behind. Zach and Caleb were still dead and there was never going to be anything that he could do to change those facts. 

With some difficulty, Wedge glanced over to where Tycho was still sitting against the cage. Their eyes met easily enough and he saw the same tired disbelief mirroring back at him from Ty’s soot covered face. Maybe even some of the same regret for what they had done.

Luke had switched sides. 

His promise to help Vader kill Palpatine was as binding as any formal declaration of loyalty could ever be. 

Wedge understood, now, in a very painful moment of near perfect clarity, how crucial of a moment his and Rogue Squadron’s reaction to Luke’s parentage had been earlier and how it was going to change everything moving forwards. It had been a short window of opportunity and he and everyone else had missed it by a mile. 

The only person among them who had extended a life-line when Luke had needed it had been Darth Vader. He had been the one that had listened and the only one to assure Luke that there wasn’t something wrong with him.

It would be impossible for Wedge to forget the expression on Luke’s face when his father had promised him that they weren’t the same. That Luke was better than he was… and that everyone who thought otherwise was wrong. It was as though a terrible, invisible burden had lifted off of him. 

Luke had been desperate for someone to believe him. Had begged for someone to hear him when he said that he hadn’t ever been a traitor and that he hadn’t known the truth and they hadn't. His dark, dangerous secret had come to light and an awful judgment had come with it, labeling him a monster and leaving him with nothing to hope for and no one to rely on.

Wedge might have believed him, but his belief hadn’t saved him and there was no guarantee that it would have saved him in the Rebellion either. If they lived in a perfect galaxy, if life were fair and people were understanding, then who Luke was related to wouldn’t matter. He would only be judged by his own actions and nothing more or less. 

But the galaxy wasn’t perfect, and neither were people. 

Luke was the son of Darth Vader. When that knowledge became known publicly, it would probably ruin him. Maybe only to a few or maybe to a larger whole. It would be impossible to know for sure until it became reality. But it would; Luke wasn’t going to be able to escape it and he was going to be condemned for it. 

Anyone in their right mind would be terrified. 

Wedge had a sinking feeling in his gut that the timing and the family connection between Luke and Vader meant that the door which had just closed wouldn’t ever open for anyone else. In a self-pitying sort of way, it was just another piece of evidence to show how terribly he had failed. 

If he had just been a better friend, if he’d been smarter and if he hadn’t panicked… if he hadn’t sent Luke away… then it could have been friends and other people who cared about him who helped him through this.

It shouldn’t have been Vader... but it was. 

Opportunity lost. Gone. Nothing, nada, zilch. 

After all that had been said and done, who could even blame Luke for simply going where he was wanted? 

“I’ll help you,” Luke repeated, interrupting Wedge’s train of thought. “I will. But there is something I need to do first.” 

“What would that be?” Vader asked. 

“I need to go get Han.”

Wedge blinked, feeling like he’d heard wrong.

“Captain Solo? Your smuggler friend?”

Luke nodded tiredly. “Yeah, my smuggler friend,” he agreed. “I owe him a few favors and it was my fault he was taken. You were after me. So, if… if there’s a chance that we die at the end of this… then I just need to make sure that I go get him first.”

There was a long silence, broken only by the sound of Vader’s respirator and Tycho’s harsh coughing. 

Wedge couldn’t help but huff a disbelieving laugh under his breath. It wasn’t funny though. None of it was. He closed his eyes and shook his head, feeling tears well in them for the thousandth time in so many hours. Because of course Luke would be talking about his potential death and still have it in him to think about someone else. 

He was just that kind of person.

“It would be a risk,” Vader finally said, with some obvious reluctance. “The bounty hunter will have taken him to Jabba the Hutt by now.”

Luke only shrugged. “Well… no offense, but I’m not really asking permission.” 

He would go get Han alone if he had to. Luke had already made that perfectly clear in the last few weeks during talks with the Rebellion. Those discussions had always ended with more than a few people shaking their heads at him. After all, there was a damn good reason why High Command wasn’t willing to go in and help retrieve Han Solo. Jabba’s palace was reported to be a nearly impenetrable fortress and the number of lives they could potentially lose trying to breach it wasn’t worth the risk for just one person. It had been made perfectly clear that whoever was involved in the rescue of Han Solo would be doing it on their own time and their own credits. 

“I understand that,” was the smooth response. “And I will not stop you either, if that is your concern. But, timing is important and will continue to be important moving forward. Sidious has political agreements and trade deals established with the Hutts which are of some importance to him. It would be unwise to attract his attention or build his ire for as long as possible.”

Sidious? Wedge felt his brow furrow. That wasn’t a term… or a name that he was familiar with. But the only person he could be talking about that made any sense was the Emperor. 

"I can't just leave him there." Luke said after a moment of silence. 

"Have a plan or move with caution," Vader said, in a tone that suggested he had said something similar before. "Let me train you and when the time is right... you may take Death Squadron and go and retrieve your friend from the Hutt.”

The hesitating expression on Luke’s face disappeared in an instant. He sat up a little straighter, staring at Vader with disbelief. “I’m sorry, what?” 

“I do not believe I stuttered."

“No, it’s - you would just lend me Death Squadron? You don’t even like Han.”

“My son, you may recall on Bespin that I offered you the entire Empire,” Vader said with a dry sort of amusement now. “What is mine is now yours.”

Holy fuck. 

Wedge felt his jaw drop open. Because that… what the actual hell? He glanced at Tycho again, needing to make sure that he had heard what he’d heard properly. He had. Wedge could tell that he had. 

“Yeah, I still don’t want the Empire,” Luke said quickly, waving a hand as if that was an entirely different matter.

“I am aware of this. I heard you the first and second time.”

Vader had offered Luke the Empire… the actual fucking Empire itself and he’d said no. 

Wedge scrubbed his jaw and then ran his hand through his hair, unable to grasp the magnitude or significance of an offer like that. Or that Vader would be the one to make it in the first place. If he ever got this information back to the Rebellion, they were going to have a field day with it.

If he got it back. 

They still had to get out of here alive and pray that Vader wasn’t going to kill them when they did. Wedge had a hard time believing that he would show them any mercy, with or without Luke’s influence. 

But Death Squadron though. Wow.

"You'll really let me do this?" Luke repeated, staring hard at Vader as if searching for any hint of a lie. "You won't stop me?"

“No. I will not,” Vader said simply. Then without waiting for Luke's response, he shifted to his knees and pulled himself up carefully to his feet. He moved in such a way that Wedge thought there was a fairly good chance he was in pain. Or maybe the suit that he wore was just heavy. Good, he thought unkindly. “Come on. We can discuss this in more depth later.”

“Fine. But I want my X-wing,” Luke said, allowing Vader to help pull him to his feet. He braced an arm against Vader for a moment as he stood, wincing as he held his busted ribs and caught his breath. Vader let him, just standing there patiently until Luke was able to straighten up fully on his own. 

“Done.”

“And… and Artoo.”

Luke’s backpack lifted up off the floor and into Vader’s hand and Wedge watched as the man slung it over one shoulder. “He is a Skywalker,” Vader agreed simply. “He should stay with family.”

Shaking his head, Wedge hesitantly decided that he could probably most likely move now without running the risk of dying and quickly slipped his recording pen into his jacket pocket and got to his feet as well. His busted ribs ached as he stood and brought tears of pain to the corners of his eyes. It felt like he was inhaling razor blades. He stepped carefully around Cesi and Zach, leaving them alone for the moment and glanced at the elevator.

It didn't seem very big. It looked like there would just be enough room for a handful of people and even then, it would be an awkward fit. But there was no way that he or his men weren’t getting on; Darth Vader or not, he would start a fight over it if necessary. He hoped it wouldn't come to that though. Wedge glanced towards Luke and caught his eye. The distance that he had created between them felt more obvious now and Wedge could tell that Luke felt it too. 

He hated that he only had himself to blame. Luke stared at him for a few seconds and then his eyes flickered from his face, to Tycho, and finally to Cesi, before he subtly tilted his head towards the elevator.

“Let's get out of here," Luke said, giving Wedge all the permission that he needed.

Wedge turned and gave Tycho a helping hand to his feet. He didn’t know how long Vader would be willing to wait and couldn’t take the chance of them getting left behind. Ty didn’t have a weapon on him anymore - he had dropped both the rifle and his blaster up on the walkway at some point before Wedge had come across him and so he just gave him a slight push towards the open doors to get him going.

Wedge watched until Ty had stepped inside and then turned his attention to Cesi. Grief and unease squeezed his chest tight. There was no more conversation to distract himself with now. 

Zach was dead and it was time to leave him behind. 

Steeling himself, Wedge stepped forward and knelt down. “Cesi?” he said quietly, hesitating to reach out and touch him. 

Cesi didn’t seem to hear him. His eyes were fixed on Zach’s face. 

“Cesi?” Wedge tried again. "It’s... it's time to go.”

Force, he looked awful. He was so pale - it was a miracle he hadn't passed out already from the blood loss, let alone everything else that had happened. Wedge had done his best in applying bandages and had gotten the bleeding to stop but the damage was already done.

“I’m not leaving him down here,” Cesi croaked, tears streaming down his face. “I can’t. He… he deserves better than this.”

It was like having a knife shoved into his heart. Wedge felt his eyes blur with tears once again and scrubbed his jaw. He didn't know which was worse - the devastation on Cesi's face or knowing that there was nothing that he could do or say to make this easier. Stories had it wrong - there was never anything noble about death. There was no noble story that could be told to ease this particular hurt. 

Dead was just dead. 

“We can’t take him with us,” Wedge said quietly. “I’m sorry but we can’t carry him out of here and… and we need to get you some help.”

“No - no, we… we were supposed to get out together," Cesi snapped. The hand that gently stroked the length of Zach’s cheek was trembling. “I was going to get him out. I told him… I told him that it was going to be okay.”

“I know. But he’s gone and… and we can’t change that now. We… we don’t even know how long this powerline will last.”

Cesi shook his head, his chin quivering. “I can’t do this.”

Wedge pressed his face into the sleeve of his shirt, wiping the tears from his eyes before glancing over his shoulder. The doors were still open and waiting for them.

How was he supposed to do this? They didn’t even have anything to cover Zach’s body with and offer it whatever meager protection it would provide. He would just be left down here to rot, in the company of other victims of the Empire. It seemed far too cruel. 

But there wasn’t anything for it. Zach was dead and his responsibility now was to those who were still alive. 

“He would want you to get out,” Wedge said softly. “You know that. Please, Cesi. I still need your help.”

Cesi shook his head again, staring desperately at Zach’s face. A few more seconds passed and then he finally nodded. “Okay… okay,” he whispered, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to Zach’s forehead. Then, with Wedge's help, he gently eased Zach's head off his lap. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I'm so sorry."

Over and over and over again. 

It was one of the worst things Wedge had ever heard. 

Cesi shifted to his knees, chest heaving, and then with a shaking hand, he opened Zach’s jacket and started patting his body down, grabbing a few of his personal effects and slipping them into his pockets. It didn’t take very long. Once he was done, Wedge immediately shifted and stood up to help him get to his feet. He shouldered Cesi’s weight and helped walk him the short distance to the elevator, leaving Zach's cooling body behind them. 

He couldn’t bring himself to look back. 

Vader was standing on the left of the elevator where the buttons were located when they stepped inside at last. The top button was lit up with a dim yellow light and was labeled Surface Level. Luke was sitting on the ground next to his father, his knees drawn close to his chest. He was clearly attempting to make room for the rest of them. Tycho was sitting as far from Vader as he could possibly get, pressed into the front right corner of the elevator. Wedge pressed Cesi down on the floor next to him before planting himself in the middle, putting himself between his men and Vader. 

It was all that he could do and he shivered, hating how completely powerless he felt in this situation. Everything was entirely out of his hands and all he could think was that the very last thing he had ever wanted to experience in his life was the feeling of standing side by side with Darth Vader in an elevator. 

Then the doors closed at last and the long awaited ride up the shaft began. 

Cesi wasn’t certain how long it took for the elevator to go up. 

Everything seemed to be moving both fast and slow at the same time. For a while, all he could bring himself to know was that it was quiet. Quiet, except for the haunting sound of Vader's damn respirator and the harsh sound of Tycho’s continuous coughing. No one was speaking anymore. Or, perhaps they just didn’t know what to say. 

He was glad it was quiet because he didn't want to think.

No small part of him wished that Wedge would have just let him die in the damn mine. That he had been left behind with Zach. He loved the Rebellion and no matter how hard it had been or how much it had taken from him, in the pursuit of a better galaxy, he had given it everything he'd had. But Zach was the only friend he’d really had to his name and he didn’t have any family.

There was nothing and no one for him to go back to now and the idea of continuing on alone seemed like too much to bear. 

He would want you to get out.

Damn Wedge for saying that because it wasn't fair - Zach was dead, he had fucking died and left him behind with no one and somehow, Cesi was supposed to just keep going because of Zach's imagined wants? If he hadn't wanted Cesi to give up, then he should have stuck around and said it himself.

The absolute fucking prick.

Cesi shivered and pressed his hand up against his shoulder as hard as he could so that it would hurt. He grit his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut as fire and agony erupted in his shoulder. The smell of iron was strong. It was unsettling, to feel one's lifeblood draining from their body. But... his old man had always said that pain was just proof he was alive. It was when it stopped hurting that he should be concerned.

He dug his fingernails into his torn flesh for as long as he could handle it and then let go, slumping against the wall of the elevator but feeling more awake than he had before. 

He would want you to get out. 

It wasn't fair to be left behind like this. Zach should have known that. 

But even if he personally wanted to just disappear entirely, giving up wasn't exactly written in his DNA either. The pulsing, radiating pain would keep him awake at least for now but the cost was a different kind of agony. 

It was the memory of Caleb being torn apart and screaming for help and the knowledge that Cesi should have killed him and put him out of his misery and that he didn’t. Zach’s leg, black and rotting all the way down to the bone. That damn monster, calling out to him with his old man's drunken slur - the sound that had haunted him all the way through his childhood and on the rare occasion, had him waking up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night even now.

That… that pit that he had almost fallen into and where Cesi was certain he had been going to die an awful death and where he almost wished that he had. The grinding sound of rotors humming at the bottom and the weightless feeling of falling into darkness - except that he hadn’t. 

Because Skywalker had saved his life. 

He hadn’t needed to do that.

If Cesi had been in his shoes, he probably wouldn’t have done the same. 

...what did that say about him?

All he knew was that he had been wrong about everything. 

He had ignorantly believed himself to be the hero of the whole situation. He was the one to unravel the mystery that was Luke Skywalker. The one to reveal a threat others were too ignorant to see. He'd had his reasons of suspicion... but in the end, no one had asked him to do any of this.

High Command, even with their odd and suspicious behavior in the weeks following Skywalker's adventure on Bespin, hadn't asked him or anyone else to investigate him either. Cesi had just taken it upon himself, certain that he simply knew better and was smarter than they were; the harsh truth that he had to live with now was the knowledge that he wasn't.

He let his eyes flicker tiredly over to Skywalker. He looked just as bad as the rest of them did; hurt and exhausted and covered in a good layer of dirt and blood. He seemed to be trying his best not to fall asleep. 

Cesi wasn't certain what to feel about him. He just couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that Skywalker had gone out of his way to save him. 

The pain in his shoulder was ebbing and his vision blurred slightly for the first time in several minutes. He reached up and dug his palm into his wounds again.

Vader was injured too, he noticed breathlessly. Cesi didn’t care whether he was hurt or not but there was definitely blood on the front and sides of his suit. It was probably too much to wish that he’d just keel over and die. No one was that lucky, apparently.

Cesi couldn’t understand how it even began to be fair that Vader had lived and Zach and Caleb had died. 

They had at least been good people. 

He was finally pulled out of his miserable, circling thoughts when the elevator finally came to a stop. The doors opened up again with a quiet little ping and then it got louder as everyone began to move once again. Vader exited first, with Skywalker not far behind him. Then Wedge was pulling Cesi up to his feet again. It made his stomach flip sickeningly and a gross wave of dizziness made him want to pass out entirely. He would have fallen to the ground without Wedge and Tycho both jumping to support his weight.

Then they were walking through a dark hallway, illuminated by flashlights that felt far too bright to his eyes. Where they were now was different than the lower levels had been. Newer, though still with an air of abandonment. Cesi stumbled more than once as they walked and he was so exhausted that it almost felt as though his body were somewhere far behind him.

“Almost there,” Wedge murmured. “We’re almost there. Just hang on.”

They stopped only once they'd gotten to a clearly marked exit. Like the one that had been shot down over them, it was blocked with some collapsed rocks and debris. 

“How bad is the damage?” Skywalker asked. His voice seemed to come from far away and Cesi had to blink a few times when he realized that his eyes were drifting closed.

He watched, not quite understanding as Vader pressed a gloved hand up against the closest wall and was quiet for a few seconds. “It is unsteady,” he finally said. “Luke, cut those beams. I will hold the corridor and move them when you are finished. The rest of you get out of the way.”

Wedge muttered some unkind things under his breath as a result. Cesi's vision blurred again as Tycho and Wedge guided him off to the side and the last thing he saw was Skywalker’s lightsaber coming to life with a vivid flash of green.

“Opportunity Base, Supreme Commander Darth Vader.” 

Wedge looked up from where he was sitting on the ground, watching as Vader spoke into his commlink for what felt like the umpteenth time. It was late in the evening and would have been completely dark except they still had a few flashlights to illuminate their immediate surroundings. The air was cool and didn't smell of death and rot. It smelled like it had rained recently.

They had escaped the mine about fifteen minutes ago. The exit had been unstable, groaning horribly and dropping dirt and dust on top of them the more he and Luke had worked to clear the way.

Vader had held thousands of pounds of rock and concrete up long enough for the rest of them to get through the exit before letting it all collapse with a crash that sounded like a boom of thunder once they were all safely outside. 

Now they were waiting.

None of them were in any condition to walk anywhere and it was too dark now anyways. Cesi was in and out of consciousness and neither he or Tycho had the strength to help carry him any further. They had found a spot to sit against a low sitting red brick wall just off to the side of the exit they’d come out. They were just watching, uncertain what to do while Vader tried to get a signal out to his people. He hadn't had any success so far and it was clearly irritating him. 

"Opportunity Base, Supreme Commander Darth Vader." 

Luke was sitting against the brick wall opposite of them, head tilted back with his eyes closed. He wasn't asleep - every now and then, he cracked his eyes open to glance at his father, as if gauging what his mood was. 

"Opportunity Base, Supreme Commander Darth Vader."

A short silence fell while they waited for a response. A minute passed and then two. If Wedge didn't know any better, he would swear that he could feel Vader's ire in the very air. 

Then, at long last, the commlink crackled to life. 

“Go ahead, Supreme Commander. Over.” 

"Finally," Vader hissed waspishly before pressing the button on his commlink again. “Triangulate my coordinates and send a shuttle to my location immediately. Over.” 

“Yes, my Lord. Over.”

“Be advised, I have located the survivors of Rogue Squadron and have them in custody. Over.” 

“Copy that. How many?”

“Four. Over.”

“Copy. Our ETA is ten minutes out. Over.”

 The commlink flipped shut and it disappeared to someplace on Vader's belt.

"You going to relax now?" Luke murmured dryly, not bothering to open his eyes. 

Vader paused, his mask turning with an eerie sort of slowness to glare down at Luke. "Watch your attitude," he warned. Luke only smirked, clearly amused. His only answer was to raise his hands in a fake surrender. "Eat something."

"Not hungry." 

Wedge didn't think he would ever get used to this. They needed to stop or he was going to have a stroke from the absurdity of it all. It was hard enough to have to owe Vader some semblance of gratitude for saving them as it was. Being forced to listen to him and Luke banter was too much. And he would withhold his thanks until he knew for certain what was going to happen to them.

He scrubbed his mouth with his hand, glancing at Cesi. His head was resting in Tycho's lap. He was still breathing but unconscious.  

“What do you plan to do with me and the rest of my men?” Wedge asked before he could stop himself. He turned his head to stare up at Vader, stomach twisting uneasily. 

A tense silence followed and Wedge got the distinct feeling that he was being ignored. 

It made him feel angry though he wasn't sure why. He was perfectly confident that Vader didn't give a fuck about offering him or anyone else an answer to anything. That right was reserved for Luke and Luke only, apparently. 

But Wedge needed to know. Against his better judgment, he pulled himself to his feet, ignoring Tycho's hissed whisper to, "Don't."

"I said, what do you plan to do with us?" Wedge repeated.

Vader stiffened and Luke opened his eyes once more, sitting up a little straighter. The air around them seemed to grow colder as Vader turned around to face him, anger radiating out from him now. “Do you think I am hard of hearing?” he demanded.

Wedge shook his head, clenching his jaw and squaring his shoulders. “No.”

“Then know that I only speak to those whom I choose to speak to. You do not get to make demands of me.”

No. Only Luke could do that, Wedge thought wildly to himself, chest heaving.

Vader turned his head minutely as Luke murmured, "Father,"

They stared at each other for a few seconds, saying nothing - or maybe they were. Luke had said just the other day that Force users could talk to each other with only their thoughts if they were strong enough to do it.

“An Imperial shuttle will be arriving and returning us back to the clearing your X-Wings were located in." Vader bit out, glaring at Wedge once more. "You will be relieved of your weapons and kept under armed guard until a decision regarding your fates has been made. Satisfied?”

“No,” Wedge bit out angrily. “I’m not.”

He regretted it almost immediately. People didn't get to speak to Vader like this and live. He was pushing his luck and he knew it. 

“You are alive,” Vader said sharply, raising a finger to point at him in warning. “And that is more than you deserve. So, if I were you, I wouldn’t complain.”

Wedge swallowed, watching in stony silence as Vader turned on his heel, storming away from them. He didn't go far and after a few seconds, Luke glanced back at Wedge and briefly motioned for him to sit back down before getting up to his feet and following after him. 

“So… how do you want to do this?” Luke asked quietly, once he was away from the others. None of Vader's anger was directed at him but he figured he should be careful in his approach of the situation regardless. “Prisoner? Fake surrender, long-lost son? Just so you know, I draw the line at carbonite.”

The dark cloud of annoyance hanging over his father slowly dissipated with Luke's attempt at humor and he could sense as his father smirked in reluctant amusement. “Fortunately for you, that is not an option this time. Just leave it to me,” Vader said, his mask turned to the skies just as the headlights of an Imperial shuttle broke over the distant tree line. “And do not try to cause any problems.”

Luke felt a new sort of anticipation begin to churn in the pit of his stomach. “Me?” he asked with a forced air of innocence. 

“You.”

Luke huffed a laugh but the humor between them did nothing to ease his nerves. He couldn't help but feel uncertain. After all, his father was one thing - but the idea of being surrounded by his enemies felt entirely different. Avoiding the Empire had become part of Survival 101 and he suspected it would be a difficult habit to unlearn. 

As the shuttle got closer, instinct had him reaching for his lightsaber before he even realized what he was doing and he hesitated, fingering the hilt as a new thought occurred to him. After a few seconds, Luke slowly unclipped it from his belt and weighed it in his hand before glancing up at his father once again. 

“Do… do you want my lightsaber?” Luke asked hesitantly, uncertain of whether or not he would be allowed to have a weapon in a camp full of Imperials. He didn’t particularly want to part with it but prisoners weren’t typically allowed to keep a weapon on hand. He still wasn't certain how he was going to be presented but he was willing to cede to his father’s lead in this for now. 

But to his surprise, Vader shook his head. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Keep it and use it if you have to.”

Luke brushed up against his father’s emotions for the briefest moment, trying to sense whether or not he was concerned that something would go wrong. He wasn’t. Instead, there was a steady, cool, and detached sort of confidence which Luke was a little more accustomed to based off of their previous interactions with each other. 

That meant that the weapon was either for his own comfort or it was a silent statement about where Luke stood with him. 

A smile twitched at his lips and with a relieved shake of his head, Luke clipped his lightsaber back on to his belt. “Well… hopefully it won’t come to that.”

Vader dipped his head once in agreement, keeping his eyes trained on the sky. “Hopefully.”

A few minutes later, the shuttle touched ground at last, blowing a warm gust of air towards all of them. Even without actively trying, Luke could sense life onboard but his father’s warning to not use the Force until after he’d had the chance to rest kept him from trying to figure out just how many Imperials there were.

Wedge stood up, keeping Tycho and Cesi behind him just as the ramp to the shuttle opened with a slight hiss and a bright beam of light cut through the darkness and spilled onto the ground. The familiar clacking sound of stormtrooper armor filled the air and a squad of eight stormtroopers emerged at last, weapons in hand. 

There was an air of professionalism and intent around them as they split into two groups of four and quickly surrounded them in a semi-circle formation. Not a single weapon was pointed at either Luke or his father, though Luke suspected that he was spared only because he was at Vader’s side. Instead, they were all trained steadily on the others. 

“Relieve them of any weapons and then restrain them.” Vader ordered and in an instant, everything about him suddenly became dark and cold. It was disconcerting how fast the change was. “Shoot only to stun, if necessary.”

“Copy that.” 

Two of the troopers stepped forward, sheathing their weapons and proceeded to quickly do a thorough pat down, searching for any remaining weapons that they might have on their persons. Wedge had a blaster that was taken away from him and after pulling him up to his feet, they pulled an impressive looking vibroblade out of Cesi’s boot. Otherwise, they came up clean and were quickly put in restraints with their hands behind their back.

Cesi’s face whitened as his damaged arm was pulled and Luke felt a foreign, flickering sense of pain on the edge of his thoughts. He allowed his Force presence to stir, just minutely, in order to try and pull away from it. He was tired and hurt enough as it was; dealing with someone else’s agony was more than he could handle at the moment.

“All clear, Lord Vader.”

“Good.”

Luke startled but didn’t jerk away when Vader suddenly grabbed his bicep with one hand. “Come with me.”

He was pulled into the shuttle, forced to walk fast in order to keep up with his father's longer stride and didn't have time to look around or appreciate the quality of the vessel before he was quickly sat down in a seat. 

“Strap yourself in.”

Luke nodded, glancing around and fumbling with the buckles for a few seconds before he was able to click them into place. 

His father stayed standing and his thoughts were sharp and focused, almost eerily so as the stormtrooper guards approached the shuttle. It was the same calculating, dangerous intelligence that he'd been on the receiving end of in the past encounters. It was a reminder that his father had earned his reputation for a reason and that his attitude with Luke was the exception, not the norm.

Would this be how it was, moving forwards?

He realized, for the first time, that he had absolutely no idea what he was actually getting himself into or what life with his father would be like.

Luke took a steadying breath, refusing to get too far ahead of himself with all the things he didn't know and watched as two of the stormtroopers kept their blasters trained on Wedge and Tycho. Cesi was practically being carried, unable to walk on his own now. They were all sat down in the row of seats opposite Luke and likewise secured with crash netting. 

They were scared and rightfully so. 

Everything that was happening was the absolute worst case scenario in every conceivable way for any member of the Rebel Alliance. They had been captured and taken alive by the Empire and were now in the custody of Darth Vader, who was not known for mercy. They were isolated, injured, and alone, and none of them had any reason to think that help would be coming their way.

It had not been discussed between them yet, but Luke thought his father was intelligent enough to know that his wanting to save them meant his end goal was for them to be free to leave as well.

Then, the signal was given and the ramp was pulled back in. It didn’t close entirely, creating a cool bluster of air inside the cabin of the shuttle as it became airborne which made him shiver. It wasn't a long flight - roughly ten minutes. Even while traveling mostly downwards, they had still managed to cross miles and miles of territory while underground and it made Luke wonder once again, just how big the mines actually were.

Light filtered into the shuttle, dancing across his legs with the cold air and Luke craned his neck and realized that they were passing the rubbled remains of Cimiento. A series of large standing work lights had been set up around the factory at some point, illuminating it and the surrounding area. 

Then, just as quickly as they came up on it, it was gone from view again.

The clearing that they had hidden their X-wings in wasn’t much farther and more light filtered in as they approached and began their descent. From what little Luke could see, the clearing looked far different then it had just a few days ago, having been converted into a temporary camp of sorts for the Imperial garrison. He caught a glimpse of tents which had been set up, as well as several TIE-fighters and different vehicles sitting parked in the clearing between their ships too. 

An Imperial squadron stood waiting for them when the shuttle landed. They were lined up into two small companies with three rows of four men each. A dark skinned man approached as Vader descended from the shuttle’s ramp with Luke once again at his side. The Imperial officer wore the rank of captain on his shirt and he offered his father a crisp and professional salute just as the two companies snapped to attention.

“At ease,” Vader said after a moment, briefly waving his hand. Instantly, and as one perfect unit, the two companies stepped into a parade rest. 

“Welcome back, Lord Vader. We are pleased to see you well.” 

“Captain Deklan. You may call off the search and instruct your men that they can begin to resume normal operations if you have not already done so. Skywalker has been apprehended and the surviving members of Rogue Squadron are now in custody of the Empire."

Luke shifted his stance, disliking the number of curious eyes that he could feel staring at him now. It made him feel like an animal in a zoo. 

"I will notify my men."

"Do so. I require that this area of operation stay functional until my departure. All unnecessary personnel will be relieved and can return to the garrison. Make no mistake, you and your people will be rewarded for your part in this." 

The captain's expression did not outwardly change but Luke could feel a breathless sort of relief coming from his person in the Force.

"Thank you, sir. Are you in need of any medical attention, sir?"

Vader tucked his thumbs into his belt. "That will not be necessary," he said stiffly. 

"Then what would you like us to do with the prisoners, my Lord?"

Luke subtly glanced at his father. 

“Commander Skywalker is under my protection," Vader said swiftly, a warning tone entering his voice for the first time. "Anyone under your command who harms him will suffer the consequence of an immediate death and you will personally be held responsible.” The Imperial captain swallowed thickly, his face paling slightly. “Do I make myself clear, Captain Deklan?”

“Quite clear, sir.”

“Good. Then know that he is free to wander about as he pleases. I have his promise that he will not try to escape.”

The captain hesitated, baffled to his core. What Vader was demanding went against every kind of policy and official protocol that there was in regards to the apprehension and keeping of prisoners. With Luke being as famous and notoriously difficult to capture as he was, it didn't make any logical sense. But, to the captain's credit, he was wise enough not to question Vader's authority. “And… what of the other Rebels?” he asked instead. “What would you like us to do with them?”

“For now, they will receive the necessary medical attention required to keep them alive. Have your people see to their injuries. Shoot to stun, only if necessary.”

The captain nodded. “Will that be all, sir?”

“Yes. There will be a debriefing to discuss my expectations moving forwards. For now, you are all dismissed.” 

Captain Deklan stepped back and offered Vader another respectful salute and then turned around to address his people, repeating several of his father's instructions and then directing others into the shuttle to retrieve the others. Seconds later, Wedge and Tycho were escorted out and Cesi was brought out on a stretcher.

“Take these guys to the med tent and keep them under armed guard.”

Luke watched them all disperse, keeping an eye on Wedge and the others until they disappeared into a nearby tent.

Then it was quiet again. None of the Imperials stuck around for very long, disappearing quickly so as not to irritate his father by staring or giving off the impression that they might try to eavesdrop. 

“You’ll let them go, right?” Luke asked once he was certain they were alone again. 

His father was silent for a long moment and then some of the iciness surrounding him began to thaw a little. “Yes,” Vader said. “They will be allowed to return to the Rebellion.”

Luke nodded his head, relieved. “Thank you.”

“They do not deserve the courtesy.”

“A lot of people don’t deserve a lot of things.” Luke said quietly. “What they did, they did to me. I’m choosing to let it go.”

Vader turned to look at him. "And have you?”

“Not yet," Luke admitted. "But I’ll get there.”

“They will not be able to keep what has happened here quiet. You understand that, correct?”

“I know what’s going to happen.” Luke confirmed. He wasn’t ready for it - and didn’t know if he ever would be. The thought of everyone that he’d fought with and become close to over the last few years would likely come to see him as an enemy and a traitor in the coming weeks hurt fiercely. 

But with the loss of two lives and Luke’s own departure, what might have been a simple mission briefing would inevitably turn into a full scale investigation and inquiry. Wedge was bound by duty to be honest. Even if he had the inclination to, he wouldn’t be able to lie. He would have to tell High Command everything that had happened. 

What they would choose to do with that information was anyone’s guess. Luke could only hope that, even if just for their own public image, that the Rebellion would keep it quiet and save themselves the backlash that would come from their poster boy teaming up with Darth Vader. The scandal and lack of support that they would receive should be enough to keep the information from getting out to the wider galaxy for at least a little while. But in the end, there was no guarantee for anything. 

All he could do was accept that it was going to happen and do what he thought was right.

Vader’s irritation seemed to fade as he sensed the direction of Luke’s thoughts. He pressed a hand against the small of his back, urging him forwards. “Go have your injuries tended to. We will leave in the morning after I have dealt with the garrison and ensure their silence.”

Luke hesitated, turning back to face him. “Are you going to -”

“Yes,” Vader interrupted with a hint of impatience. “My shuttle is equipped to deal with the injuries I sustained. I will find you when I am done. Go rest.”

There was no hint of a lie anywhere in the Force and that was enough for him. He had just wanted to make sure. “Alright then. See you later.”

Everything kept happening too quickly and Wedge felt wholly unable to keep up with it all. He was exhausted and hurt and wasn’t certain how much longer he could keep going. 

After being escorted to the medical tent, all three of them were triaged by a member of the medical staff and Cesi was immediately singled out as a Priority Red with life threatening injuries and taken to the back part of the tent while both Wedge and Tycho were shuffled off to the side with a guard, having both been labeled as Priority Yellow. 

Wedge craned his head, trying desperately to keep an eye on what was happening with Cesi for as long as he could. There was a mixture of real staff and medical droids that were starting to work on him. Cesi was lifted off the stretcher and placed on an operating table and then they were cutting off his jacket and then peeling away the bandages that he had applied down in the mines. He had done the best that he could and had tried to stop the worst of the bleeding. He wasn't certain if he had been able to do enough though. Cesi was still frighteningly pale - practically white, and Wedge hadn't been able to rouse him again in the minutes leading up to this. 

There was a flood of chatter and another flurry of movement as the gruesome wounds in his arm and shoulder were revealed. 

Beside him, Tycho coughed hoarsely, twisting his head into his shoulder as he fought to breathe. 

“You doing okay?” Wedge whispered, nudging him slightly.

“M’fine. It just hurts. You?”

“Living the dream.” 

A tall, silver droid approached both him and Tycho then, blocking his view of the proceedings with Cesi. 

“I am OB-1983 and am here to assess you." It said, introducing itself. It turned its face to Wedge. "Please cooperate and answer the following questions.”

“Talk to Tycho first,” Wedge said forcefully. He didn’t trust the Empire and he didn’t particularly care for medial droids either - they were often programmed to be cold and impersonal and it had always weirded him out. But he would be damned if he was taken care of before anyone under his command was. 

OB stared at him for a long moment and then inclined its head. “Very well.”

It turned to Tycho instead. The questions were asked quickly and professionally and within a few minutes, Tycho was being moved once again to a different corner of the tent. He laid down - stiffly - on one of the beds that had been set up, before being cuffed. The droid offered him clean oxygen and listened to the sound of his heart. A pulse oximeter was attached to one of his fingers and a beep…beep…beep began to sound in the background of all the noise. 

Wedge’s vision blurred and he blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision and force himself to pay attention. He wished that he could have his hands and arms free but he was still in restraints and didn’t dare try and ask one of the stormtroopers that was guarding him. He didn’t think that they cared and couldn’t really blame them if they didn’t. 

One of the people working on Cesi turned around and hurried away from the operating table to a small row of cabinets set up near the front. The front of her scrubs was already covered with blood. 

“What’s happening?” Wedge demanded, standing up straighter. The stormtrooper beside him shifted slightly but he was otherwise ignored. “Excuse me - hey!” The nurse didn’t pay him any attention, hurrying right past him and Wedge groaned, frustrated almost to the point of tears.

He craned his head again, trying to get any clue as to what was happening but a curtain was being pulled around the space where they were working on Cesi and all he could hear was medical jargon that barely made any sense to him except tell him that Cesi was in really bad shape. Looking around, he noticed for the first time that the med tent seemed well stocked and prepared; prepared for almost anything, as far as Wedge could tell. There were medical droids and scanners, beds, hell, even a small bacta tank had been installed in one of the far corners.

For Luke. Some part of his mind whispered. All of this had been set up for Luke. 

That was another problem. Luke hadn’t followed them into the tent. Wedge had been too distracted by Cesi to hear everything that Vader had said to the other Imperials and realized only now that he was thinking about it that he wasn't certain if Vader had said he was leaving or not.

Broken ribs weren't that serious, all things considered. What if Vader had just... taken Luke and gone? What if Wedge never saw him again?

What was going to happen to the rest of them?

“Captain?”

Wedge blinked and looked up. Another medical person was standing in front of him now - a woman, with long blonde hair.

“Yeah?” he asked hoarsely. “Is he - ?”

“Your friend is still alive but he has been hurt very badly. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions?”

Wedge nodded quickly. “Yeah, yeah - anything.”

“Are you…” she hesitated, glancing over her shoulder.

“Cesi. His name is Cesi Collins.”

“Mr. Collins then. Are you his direct superior?”

Wedge nodded again. 

“Alright. I understand that this is a... unique... situation but since he is under your command and cannot defer to anyone, medical decisions fall to you.” She explained slowly. “We’ve managed to stop the bleeding but the damage done to Mr. Collin’s arm is significant and the tissue decay in the wounded area is advanced.”

“What does that mean?” Wedge interjected, trying to wrap his head around the fact that he was supposed to make these decisions. 

“It means that the arm is already dying,” she said patiently. “If this were a professional setting and we were better equipped, then maybe there would be a chance. But right now, even if we try to save his arm, it will never regain full functionality. Not even half.”

Wedge felt his heart sink into his stomach. He wanted to be sick. He wanted to be anywhere except here. 

“I understand that this is a lot to take in but you need to tell us what you want us to do.”

He couldn’t. He couldn’t make this decision. Cesi was a prick more than half the time but he was still a friend. He was still a person and losing a limb on a mission that was supposed to have been easy was… it just wasn’t fair. Wedge was supposed to have made sure that this kind of thing didn’t happen. 

“I can’t. I can’t do this.” 

“He cannot make the decision himself. You need to tell us what you would like us to do.”

Have them save Cesi’s arm, only for it to be useless? Or have them cut it off entirely? Sure, prosthetics were a thing but that didn’t make losing a limb easy. What kind of trauma would he be inflicting when Cesi woke up and had lost part of himself?

...would it even matter in the end? There was no guarantee that they would live out the week. They were prisoners of the Empire. 

“Captain….”

“Remove it,” Wedge whispered. He felt dizzy. “If there isn’t any hope, then remove it.”

"Very well."

The nurse stood up and then there was more talking and motion again. His binders were removed and a datapad was shoved into his hands for him to sign. Wedge couldn’t string enough coherent thoughts together to think that the Empire needing him to sign paperwork was weird and unexpected. He just signed where they told him to and then slumped down in a chair and buried his face in his hands.

Luke stood awkwardly in the entry of the tent, looking around and feeling uncertain of what to do. There was a lot of motion and activity going on. His eyes were drawn to where the most activity was occurring and knew that it was revolving around Cesi. He was the one most badly injured and in need of help and while Luke didn't have any particular fondness for him, he hoped that he was going to be alright. It wasn't hard to spot Wedge, still waiting with an armed guard, and Tycho was next but neither of them noticed him... or if they did, they chose not to say anything. 

Fortunately, Luke didn’t have to stand around for very long. Two of the medical staff noticed him and immediately jumped into action, making their way over to him. One of them had a datapad in hand.

“Commander Skywalker," the first one greeted hurriedly. "I have been assigned to assess you for injuries. If you would allow me to do so?”

He was a younger man, maybe Luke's age or a little older and there was an aura of unease around the man. It pulsed in the Force like the pounding of a heart and it took a few seconds for Luke to realize that he was scared of Luke. Or maybe of what would happen to him if Luke wasn't alright. An older woman with graying hair that was pulled into a severe bun gave off a much more confident Imperial attitude.

“Thank you, but I would appreciate it if the others were looked at first.” Luke said, nodding to Wedge sitting slumped in a chair. He looked absolutely terrible. “I can wait.”

“With all due respect, you are the priority per Lord Vader’s orders.”

“I said I'll wait.”

He hadn't intended to snap but it came out before he could stop himself. Luke was tired and hurt and he'd had himself a hell of a day. But he was not in so much pain that he couldn't wait until everyone else had all been looked at and cared for. Wedge might be in command of the squadron but until the three of them were gone and on their way back to the Rebellion, Luke would consider himself their commander and do his best by them. 

The woman pursed her lips. “Lord Vader will not be happy with this.” she warned.

Luke refrained from rolling his eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure he’ll get over it.”

A scandalized sort of disbelief fluttered through the Force that anyone would speak so casually about the Supreme Commander but Luke had a fake hand and a stern reprimand to get over it to back his feelings on this. She glowered at him, irritated and obviously trying to prompt him to change his mind. It wasn't going to work though and she very reluctantly acquiesced and directed Luke somewhere that he could sit down and wait. It was a relief to get off his feet and Luke watched intently as she and the other man left and approached Wedge, beginning their assessment of him at last. 

Misery surrounded Wedge like a dark cloud and it felt like the sharp pricking of a needle piercing his skin over and over in the Force. 

It was a terrible feeling. Luke had lost people under his command as well and he understood the feeling of grief and failure all too well. But he also knew that there wasn’t anything anyone could say to make it better and that grief was better than feeling nothing at all. 

He still wasn’t sure if it was even his place to offer support; Luke felt more like an outsider than he ever had in his life. And in any case, now wasn’t really the right time and Luke was selfish enough in this moment to admit that he didn't feel up to the task. Just ensuring their collective health and safety was the most he felt he could give and it would have to be enough. 

A familiar whirling whistle caught Luke’s attention and he quickly lifted his head in time to see none other than Artoo rolling his way through the entryway of the med tent as if he owned the place.

The sight made Luke smile with relief. He had meant to ask what had happened to him. The little droid looked good though and in no worse shape than he had been when Luke had seen him last, if quite a bit dirtier, and only a restraining bolt to show for his stay with the Imperials. He spotted Luke quickly and rolled towards him, twittering once or twice in annoyance when someone had the audacity to get in his way. 

“Hello, Artoo.” Luke greeted with a weary smile, reaching out to place a hand on the top of his dome once he was close enough. “I told you I would be back.”

OBSERVATION: Master Luke, you are injured. Artoo stated accusingly.

“Nothing gets past you, does it?” Luke chuckled, relieved more than he could say to be in the presence of a friend. 

Artoo beeped and whirled smugly. CONFIDENT ASSERTION: I am VERY useful. 

“You are,” Luke agreed. “You definitely are.”

There was some movement which caught his eye and Luke was briefly distracted as he watched Wedge get escorted over a bed where he was directed to take his shirt off. Luke winced in sympathy at the sight of a badly bruised up rib cage - it seemed like he hadn't been the only one to suffer some broken ribs. 

With Wedge now clearly being looked after, the strict looking woman came marching back to him with a no nonsense expression on her face. "Alright," she said once she was close enough. "Captain Antilles and the others are being treated. I insist that you allow me to do the same for you."

"Fine," Luke agreed tiredly. "Let's just get this over with."

The woman - whose name tag read Beren - gestured for him to follow her. Luke pulled himself to his feet and followed her to a different section of the tent, Artoo dutifully following him, until they were in a more private area. Beren got straight to the point and fired off questions one after the other regarding his basic medical information and then dove straight into his more immediate needs. 

The blood on his clothes belonged mostly to the mimic and Beren had him strip out down to his underthings and throw them in a red bio-bag. 

"You are filthy," she informed him with a scowl, writing notes down on her datapad. "Absolutely filthy."

"Gee, thanks." Luke muttered, feeling awkward and irritated. He held still for her as she dawned some latex gloves and began prodding his ribs with her hand and then used a medical scanner to further look at the damage. 

"Three broken ribs," she reported with a tsk. "Sit down, young man. How did these burns happen?" 

"I got thrown into some live wires," Luke explained as he sat down. The electricity had burned him down through his clothes, but his face and hands had taken the worst of it. It was an experience that he was not eager to have again. 

"You were electrocuted?"

"Yeah."

The look of disapproval that was sent his way seemed more than unfair - it wasn't like he had done it on purpose. Dear Force, she was acting worse than his father. 

She worked quickly, attaching a few little devices to his chest and started a monitor to watch his heart in order to ensure there were no abnormalities. It seemed to be coming up clear. Beren insisted on monitoring it for the next few hours, just to be sure. Then, his burns were cleaned and swabbed with a bacta salve to kickstart the healing process. It felt cool and itched a little as it began to work. A cleaner set of clothes was offered to him and he stood up to pull them on, relieved to no longer be practically naked.

“Other than your ribs, you seem to be in good health. Drink this,” Beren stated. 

Luke reached for the rectangular carton being offered to him and couldn't help but make a face when he realized that it was Bact-Aid. A drinkable alternative to bacta that worked to heal internal injuries. Bracing himself, Luke took a quick breath, counted down from three, and then downed the whole carton as fast as he could. 

It would have his busted ribs healed in a few days, rather than a few weeks but Force, the stuff was absolutely foul to the taste. A small cup of water was waiting for him when he finished and Luke accepted it and drank it quickly, holding the water in his mouth and swishing it around for a few seconds before swallowing it. 

“You’ll probably feel some itching in the affected areas for a couple of hours while your injuries start to heal and you might experience some dizziness. You should lay down for a while and rest. Inform us if it becomes painful."

Then Beren turned around and gathered her things. She paused only to pull a curtain closed to offer him a little privacy and then left him alone. 

Luke looked around but turned his attention inwards for a few seconds. The bond between him and his father was shuttered now. Not quite closed, but Luke could tell that his father wanted privacy and could only hope that that meant he was getting his own injuries taken care of as well. He had no idea how long that would take. 

Artoo twittered at him, pulling him from his thoughts. At least he wasn't completely alone while he waited. 

“What’s with the restraining bolt?” Luke asked him quietly. Artoo immediately blew an annoyed sounding raspberry at the question.

EXASPERATED REPLY: LORD VAD3R expressed the opinion that I would be a nuisance to OPPORTUNITY BASE operations in his absence. 

Luke felt a smile twitch at his lips. “Was he right?”

REPLY: Absolutely. 

“I’ll see if I can get it off for you later,” he promised.  

Luke dropped his head back against the thin little pillow, staring up at the ceiling of the tent for a minute or so. In a few hours, his entire life was going to change; technically, it already had. Other than being with his father, he wished he knew what he should expect. Then he turned his head, glancing once more towards Artoo. 

The little droid was a much easier topic to handle, one that didn’t require quite so much thought. And really, what were the odds of him and his father owning the same droid over twenty years apart? Luke couldn’t begin to fathom how that had happened.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you knew my father?” Luke asked before he could stop himself.

Artoo was silent. His dome swiveled slightly, giving off the impression that he was almost embarrassed. The silence stretched between them for almost a minute and Luke felt a nervous feeling grow in his stomach as he waited for the answer. 

DATABANK REFERENCE: PRIMARY: ANAKIN SKYWALKER was a good friend. 

“Okay, but why did you not tell me?” Luke repeated, feeling hurt. It was bad enough that everyone else had lied to him - Artoo was just a slap in the face after all that they had been through together. 

A series of beeps and chirps sounded and then, REPEATED STATEMENT: PRIMARY: ANAKIN SKYWALKER was a [good] friend.

Luke paused, thinking about the answer. Understanding came to him slowly. “You missed him.” he observed quietly. 

REPLY: Yes. 

It was a mournful sort of answer, one that Luke did not often associate with droids. Both Artoo and Threepio were rather eccentric in their personalities; Artoo being sarcastic and bold and Threepio being… well, Threepio. But grief, sadness, whatever it was that Artoo seemed to be expressing… that wasn’t normal. 

But it was fair, Luke decided after a long moment. For as much as he thought about them, he rarely spoke about his own family to anyone either. He was the only one left to carry their memories and it was sometimes a heavy burden to hold. If Artoo and his father had gone through the Clone Wars together, then it stood to reason that they had spent a lot of time with each other. 

No matter who it was coming from… it seemed like a lot of people had missed Anakin Skywalker since he’d gone missing. Luke wondered if his father had any idea how many people had loved and admired him. He wondered if it would have made any difference in the way things had turned out if he hadn't.

“Would you… be willing to tell me about him? Maybe not now but… sometime?” Luke asked hesitantly. 

There was a brief pause and then Artoo warbled again. POSITIVE AFFIRMATION: That would be agreeable with me. ADDITIONAL OBSERVATION: You are both very similar. 

“You think so?”

AMUSED REPLY: Very. But in a good way. You were fortunate in your Initial Operating System Boot to download and retain some of his more admirable qualities.

Luke felt a tired smile grow on his face. It was nice to hear that from a friend. Artoo was a clever and opinionated little droid and didn't typically withhold his true opinions. Now he was one of the small handful of beings in the galaxy that knew the truth about Vader and he wasn't condemning Luke for it. It was a small weight off his shoulders. 

“You wiped the flight logs from the ships, right?”

DATABANK REFERENCE: I did, Artoo practically purred with pride. The Imperials have learned nothing about the location of the Rebel base.

“Good,” Luke rested his hand on the top of his dome for a long moment, tenderly moving his thumb back and forth along the rim of his dome. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Artoo twittered, freely returning the sentiment. Then his one eye flickered and dimmed slightly. OPINION: You need sleep. I can keep watch until LORD VAD3R returns from his maintenance. 

That sounded good. Luke could admit that he desperately wanted the chance to sleep. His head was pounding and he would be able to think more clearly once he had woken up.

“Keep an eye on the others, okay?” Luke yawned, his eyes already drifting closed. “Wake me if anything happens?” 

AFFIRMATIVE REPLY: I will. Now go to sleep. 

He did.

Sleep did not come to him the way he wanted though. Luke didn't know how long he'd rested for but at some point, he felt as though he was suddenly… drifting... in a spot that was somewhere between sleeping and awake - he was aware of… of something…. 

A sort of… picture flashed in front of his eyes. It wasn’t clear - sort of fuzzy, like static - and it looked strange for some reason but Luke thought that what he was seeing might be a moon - a moon beside a moon, actually.

It lingered just long enough for Luke to think that he’d seen one of them before - and then everything around him fractured like broken glass and he was somewhere else entirely. He was standing on a pathway. A dimly lit dirt path, with pebbles and little weeds sprouting upwards just barely visible. It was perhaps three or four feet wide and when he looked around, there was nothing except total darkness on either side of him. 

A terrible, evil, oppressive darkness. 

In time you will call me Master. 

Luke shivered at the cool, mocking tone that whispered around him from within the darkness itself. The owner of the voice spoke like it knew him and like it wanted him down on his knees.

The thought made him frown.

He wasn’t going to kneel.

Luke looked around, wondering where to go and got the impression that stepping off the path into the darkness would be like falling off the edge of a cliff… there wouldn’t be any way to climb out of such an abyss. The path extended somewhere behind him as well and that way felt safe and familiar. But, as he glanced around once more, Luke realized that there was something… something flickering ahead of him - a small, bright light, somewhere off in the distance, barely visible. An intense longing filled his heart and without fully understanding, Luke knew that he had been searching for that light all of his life and that he wanted it more than he had ever wanted anything. 

He took a hesitant step forward, feeling pebbles and dirt shift under the weight of his boots. Silence descended upon him, nearly as oppressive as the darkness itself until the only sound Luke could hear was the pounding of his own heart in his ears.

The air immediately turned cold and from the corner of his eyes, the darkness seemed to shift all around him, like fragments of old memory and childhood fears. 

It was an eerie, lonely sort of feeling. As if he were the only one left in existence. 

Luke kept his eyes on the light and took another step forwards and then another. 

He knew that he was leaving something behind him and it hurt to leave whatever it was. But the light… Luke knew it was good. It was important and it seemed like it was waiting for him… so he kept walking. For minutes, for hours… he wasn’t sure. Luke didn’t know and didn’t care. All he knew was to go forwards. As he walked, he slowly became aware of the fact that it wasn’t entirely silent. The darkness was whispering things that were almost too fleeting for him to hear. He did his best to ignore it, knowing that it couldn't be anything good. 

He walked but it was hard to tell whether he was making any progress at all. Was he even moving? The light didn't seem to be any closer than when he had started. At some point, he grew tired and began to slow down. His strides became a little shorter and it felt pointless to continue if he wasn't making progress. Briefly, for the smallest moment, Luke thought about turning back.

Immediately, Ben Kenobi’s voice whispered from somewhere close by… but also from very far away. It echoed slightly, faint and thundering all at once. It almost stopped him in his tracks. Almost, but not quite. 

Anakin Skywalker is gone. He is dead and you will not find him. This is foolishness. 

Luke frowned.

That wasn't true.

I already found him, Ben. Luke lifted his right hand, intending to point to the light still flickering in front of him. His hand was gone and it was only a stump, raw and hurting the same way it had after Bespin. Luke didn’t care, lifting his left hand instead. He’s right there.     

The light was warm. Luke could feel it from here and it hadn’t been extinguished yet. 

…twisted and evil…. 

Luke shook his head again, remembering what Ben and Master Yoda were setting him up to do. 

I can’t kill my own father. I won’t. 

Then the Emperor has already won. You were our last hope.

The darkness around him shifted again, shrugging off the presence of Ben Kenobi until he disappeared. With him, any comfort or feeling of safety he had had dissipated entirely. A low chuckle sounded around him and Luke felt a fear that he had never known before sink deep into his bones. It was cold and dark and terrible. Luke swallowed, daring to take his eyes off the flickering light in the distance for the first time and glanced around. 

Eyes. 

Yellow eyes, staring out at him from a curtain of darkness. They stared at him coldly, looking at him as if he were nothing but an object. A chess piece on a board. Something to be used on a whim. 

On the path in front of him, a small towheaded child appeared wearing cheap desert clothes made for slaves. He ran up to Luke with bright blue eyes and a cocky little smile on his face. He seemed a little hazy, like a holo image was, but something warmed in Luke’s heart and told him that this little boy was his father. 

I’m gonna be a Jedi! Anakin said proudly, his voice echoing and distant, almost too quiet to hear. There was a charming sort of excitement on his face that made Luke want to smile. He stretched out a hand before he could stop himself, reaching for Anakin and marveling at how similar they were to each other, just as he disappeared from view in the blink of an eye. 

Startled, Luke looked around, wondering where he had gone and found the yellow eyes of the Sith Master glaring at him from the darkness once again. 

Young fool. It is destiny. You, like your father, are now mine. 

He heard the tinkling sound of chains somewhere off in the distance and knew that they were intended for him. He had heard them before. Frightened, Luke tore his eyes away from Sidious and looked to the light once more. It was good; it was what he wanted, even if it killed him to get to it. And it was fading now… the darkness was trying to blot it out, to crush it entirely, and it hurt like an agony that could tear his soul to shreds. 

Luke felt fear grip his heart and he took off in a dead sprint, no longer concerned with how tired he was. He was just scared of losing sight of what he had come so far to find. 

To save.

I’m gonna be a Jedi! Anakin’s voice whispered again, just as the light in front of him flickered and dimmed. 

A Jedi. 

I am a Jedi, Luke responded, pushing himself faster and faster, trying to cross the insurmountable distance. He was getting closer now - he could feel it in his very soul. He just had to keep going - just a little farther. He could make it. He had to. 

You are mine, Sidious hissed again. Flashes of blue lightning streaked through the clouds of darkness around him, like the claws of an evil hand that was reaching out to grab him. 

No! I am a Jedi, like my father!

The light was closer… closer… it was so close - Luke reached out for it just as the darkness began to swarm him, blocking his view of the dirt path like a massive cloud of flies. It descended on him, smothering him, forcing itself down his throat, into his eyes, his nostrils, trying to invade his very being and destroy everything that he was. 

I am a Jedi!

It felt like his declaration -  his plea, he didn’t know for sure which one it was - went unheard, fading into the wind like nothing. He couldn’t breathe. Anger, hurt, pain, rage, suffering - all of it was crowding in on him, burning through his veins like hot acid and all he wanted was the light. He stumbled to his knees for the first time, feeling the dirt and rocks digging into his skin, a pressure on top of him that was so heavy he had no idea how to shrug it off. 

When he looked up again, Luke couldn’t see the light.

No! He couldn’t fall down now - he had come all this way to find him. 

Luke scrambled, trying to find his feet but he was immediately pushed back down, feeling the wind get knocked out of him as he hit the ground hard.

You are mine.

No, I’m not! I am a Jedi!

The surrounding darkness laughed and it covered everything now. Luke couldn’t see and he couldn’t get up… he was scared and he just wanted his father. 

…I am a Jedi… he cried, his voice drowned out by the evil around him. It felt like nothing else existed except him and his fear. 

From somewhere in the darkness, a stunning bright white light suddenly flashed, dispersing nearly everything around him… and then Luke woke up.

Luke sat bolt upright with a gasp, breathing frantically, and looking wildly around him, trying to remember where he was. 

The lights in his immediate surroundings were dim, casting dark shadows and for a terrifying moment, it seemed almost as if nothing had changed; that he was still on that path, being swarmed and consumed by darkness.

But just as quickly as the thought crossed his mind, a low sounding warble came from Artoo who was still diligently standing guard beside him. Luke turned to look at him and felt some of the fear in his chest abate. He was in the med tent. Not in the mines and not on that dark, gloomy path either. His hands were shaking a little and he clenched his fists in a mixture of the crisp bed sheets and a blanket that had pooled around his waist as he’d sat up, hoping that it would stop. 

Luke scrubbed his face with his real hand, running it through his hair as Artoo twittered a question, his dome swiveling slightly as he expressed his concern.

“I’m okay,” Luke breathed under his breath, though he wasn’t certain if the assurance was for him or for Artoo. “I’m okay.”

He flinched, when the curtain giving him privacy was pulled back with a sharp whoosh. It was one of the Imperial medics - Beren, from earlier.

“Are you alright, Commander?” 

Luke stared at her, heart pounding. From what little he could see, the rest of the tent was dimly lit now and he was half expecting to see yellow eyes glaring at him from the darkness. They weren’t there but it felt like they were.

“Commander?”

Luke forced himself to speak. “I… yeah, I’m… I’m okay.” 

“Are you quite certain?” Beren stepped inside his room. “Your heart rate spiked.”

“I just… had a bad dream.”

Reaching for his shields, Luke carefully pulled them closed; they had opened a little while he’d been asleep and a hint of the wider galaxy was playing at his senses again. Duller than earlier, when it had first returned to him; he could get a much better sense of it settling now. 

Still. He wasn’t certain if he could go back to sleep again.

Not after that… dream.

If it had been a dream at all. It felt like so much more than just a dream. More like a vision. But... what did it mean?

A path. Darkness. Light. No obvious way to go. 

So much fear. So much evil. Those hateful, glaring yellow eyes that had been watching him, just waiting to put him on his knees. He had never felt anything so wrong or awful in his life. 

Force, he needed to think. 

Making up his mind, Luke pushed the covers off of him and got to his feet. However much sleep he had gotten was not enough to replenish all or even half his strength but it didn’t matter. He ripped the little heart monitor things off and tossed them on the bed behind him, ignoring Beren's sharp reprimands to stop. His ribs no longer felt quite as sore as they had earlier but Luke still winced when he bent down to pull his shoes on his feet.

"Young man, lay back down right now!"

“No." Luke said stiffly. “I'm going for a walk. My - I mean, Lord Vader said I can go where I want.” 

“Maybe so, but as your attending, I insist that you remain here and rest. You should not be overexerting yourself right now.” 

“Duly noted but you're not my mother or my father."

Beren's eyes flashed angrily and if Luke had not faced down a monster or been in the company of his father for the last day or so, it might have intimidated him. But he wasn’t taking no for an answer and when it became obvious that she was not going to win, she slowly stepped out of his space, muttering under her breath all the while.

Luke walked past her without another word, entering the main tent once again. He glanced around, noting that there were four stormtrooper guards standing at each corner of the tent. They were all armed and watching him steadily but no one made any attempt to stop him. They didn’t want to either, Luke realized. Nothing short of him out rightly trying to attack any of them would prompt them to go against his father’s word.

He could sense that Wedge was awake, though trying to appear as though he weren’t - but Tycho and Cesi were both asleep. There was no chance of any of them following him as they had been restrained to their beds for the safety of the Imperials present. 

"Stay here," Luke said to Artoo before making his way towards the entrance and stepping out into the night.

Wedge sat up, watching silently as Luke disappeared outside. He heard the stormtroopers' armor click as they shifted. One of them began slowly walking through the tent, doing a check but left Wedge alone when he passed by. 

The nurse who’d spoken to Luke was muttering under her breath about “stubborn idiots” and shaking her head. She had the appearance of being a very severe and strict woman who wasn't used to not getting her way. Wedge had learned that she was in charge of the medical department for this particular Imperial garrison. It didn't take her long to notice that Wedge was awake and then she immediately turned her attention on him.

“Captain Antilles,” she addressed him sharply. "Are you alright?"

Wedge winced, feeling oddly like he'd been caught doing something wrong and nodded. 

"Let someone know if you need anything." Beren reminded him tightly. "Otherwise, go back to sleep."

Wedge was not eager to get yelled at and so he slowly laid back down, tucking his unrestrained arm behind his head and turning his body towards the entrance of the tent. 

Sleep did not come easily for him. He had been in and out for the last several hours, woken up by his own paranoia and the sound of Caleb screaming as he was torn apart and eaten was keeping him awake. Every time that he closed his eyes, he was seeing blood and rotting corpses and the foul smell that was still clung to him made him sick to his stomach. 

He just felt miserable and lonely inside. Tycho was sleeping and Cesi, after having his arm amputated, was being kept under by sedatives. The surgery had gone well - or so he’d been told, and he would live. The relief he felt did nothing to assuage the guilt that was sitting heavy in his stomach. He didn't know how to reconcile one fact with the other and all he could do was try not to think too hard about the fact that he was going to have to tell Cesi that he’d lost his arm. 

A cruel, whispering voice kept insisting that none of this would have happened if he had just listened to Luke when he said that they should just leave. All of this could have been avoided and now he and his men were in the hands of the Empire. The anxiety of not knowing what was going to happen was a torture all on its own.

He desperately wanted to talk to Luke - it seemed like the only thing that he might actually be able to do. 

Wedge stayed awake for another half hour or so, waiting for Luke to come back and rehearsing what he would say and how he would say it. He kept imagining all the different ways that their conversation could go. In some of them, things miraculously worked out and in others everything went terribly, terribly wrong. Anything he thought of to say felt horribly and cruelly inadequate.

He was still waiting when he fell back into a restless sleep.

The opportunity to walk in fresh, open air was exactly what Luke needed. He hadn't much time in the last few weeks to just be by himself and he was desperate to get away from prying eyes and have the opportunity to think clearly.

He wandered around the camp for a little while with no particular destination in mind, lost in thought. Luke had had very few Force visions. The concept itself was still new to him, honestly, and Master Yoda had not gone into much detail on the one occasion that they had discussed them after his experience in the cave on Dagobah.

His dream had felt similar to that one but also very different. For one thing, Luke had been awake last time and had been placed in a situation that had not seemed to require a great deal of interpretation. The same could not be said for this one though. It felt complex and meaningful.

Master Yoda had said that the Force could show him many things - the past, present, and the future. After thinking about the things he'd seen, Luke cautiously wondered if he had just experienced all three at the exact same time.

Luke looked up, realizing that he had accidentally wandered close to some members of the Imperial squadron that were standing guard. These were some of the people who had alerted his father of their presence on the planet and probably inadvertently saved his life. An awkward stare-down began as Luke and the Imperials stared at each other, no one knowing quite what to do or how to react. 

He stretched out into the Force, wondering if he should be on guard around them but almost immediately could sense and feel their intentions and emotions. They certainly had questions and it would have been strange if some of them didn't carry some form of resentment towards him… but no one actually wanted to cause problems. No one wanted a fight. 

At the end of the day, most of the people here just wanted to have the chance to go home to the people that they cared about. The realization eased something tense and coiled inside of Luke. It was humanizing, when perhaps it shouldn’t have been.

"Excuse me," Luke finally said, nodding his head to them. "I didn't mean to interrupt anything."

The three Imperials glanced at each other, surprise fluttering in the Force. "That's... that's alright. Did you... need anything?" One of them asked, wincing uncertainly. It must have sounded like a stupid question. 

Luke shook his head and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "No. I'm just walking. But thank you."

He turned, walking away and leaving them to their patrol. War was strange, Luke thought to himself. It trapped everyday people and turned them into political constructs. The Empire was wrong but the people in it were just... people. Doing what they thought was right. It was no different than anyone in the Rebellion, save for they fought for different ideals. If he kept that in mind... maybe working in the Empire wouldn't be so bad. 

Time would tell. But for now, Luke decided to go and check on the well-being of his X-wing. He wanted to see for himself that there hadn’t been any damage done to it. He didn’t have very many worldly possessions anymore - never had, even as a child. But he’d put a lot of time and effort into his ship and it had gotten him through the battle of Yavin and out of more dogfights than he could personally list or name anymore. 

It didn't take him long to find it and Luke walked around it for a minute or so, inspecting it carefully with a critical eye. Nothing seemed out of place but he couldn't help but be aware of the other five that were sitting close by. Two of them were going to be left behind and would likely never leave the planet again. 

Zach and Caleb.

It would be a loss for the Rebellion. They had both been good pilots - dedicated and talented. He hoped that it was okay that he still wasn't certain what he was supposed to feel about anything. 

Luke turned again and wandered out of the clearing, kicking small rocks laying in the dirt with his shoes out of his way. He didn't really know where he was going but he was going somewhere all the same. There was the faintest hint of light beginning to appear in the distant horizon. Dawn was on its way and he could make out little weeds that were sprouting out of the ground in front of him every now and then.

It dawned on him that the path he was on now felt a lot like the one in his dream. 

He slowed his steps and hesitantly glanced over his shoulder, looking back in the direction of his X-wing. There had only been two ways to go. Forward or backwards. One had felt safer than the other. Neither of them had seemed entirely wrong.

The idea of leaving briefly flitted through his thoughts. He could probably do it. Just take off - no one would stop him, on account of his father’s own orders. He didn't even think his father would really try to stop him either. 

Luke could leave. 

Go wherever he wanted. Do whatever he wanted. 

But the thought disappeared almost as quickly as it had come. He was a man of his word. Luke wouldn’t do his aunt or his uncle the disservice of being anything but what they had raised him to be. And besides… he wanted this. To go where he was wanted, to be with family. There was no escaping the eventuality of the Emperor and now that he knew what he did, he could not abandon his father to slavery. This was his decision and he was going to see it through, whichever way that it ended.

Luke continued on his way and after a few more minutes until he had gone a short distance past the edge of the camp, was surprised when a now familiar sound reached his ears. He looked up, glancing around until his eyes fell on the black figure of his father.

He was standing alone just a few yards off with his back to Luke.

Their Force bond had opened again and he hadn't realized until just now. It felt warm and pleasant in the back of his mind and Luke couldn’t help remembering a similar warmth coming from the light far off in the distance on that path in his dream.

Ben was wrong.

Anakin wasn’t gone. 

He was still there, maybe a long ways away, but there was light inside his father. Something good buried under all that darkness, even if only in the love he felt for Luke.  

Luke only hoped that that love would be enough in the end.

He hesitated for a few seconds, wondering if he would be intruding if he joined his father now. Vader gave no indication of having seen him yet and might want to be alone. But Luke shrugged to himself, deciding that he wanted company, and stepped forward until he was standing at his fathers side. It was a place that he thought he could get used to being at. 

A quiet, wordless greeting was sent his way though Vader still did not turn to acknowledge him. Luke followed his gaze and realized that he was watching the stars. 

The whole galaxy seemed to be in full view, the way that it often was after a big storm, when the sky was clear and the earth was clean and everything seemed beautiful. Having never been to this planet prior to this, Luke was uncertain how to read the constellations from here and thus wasn’t able to pick out anything familiar in the stars above him. 

It was a habit of his to figure them out while in the Rebellion. They were on the move so often, changing bases in order to avoid the Empire’s detection; but even if he didn’t care to ever return, Luke liked knowing where Tatooine was in the sky all the same. He’d always spend a few nights wherever he was staying in order to get acquainted with the view. It made the universe feel a little smaller. 

“You should be sleeping, my son.” 

Sleep still sounded nice - he was tired, after all. But there was too much on his mind for him to be able to go back to sleep now, even if he was willing to endure Beren's spicy attitude.

“Maybe,” Luke agreed softly. He thought briefly about mentioning his dream - or vision - but then disregarded it a second or two later. “I don’t know, I woke up and didn't think I could go back to sleep. Thought maybe a walk would help.”

The mental equivalent of a hum passed between them and Luke got the faint impression that, regardless, his father was pleased to have his company. 

“Are you feeling better?” Luke asked instead.

“My injuries were tended to, yes.” Vader said dryly. 

Luke nodded his head, relieved. It felt as if a small weight was lifted off his shoulders; it had been a few years since he’d had any family to worry about. Having been an orphan for so long and the last survivor of all his known relatives, Luke was selfish enough to be glad that there was still someone left that he could claim as his. After the events in the mine, Luke was more than willing to have his father's back. 

He had a sneaking suspicion that Vader had needed someone to do that for him for a long time. 

Luke had so many questions.

Questions about the pain and suffering that he had been forced to experience in the mines, pulled from his father’s memory. Questions about his mother, about the Empire, about what their plan was going to be moving forwards. 

He just wasn’t certain how to word any of them. Or which one he should try and ask about first. 

Before he could decide though, his father spoke first. 

“Were you happy?”

Luke blinked, turning to look at his father and felt his brow furrow. “Happy?” he repeated slowly. 

“As a child.” 

Oh.

For some embarrassing reason, the question caught him off guard. His father's thoughts and feelings were carefully muted, as if bracing himself for the answer.

Luke had to clear his throat, blinking rapidly. “Beru and Owen were good to me.” he assured quietly. “They loved me and I loved them. It wasn’t always easy but… yeah, I was happy. Just took me a long time to realize it.”

Vader nodded once. “I’m glad.” 

For a minute or two, the only sounds around them were the cricket-like bugs chirping in the grass somewhere. Luke couldn't help but feel a strange sort of relief, knowing that his father felt regret for not having been present during his childhood. That he wanted to know what it had been like. That all of Luke's boyhood longing and desires to be wanted by a parent were equal to the want Vader had for him. 

“I was never their son though,” Luke offered after a moment. “Not really, anyways. Owen never wanted to take that from you. I don’t know how much you actually knew him but… he always talked about you like you were his brother.”

Luke couldn’t quite figure out what emotion his father felt now. It was something between nonchalance and disbelief. “I only met him once,” Vader revealed with a slight huff. “Briefly.”

Huh. 

Luke wasn’t certain how much his aunt and uncle actually knew about what had happened to Anakin; he didn’t think they knew about Vader, personally -  but he couldn't say for sure.

But Owen had seemed to care so much, it had always felt like they must have known each other longer than that. But... a one time meeting must have been the reason why Owen had never shared any stories about Anakin. He hadn't had any to give. The realization eased an old hurt that Luke hadn't realized was still lingering in his heart.

It had never seemed fair - Luke had always been so desperate for some little scrap of information and it had frustrated him how Owen always evaded the topic, unless he was angry. Or whenever Luke had talked about leaving the planet and doing something else.

Luke could understand a little better now that he was older that Owen had been frustrated and angry that Anakin had 'died'. Family meant everything on Tatooine - and Owen had always been upset that Anakin had left; or perhaps, that the Jedi had taken him and contributed to whatever he thought his fate had been. In the end, it was why Owen had made so many excuses to keep Luke on Tatooine - to keep Luke from sharing that fate. It had always been about keeping him safe. The realization made him smile sadly. 

“Whenever I irritated him… Owen always said I was bullheaded, like you were. You must have made an impression.”

“I usually do,” Vader said dryly. There was the tiniest flicker along their bond, just enough for Luke to know that the comparison pleased him. “Did you irritate him often?”

Luke laughed at that, scratching the back of his head as he tried and failed not to remember all of the stupid disagreements that they’d had. In hindsight, they seemed so ridiculous now.

“Yeah, I did.”

He felt his father smirk in amusement.

“We fought a lot, when I got older. I wanted to get off planet and he never really wanted me to leave.” Luke revealed. “I never realized he was trying to protect me.”

It became quiet again because neither of them could deny the reality that there was danger that Luke had needed to be protected from. The galaxy his father had helped create would have killed him a long time ago if it hadn’t been for the ones who’d raised him. 

“Tatooine would have been too small for you,” Vader finally said. “You are like me that way.”

Luke felt another smile twitch at his lips. “Just you?”

Another pause. And then, after some obvious hesitation, “You are… I perceive much of your mother in you,” Vader revealed quietly. 

His mother. 

Padmé. 

“I would like to know about her.”

His father shifted, looking away from the stars and meeting his eyes for the first time. 

“I won’t push,” Luke promised, remembering the bitter grief and pain that the mimic had dredged up hours ago. It was still lingering at the edge of his fathers thoughts, even now. “Only… only if you want to tell me. But I do want to know. I want that more than anything.”

Even without trying, Luke knew that his father would be able to sense the genuine longing that was filling his heart. He had something now - her name, which was more than he’d ever had before and it had woken up something inside him. He wanted to know this woman who had named him and given him life. To know what she had been like and how they had met and what their life had been like before all of this had happened.

“Not tonight,” Vader said softly. “I… I will tell you. But not tonight.”

Luke nodded, feeling relieved. “Sometime, then,” he agreed. 

“Sometime.” 

A solemn sort of feeling slowly came over both of them and the weight of what they were going to attempt came back to the forefront of his mind. 

“So, how do we do this?” Luke asked, deciding to change the topic for now. 

“Carefully,” Vader said. “The Emperor does not know what mercy is, my son. And when the time comes, you cannot show him any. Not even for a second.” 

Luke nodded his understanding. The evil he felt in his dream was long past the point of redemption and he had meant what he said in the mines. He had no intention of being merciful; Enemies didn’t get that in the Desert and no one who had enslaved his father and who wanted to enslave him too would get any either.

“Sidious is far more powerful than he looks,” his father continued. “If you give him the opportunity, he will break you long before he tortures you. He’ll play on your fears, your insecurities, your weaknesses - you must be resolute in your intention to kill him. You are a prize he is not eager to lose.”

“I don’t know how to kill a Sith Lord. You are the only Force user I’ve ever gone up against. I imagine someone else would be… different.” 

Someone else might actually want to kill him. With the exception of Cymoon 1, Luke was still fairly certain that Vader had always held back in their fights, at least to some extent. He wasn’t certain how he would fare against someone who wouldn’t hold back - and someone who might be more powerful than his father was. 

“I will teach you everything that you need to know,” Vader promised. Something wry passed between them after a moment. “Killing Sith Lords used to be a specialty of mine.”

Luke was almost entirely certain that that was intended as a joke but he had no idea what the true context of it was.

“Before the Empire, I presume?”

“Yes, before the Empire.” 

It was a vague answer and Luke shook his head, making a mental note to ask Artoo if he could give him any details. He could only imagine what kind of stories he might have. 

Later though. He could feel his father thinking again and tried probing his thoughts for any hint of what it was about. The Empire, Luke realized, but whether the creation or the future of the Empire, he couldn’t quite tell. He bit his lip, hesitating to bring up a sore topic but… it would probably be better to lay his feelings out now rather than later. 

“Father, I told you earlier that I want no part of your Empire,” Luke reminded him quietly. “I stand by that. It means nothing to me.”

A small flash of annoyance passed between them. “I remember,” Vader said stiffly. “But you must know that we cannot hope to kill the Emperor without the resources the Empire offers.” 

“That isn’t what I meant. I meant after - if there is an after, anyways.” Luke corrected with a tired sort of patience. He was willing to work from within the ranks of the Empire, hesitantly deciding that what he was doing was no different than what the Rebellion spies did. But his allegiance was only to his father, with the end goal of seeing everything else crumble to the ground.

That was something that he could live with. In the end, if killing Palpatine was the only thing he did to bring an end to the Empire, then so be it. But at least his quest for justice on behalf of his family would be satisfied. 

“We could change the Empire, Luke,” Vader said with some exasperation. “It is as I said on Bespin. We could kill the Emperor and rule the galaxy as father and son. We could end the conflict and bring peace.”

“This galaxy will never accept the Empire after all that it has done to them.”

“You do not know that,” his father began to say.

Luke interrupted him. “I do know that because I won’t and I know a hell of a lot of people who won’t either.”

“The Rebellion is hardly the whole of the galaxy.” Vader scoffed, shaking his head.

“It has more of a backing than you think it does.”

“And perhaps less of one than you realize.” His father shot back at him. “The Rebellion is insignificant. A nuisance but not a real threat.”

“It wasn’t a nuisance when the Death Star was destroyed,” Luke pointed out, growing frustrated. “And it’s kept you occupied for the better part of three years.”

His father gave him a look. It reminded him eerily of Uncle Owen when he was most irate. “I was not chasing the Rebellion. You were my only interest. Every major blow the Rebellion has dealt occurred after you joined. You destroyed the Death Star. There would be no Rebellion without you.” 

Luke had said as much to the others just yesterday and had meant it but not quite like this. He shook his head. “I’m not that important. Maybe I’ve helped but it would still exist without me. The Rebellion is an idea - it's hope. You can destroy the organization of it over and over again but there will always be someone who will stand up and fight back. They’ll regroup. Rebuild. It doesn’t matter how long it takes and they don't need me to do that.”

“They will forget.”

“No, they won’t. The Empire has done too much damage and has hurt too many people. You're from Tatooine - you know as well as I do that people this angry and hurt won’t forgive and they won’t forget.” Luke said fiercely. It was one of the unspoken laws of the Desert and unwittingly, the last memory he had of his aunt and uncle came to mind, flickering wildly and freely between them. 

Vader paused for the first time as he sensed it and Luke swallowed, trying to pull the mental image of their burnt and ruined corpses back to himself. He hadn’t meant to share that.

“That’s… that’s why I won’t take control of the Empire with you,” Luke added hesitantly. 

“Because of what happened.” Vader surmised slowly.

“Yes. Don't you understand? The Empire killed my family. My home had been destroyed and what was left of their corpses had been left in the sand to rot. I was eighteen. I buried them and I did it alone. For no other reason than because we had bought a few droids from the Jawas.”

“I'm your family and that is not the whole of the Empire - ”

“You are my family,” Luke agreed impatiently. “But would you help the Tuskens?”

There was a flicker of surprise. “What?”

“Would you help the Tuskens?” Luke repeated passionately. “After what they did to grandma? Would you support them and go so far as to help them do more murder of innocents? Could you justify that?”

Something that felt a lot like outrage shot between them - outrage, anger, disgust, and a fierce resentment that spanned decades. 

“No.”

“Then you can’t ask me to support the Empire,” Luke said with an air of finality. “It’s the same thing. I want nothing to do with it except to watch it burn and you should be able to understand that.”

Vader stared at him, his emotions dark and unreadable. 

Luke was both surprised and unsurprised by the fact that he could feel how desperately his father was clinging to the Empire - to its importance and relevance. It might have bothered him, except, in a quiet moment of clarity… Luke found that he could understand why, even if he didn't agree. 

His father wanted it to be fixable. For the Empire to work - to have purpose, for it to do everything that he had thought that it would do. Because if he couldn’t fix it… then everything he had done - all the horrors and atrocities that had been committed in the name of the Empire would have all been for nothing in the end. 

I thought it was the answer to fix everything that was wrong. 

It hadn’t worked. Not the way Vader had hoped it would - he had said as much himself earlier. If he couldn’t fix it now, now when he was beginning to maybe actually care… then he would have to admit to himself that it had all been a mistake. 

And it was. 

His father had been wrong. 

Anakin had been wrong.  

He had betrayed the Republic - and there was more to his decision than simply betrayal, the same as everything else. Luke knew that. He didn’t know the details and he wasn’t terribly certain that he wanted to know everything. But he understood that the events preceding the fall of the Republic were complicated and messy and that there had been hurt and betrayal and manipulation on the parts of many. 

Luke supposed that if it had been him in the same position… there could be no greater punishment than to realize a mistake had been made and to have to live with the consequences. 

If he was being honest with himself, Luke thought that having to live with that was a just punishment and a lesser one than what was probably deserved.

It should be painful; the things that had been done wrong should hurt. It was a reminder to be better. And it was maybe a reminder that Vader himself wasn’t completely lost or irredeemable, if he could still feel remorse for such things.

The quiet stretched between them for several minutes, the conflict inside his father very, very obvious. It stretched long enough that Luke thought maybe their conversation was over entirely. He thought about walking away, giving his father some space to cool down but just as he began to turn to go somewhere else, Vader asked, “If I took control of the Empire, would you try to kill me?”

Luke froze, the question taking him off guard. 

His father didn’t phrase it like a challenge - it was more… prompted by some form of morbid curiosity. As if Vader was bracing himself for another potential betrayal by someone that he cared about. Luke wondered how many times this had been something his father had endured and the thought deflated him, making him sad. 

It wasn't a question he even needed to consider. Even if he could… and he had his doubts whether or not he had the power to do it as he was now… killing his father would never be an option for him. 

“No,” Luke promised sincerely. “I wouldn’t. I… don’t think I can and I don’t want to. But you can’t have both the Empire and me. I won’t stick around for that.”

If it did fall though - if Vader would let it go and leave it all behind… then Luke thought it wouldn’t take much convincing for him to stick with his father through anything else that came their way. If they really were able to get rid of Palpatine and win their freedom together along with the rest of the galaxy… Luke would stand and defend his father against anyone - even a New Republic.

Luke let that thought pass quietly and freely between them and felt his father’s attention linger on it. 

He got a brief sense of Vader… almost marveling over what Luke had just offered, not quite able to bring himself to believe it. 

Yet.

Not yet. 

Patience, the Force whispered. Be patient. 

Luke cleared his throat. “Anyways,” he said, jerking his hand over his shoulder when the silence continued to stretch longer than he was comfortable with. “I’m gonna go sit on my X-wing for a bit. You don’t need to decide anything right now. But I’ll be there if you need me.”

His father didn’t stop him when he turned to leave, both of them lost in their own thoughts. 

Vader watched Luke as he walked away until his son had disappeared completely in the dark of the evening. Their conversation had left him with conflicting feelings and no small amount of irritation. He wanted to deny what Luke had said but couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't want to believe that the death of his mother and the Lars' could possibly be the same.

But something inside of him whispered that he would be a fool to think that they weren't. 

It had occurred far too soon after his own experience of being forced to hear the sound of Shmi's last words to him. His failure to save her had been the first of many tipping points in his life. A question that he had never dared to think or ask himself before flickered through his mind. 

...what would she think of him now? 

Would she forgive him or turn away from him in disgust and anger? Vader didn't know the answer and he didn't think he ever wanted to know either. His mother hadn't raised him to be a monster, after all, and that was exactly what he had become. 

Even now, hours later, he still couldn’t quite wrap his mind around the fact that he was somehow getting what he wanted. 

Luke was coming with him.

And that meant that there was still hope.

Working together, there was a chance for them to make this work. 

If Vader was careful, if they kept their heads down while he finished Luke’s training, then they might have weeks - even months before Sidious realized that they were working together and planned to usurp him. 

Luke’s presence in the Empire could be kept quiet as long as it did not spread too far. The leadership of the warships Executor, Devastator, and Accuser were all people that would side with Vader in the event that he took over the Empire and while he trusted no one, he anticipated no problems from any of them. There were countless other people and forces among the Imperial Navy as well, who he had spent the last several years carefully identifying as being useful to him, who had likewise been approached and who had agreed, for various reasons, to participate in his coup d-etat against Sidious.

Now... there were other aspects of his plan that could finally be put into effect as well which he had very nearly been on the verge of calling off - because without Luke, there would have been no point. There would have been no hope for success and therefore, no reason to try. 

But Luke changed everything. There was a purpose to drive Vader forwards now - the same purpose and ambition that Sidious had always accused him of lacking. 

The only problem now was what to do with it all afterwards. Vader had never considered not keeping the Empire.

A dark, angry part of him was rebelling at the very idea of giving it all up - spitting and raging that he could dare be so weak. It went against everything that he worked to achieve over the last twenty years. Everything he’d forced himself to believe had mattered - and now he was just supposed to throw it all away because of an ultimatum from one person? 

It was asinine. 

There was the opportunity for so much power. It could all be his; after so many years spent on his knees, doing the will of another and suffering pain and torture and loss, he could finally be the one in control. With Sidious dead, the Empire could thrive under the right ruler. He could set everything to right, and Luke would be the rightful heir to the throne. Together with their combined strength, they could achieve so much. There wouldn’t be anyone in the galaxy who could oppose them.

Only a fool would turn something like that down. 

But there was a quieter part of him that was whispering a cruel reminder that he had also said something similar to her once before too and that she hadn’t wanted the Empire either. 

He had pushed the issue and in the process had destroyed his family… and he had been living with that regret for over twenty years. 

Risking what small part of it that he had gotten back was not an option. 

There was always a chance he could persuade Luke otherwise in the coming weeks. But even as the thought crossed his mind, it was the memory of the dead slaves that had been left behind in the mines which gave him further pause. 

He hadn’t created the Empire for that.  

Vader had told her that fateful night that he had brought peace. But as he had admitted to Luke just hours ago, the Empire had not done what he’d thought it would do. 

It had failed. Miserably. 

The only question now was whether or not he could let it all go? 

Everything that he had worked for, all the people he had killed, everything he had done for the creation of the Empire… could he really just let it go?

Luke was the only reason he had to pursue any of it - he had been trapped in a state of self-loathing and apathy until the knowledge of Luke’s existence had been revealed to him. Without his family, none of it had mattered and if Luke didn’t want it, then what was the point now? 

It would be fair, that quieter part of him whispered. Luke had just given up everything that mattered to him because Vader had asked him to. How could he not be willing to do the same?

The dark, spitting part of him hissed in annoyance. It had been a long time since he’d cared about anything being fair. Sith only cared about how things benefited them; everything was a stepping stone to greater power and anything that diminished that power should be destroyed. He was out of practice with caring about what anyone else thought or wanted. 

He needed to think. 

Meditate for a while. 

The only reason he had endured this long and managed to do all that he’d done was because he’d been able to convince himself that the Empire was the right path and that all of it was necessary. To give up on it now, after everything that he’d done… Vader wasn’t certain how to live with that.

But if in the end, the choice was between his son and the Empire… then it wasn’t really a choice at all. 

Vader knew which one he wanted. 

Shaking his head, Vader began to walk in the direction of the camp. It wasn’t a decision that needed to be finalized just this second and there were things that he needed to discuss with Captain Deklan to ensure that any reports regarding the destruction of Cimiento and the presence of Rogue Squadron were sent directly to him and no one else. He would prefer to keep what had happened here quiet for as long as possible. Fortunately, none of the officers on this planet had any passionate desire to anger him and would likely follow his orders to keep the incident to themselves without any issue.

Rogue Squadron was a different matter entirely. It would be far more convenient to kill them and forgo the risk of his and Luke’s allegiance getting out to the public then it would be to simply let them live. 

Were that to happen, the amount of time he had to prepare his son would be cut down to almost nothing. Sidious would move fast the second he caught wind of a plot - he was already paranoid about Luke as it was and Vader would prefer that he think that there was no immediate threat to him.

Vader pursed his lips, realizing that he was going to have to play his part of the dutiful servant very well in the coming weeks. Let Sidious think that he was giving up - that Vader was the disappointment his master had always claimed him to be.

It would be worth it in the end, to finally get the bastard on his knees and shove a blade through his heart. 

The days of Darth Sidious were numbered, he thought coldly. One way or another.

For now though, all he could do was deal with what was in front of him. Dawn was not far off now and he did not want to stay here any longer than necessary. Once he finished speaking with the captain, he would alert Admiral Piett of his pending return but more importantly, have him coordinate with Opportunity Base in order to arrange for the transportation and arrival of Luke’s X-wing. 

Hours later, Wedge was woken up once again by the sound of Beren ruthlessly scolding someone.

He had not slept well and Luke had not returned either. He sat up, just as the Imperial stormtroopers guarding the medical tent came and let him out of his binders.

"Stay within the bounds of the camp," one of them said. "But we were given orders to inform you that you are free to walk around."

Wedge nodded, rubbing his sore wrist. "Has... has Vader left yet?" he asked awkwardly. 

"No."

That meant that Luke was still here. 

Wedge stood up, nodding his thanks and was quietly pleased that he wasn't quite so sore. He looked around and then approached Beren cautiously to ask for an update on Cesi. She seemed irritated but stiffly informed him that Cesi was still unconscious but that his vitals were improving and he was expected to wake up in the next half hour or so. He thanked her then quickly got out of her way. Tycho was awake and looked a lot better than he had last night. 

"Did they tell you anything?" Tycho asked as Wedge approached. "They didn't say anything to me."

"They are letting us walk around," Wedge revealed. "I... I want to go find Luke. Are you okay to stay here and keep an eye on Cesi?"

Tycho nodded. "Yeah, I can do that. He okay?"

Wedge shrugged. "He's supposed to wake up soon. I don't want him to be alone. It's going to be a shock."

Tycho seemed to understand and didn't seem eager to go anywhere anyways. Wedge privately thought that he was probably hoping to avoid Vader and that was perfectly fine with him. He didn’t particularly like the idea of either of them walking around enemy territory. But he needed to find Luke and with a promise that he’d be back once he figured out what was going on, Wedge left the med tent and set off to look for him. 

His breath fogged in the brisk morning air as he walked. The red sky overhead was still young. He nodded awkwardly to some Imperials that he occasionally passed by and kept expecting to get shot the second that his back was turned. It never happened though.

The camp itself wasn't very big and it didn't take Wedge long before he spotted Luke sitting on top of his X-wing in the clearing. He had opened one of the panels on the right wing and was fixing or adjusting something inside. Vader was nowhere in sight and it felt the quietest that it had been since they’d arrived the night before. 

He hesitated, unsure of how to get Luke’s attention. 

Luke had a tendency to get lost in thought while working with machines - Wedge had learned over the last few years that it was one of the things that he did to decompress. It wouldn’t have been much of an issue to interrupt him even just three days ago. Now, it seemed next to impossible. 

But… he could do this. It needed to be done and even if he had gotten everything else wrong, he couldn’t let this go unsaid. 

“Hey… hey, Luke?” Wedge called out hesitantly. He went unheard - or ignored, since that was also an option - and so he tried again, louder this time. “Luke?”

Luke lifted his head from what he was doing and glanced around for a moment before his eyes fell on Wedge. The expression on his face was not encouraging.

Wedge felt his mouth go dry and his stomach twist with nervousness. “Can I talk to you?” 

There were a few seconds of hesitation and then Luke stood up, brushing his hands off on his pants before climbing down the ladder propped up against the ship to meet him. He was in cleaner clothes and no longer covered in so much blood and grime. His lightsaber was still attached to his belt.

It felt different to see him now though.  

He was still Luke. Wedge knew that. But he couldn't help remember the front row seat he'd gotten in witnessing just how very powerful Luke could be. They were damn lucky that Luke had come back for them. That Cesi had been wrong and that Luke hadn't been a spy for the Empire at all. Wedge had a feeling that if Luke were genuinely angry and had it out for someone... that he would come out on top every single time.

Even the way he was walking now seemed to give off the impression that he was someone of high rank. Someone of importance and someone who should be respected. 

…or maybe, he was just a friend that Wedge had betrayed and one who had still risked his life to come back and save him. 

Wedge tried to swallow his nerves, trying to remember all the things he’d planned to say and stepped forward again to meet Luke halfway.

He just felt sick. 

They stopped and stood, separated by silence and a few feet of distance. It felt like so much more than that though. 

Wedge opened his mouth but the words wouldn’t come. Nothing he could say was going to be enough - how did one even begin to try and apologize for what he had done?

It took Wedge a few seconds to realize that his hands were shaking. 

“My father said that all of you are free to leave,” Luke offered suddenly, breaking the silence. “I was… I was going to come tell you when I was done here. He put all of you under the same order of protection that I am.”

A wave of dizzying relief instantly shot through Wedge’s system, making him almost weak at the knees. 

“R-really?” 

Luke nodded. “Yeah. As soon as you can, you're all good to go."

Wedge didn’t even know what to say. It was - that was more than he had expected. More than he had dared to hope for. They were… they were going home. He sniffed, raising a hand to scrub at his face as tears blurred his vision. 

They were going to live. 

All of it was because of Luke. How he’d managed to secure their freedom, Wedge couldn’t begin to guess - but he had - Wedge knew that he had and that was all that mattered. 

“Are Tycho and Cesi recovering alright?” Luke asked after giving Wedge a moment to compose himself again.

Wedge nodded quickly. “Yeah. Tycho is doing much better and Cesi… well, he’ll live.” Without an arm but he would live. 

Luke nodded, tucking his hands into his pockets. “Good. I’m glad.” To his credit, he actually sounded like he meant it. 

Another awkward silence followed and his guilt began to replace the relief he felt. He had come here to apologize and again, despite everything, it felt like Luke was still the one coming to the rescue. That didn't seem fair. 

Wedge just... didn't know how to do this. He didn't know what to say and none of it was going to be enough. 

Luke was still waiting, his expression guarded and cautious. 

Traitor. 

Liar. 

Monster. 

They had called him all those things and more... and Luke had still come back to save them. 

“I… I just wanted to - to,” Wedge hesitated, hating himself and then forced himself to speak the first thing that came to mind. “You could come back with us. Whatever you’re planning - you don’t have to do it.”

Helping Vader shouldn't be Luke's problem, father or not. Wedge couldn't let him do it if it was just because Luke thought that there was nowhere else for him to go. 

His plea - his offer, whatever it was, did not evoke any emotion from Luke. His expression remained flat and unimpressed.

“The Rebellion doesn’t need me.” 

Wedge shook his head. “It does. We do - ”

“Then my father needs me more,” Luke interrupted him before Wedge could finish. There was a sharpness to his tone that Wedge had never heard before and anything he’d hoped to say dissipated in an instant. "I'm not going back. I don't want to."

Luke had said the same thing down in the mines. It was stupid to think that one pathetic apology would change that. Vader was the one that had offered him a life-line. And meant it, as far Wedge knew. Luke was going to do this. His loyalties had changed and there was nothing anyone could say to convince him otherwise. 

“I’m… I’m so sorry,” Wedge said, his eyes blurring again as emotions he’d been trying to hide from came up to the surface. He scrubbed them viciously, embarrassed. “For what happened. For everything - I should have… I wanted to – you didn't deserve that. None of it. I… I just didn’t know what else to do.”

He hadn’t known how to help any of them. 

Luke took a slight step back, looking away as emotion finally got to him. His eyes watered and Luke lifted a hand to wipe at them, clearing his throat. He looked tired and worn out. Like he'd been carrying a heavy burden on his shoulders that no one else had noticed.

“I know that you were doing the best that you could, Wedge." Luke finally said quietly, meeting his eyes again.

It wasn’t forgiveness. Not even close. But it felt like maybe an olive branch was being offered to him. It was more than he had a right to hope for and some of the tightness in his chest lessened just a little.

“What do you want me to tell the Rebellion?”

“Just tell them the truth,” Luke said tiredly. “It doesn’t matter now. To be honest… I think some of High Command already knew about Vader, even before I did. I doubt they will be surprised.”

Wedge paused, his thoughts coming to an abrupt halt.

“...what?” 

Luke nodded, looking like he was sucking on something sour. “Yeah," he confirmed. "I could tell when I came back from Bespin. They were… they were just different towards me. Suspicious, when they hadn’t been before. They knew about Vader and they didn't tell me. No one did."

“Wait - but who?” 

Who the hell would have that kind of information? Who the fuck had known that Anakin Skywalker had become Darth Vader and that Luke was his son? And why wouldn’t they have told Luke about it? What the hell was that about? 

“I guess you’ll find out when you tell them.” 

No. Wedge shook his head, running a hand through his hair.

No no no no.  

If High Command had known - if they knew and hadn’t told Luke or given him a reason to think that he could tell them without fear of judgment… then… then…some of this was their fault. 

All I can think is that they’re afraid I’ll turn out like you.

That was what Luke had meant. 

Anger slowly began to replace the miserable guilt inside of him, filling him to the brim. Other people had known and kept the truth hidden from Luke. Someone else could have told him - he shouldn’t have had to learn the truth from Vader. Everything that was happening now could have been avoided if someone - anyone - had been willing to see Luke for who he was and not what Vader or Anakin or whoever he was had done or become.

If they had done that, maybe Luke would have let other people know on his own, instead of feeling like he needed to keep it a secret.

“Fucking hell,” Wedge breathed angrily. “Fuck fuck fuck.”

“Basically,” Luke agreed. There was a different, angry sort of hurt reflected in his eyes now. No wonder he didn't want to go back. Why would anyone be okay with a lie like that?

He was probably feeling betrayed by everyone, not just Wedge and the others. Family - even a piss poor excuse for a father that Vader probably was - would probably sound like a better option to just about anyone if they were in the same boat.

If it ended up being true... then Wedge had a feeling that he was going to have a lot to say. 

“So, that’s it then?” Wedge asked, forcing himself to turn from those angry thoughts. “You’re just… going to join the Empire?”

“I’m going to help my father,” Luke corrected smoothly. "There's a difference."

"The... the Palpatine thing? Killing the Emperor?" 

"Yeah. Killing the Emperor." 

Wedge couldn’t begin to imagine why Vader would need help with something like that but… their conversation yesterday had made it sound like it was almost some sort of desperate bid for freedom. 

“I guess there’s a story behind that one.” Wedge guessed, feeling his heart sink. 

Luke nodded slowly. “There is.”

But he wasn’t going to tell him what it was. Wedge could see it on his face that he didn’t think it was anyone’s business. If he was being fair, it probably wasn't.

"I'm sorry that it came to this, Luke." Wedge said quietly. "I really am."

Luke paused, staring at him for a long moment. Then he shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. "Don't be," he said, offering him a sad smile for the first time. "I think the galaxy is the way that it is, at least in part, because of my family. If there’s a chance that I can help my father put some of it back together by doing this… then I think I should at least try.”

Wedge was quiet, stunned into silence. He stared hard at Luke’s face, looking for some form of doubt or… or something. Anything to suggest that he wanted to do anything other than what he was planning to do. But there was nothing in Luke’s expression to suggest that he thought or believed anything else.

All of this... it was more than just having no other options. It was a resolute desire to do what Luke thought was right. 

A small, disbelieving smile pulled at Wedge's lips for the first time.

It was absurd. Absurd and crazy and… and it was Luke. Even if he didn't believe for a second that Luke was responsible for anything Vader had chosen to do... he could accept this, at least. 

“You’re something else, Luke,” Wedge said. It might not mean anything to Luke anymore, given everything that had taken place between them… but Wedge hoped that his admiration and respect would come through. “Truly.”

Luke offered him a half smile, the tension between them easing a little more.

"Are you going to be safe with him?" Wedge asked.

"I think so," Luke responded honestly. "I'm not making excuses for him. But he... he isn't all bad."

"I guess I'll have to take your word for it."

They both smiled at each other but it didn’t seem like there was much else to say after that. Wedge nodded his head and then turned away, preparing to walk back to the med tent and let the others know that they could go. To his surprise though, he didn’t actually get very far before Luke called out his name.

He turned back. 

“You know… the galaxy is a big place. It can make someone hard to find,” Luke said, meeting his eyes once again. “I want you to know… you’re welcome to fly with me anytime.” 

That... that was more than an olive branch. 

Wedge stepped forward at the same time Luke did and met his friend in a solid embrace.

“Thank you,” he said hoarsely, patting him on the back. “And I’ll get them home - I promise.”

“I know you will," Luke assured him. They stepped after a few long seconds and Luke's eyes seemed watery for the first time. "Tell Leia that I’m sorry, okay? Please? She won’t understand.”

Wedge huffed and couldn't help but agree. The Princess Leia had a… fiery personality… and she didn’t take very kindly to anyone having the audacity to leave her behind. Luke’s abrupt and less than ceremonious departure from the Rebellion was not going to be easy on her. 

And Wedge would be personally surprised if heads didn’t roll because of it - his own included. 

Force, he had so much to answer for when they finally got home. It wasn’t going to be pretty. None of it was.

“I’ll tell her,” he promised.  

Luke nodded, using the back of his flesh hand to brush at the corner of his eyes before clearing his throat and taking a small step back. “Thank you.”

Then he quickly glanced over his shoulder as if someone had called his name. Wedge followed his gaze and felt his mouth go dry as he caught sight of Vader standing not too far off. Just seeing him again made him shiver but where Vader provoked fear in others, something in Luke’s eyes seemed to soften. “My father wants me. It’s time for me to go.”

Luke stepped back from him and moved a few feet to grab his backpack from where it was sitting in the shade of his X-wing and then slung it over his shoulder. The open panels where Luke had been working up on the wings closed on their own and then without another word, he left, jogging the short distance to where Vader was waiting. 

"Are we leaving?"

Vader nodded as Luke got closer. "Yes. Everything is in order. The rebels release has been secured and your X-wing will be transported to the Executor within a standard week." he said simply. 

"So long as no one ruins it." Luke huffed, disliking the idea of anyone other than him flying his ship. He had retrieved his personal belongings from the cockpit earlier and made sure that there wasn't anything inside which could hint to the location of the Rebellion. It would be a relief once it was back in his possession though. 

His talk with Wedge had helped, more than he'd expected and he was willing to admit that he was glad they were leaving each other on better terms. He didn't regret saving any of them and he was relieved that Wedge would try his best to defend Luke's name. It might not do much but it was the thought that counted in the end. 

They made their way back through the camp in the direction of his father's personal shuttle and he noticed that the clean-up and dismantling of some of the temporary structures had already begun and were in the process of being taken down. They passed the med tent and Luke briefly thought of pausing to check in on Tycho and Cesi but decided against it. 

He had already done what he'd wanted to do. They were alive and their safety was assured. There was nothing more that he needed to say to them. 

"Is Artoo around?"

"He is already onboard waiting," Vader said patiently. Luke let a smile cross his face and whispered a silent thank you. The remaining Imperials had gathered and lined up once again to see the Supreme Commander off, standing at attention and respectfully saluting him as both he and Luke walked up the ramp of his shuttle. The stormtroopers wearing armor were waiting inside - they were his father's men, Luke realized belatedly. 

Luke paused at the top of the ramp, steeling his nerves one final time. "I guess we're doing this," he said quietly. 

"It will be hard," Vader agreed, catching his eye. "Are you certain?"

Luke thought of that far off distant light from his dream, the image of his father as a child, and his confident declaration that he was going to be a Jedi. He wasn't lost yet - he just needed someone willing to come after him. 

"I'm sure." 

Warm relief flickered between them and his father placed a hand in the middle of his back as they turned to go inside, both of them ready to leave this place behind them for good. The engines began to rumble, preparing for take-off. Luke looked over his shoulder one more time when he heard someone shouting out his name. 

It was Wedge. 

He was running through the camp, one arm wrapped around his ribs as he tried to catch up. Some of the Imperials shifted at the interruption of their departure and Captain Deklan stepped out of their line-up in order to block Wedge's way to the shuttle. He was forced to stop a few yards away as a few others came to help restrain him. 

"What is it?" Luke hollered at him. 

Wedge shoved the Imperials off of him, his chest heaving as he stood up straighter. "May the Force be with you!”

Luke felt a smile stretch across his face, even as Vader rolled his eyes and walked further inside. Luke offered Wedge a sloppy two-fingered salute just as the ramp began to rise high enough to begin to block his view. He waited until Wedge was out of sight entirely and then turned to follow his father. 

A few minutes later, they entered the atmosphere and were gone.

Chapter Text

Telona 7th, 4 ABY, Galactic Standard Time

Wedge sat and waited. 

There was little else that he could do. The interrogation room that he’d been locked in was dimly lit and had nothing inside of it with which he could try and occupy his time and his mind with. There was just a clock on the wall, slowly counting the minutes that went by. Two hours had passed in silence; there were no indicators that anyone would be arriving to talk to him anytime soon and despite knowing it was nothing more than a scare tactic, it was still doing a good job of setting him on edge. 

He could appreciate that he hadn’t been restrained to the desk, if nothing else. Wedge sighed, pushing his chair back away from the table and walking idly around the room for a few minutes to try and kill some of the buzz.  

It didn’t work. 

He just wanted to get this over with. It was going to be bad. He’d known it from the start that this interrogation was going to be bad. They were going to dig hard and deep and make his life hell until they were satisfied with what they got and then they were probably going to do it all over again. 

Wedge just wished they would get it over with. Circumstances be damned, he wasn’t their enemy. This waiting game, this… this act that was designed to try and make him nervous and trip him up from the get-go so he’d be more honest was bullshit. He’d already promised High Command that he would be upfront about everything to the best of his abilities. 

But the Rebellion didn’t fuck around where the Empire was concerned. Frustrated, Wedge sat back down, casting a half glare at the window that served as a two-way mirror against the far wall. He hoped anyone watching was just as bored as he was. 

…more than that, he hoped that Luke was doing alright. 

It had been a bittersweet parting, a goodbye in more ways than one. Wedge leaned forward so that his elbows were resting on the edge of the table, tangling his fingers in his hair. Everything had kind of moved in a bit of a blur after Luke and Vader had left. The Imperials hadn’t been impressed with him interrupting Vader’s departure, even if there hadn’t been any consequences for them because of it. But their irritation had been enough that Wedge had slunk back to the med tent not long after the shuttle had disappeared and then stayed there, just to avoid their glares. 

Wedge hadn’t been particularly eager to stick around and test whether or not they would be able to leave but Beren had made it very clear to him, under no uncertain terms, that Cesi wasn’t ready to travel. He needed some additional time to heal and Wedge hadn’t been about to risk his life in order to argue with her. There hadn’t been much else to do except watch over the others and sleep. In total, they stayed behind for an extra day and a half. Just long enough for Cesi to be able to get to his feet without looking like a stiff breeze would knock him over. 

The Imperials had been clearing out the entire time, returning to their garrison and leaving the bare minimum amount of people to stay behind and keep an eye on them. Wedge had taken Tycho on the morning that they decided to leave and together they had strip searched the ships, looking for any trackers or signs of tampering. Nothing had come up and in the end, Luke’s promise had held true. They really had been allowed to leave with no more pomp or circumstance than a polite farewell from Captain Deklan and a warning to keep their heads down on the battlefield. 

Wedge had a suspicion that Vader must have had to spin quite a lie in order to make any of it possible. That, or perhaps it was all nothing more or less complicated than it being a situation of whatever Darth Vader decreed would be what happened.

He was certain that he would never know which it was.

Leaving the planet had felt surreal.

Coming out of hyperspace and realizing that there was a small part of himself that desperately wished he hadn’t come back to the Rebellion at all had surprised him. Being dead or taken captive by the Empire would have been an easier fate than having to face everyone with the truth of what had happened. Death notifications would need to be made, official reports written, questioning, an inquest, probably even a court martial; all he knew was that the next few weeks of his life were going to be a different version of hell the second that they touched base and he wasn’t looking forward to any of it. 

Wedge had made first contact, announcing their call signs to the base below and getting the permission that they needed in order to land without any issue. They had been very late for a check-in and there was a rather large gathering of sentients waiting for them on the landing pad when they finally arrived. They were all people that he’d known and trusted for years and yet the sight of them now made him feel uneasy. It was the same feeling that he’d had in the camp of Imperials; waiting for someone to pull the trigger and shoot him. 

Fortunately, he knew and had had several hours in hyperspace to rehearse what was going to happen next. Wedge removed his flight helmet and when the pressure in the cabin released and the top of his X-wing slid back, he immediately stood up. There was already a ladder in place against the side of his ship, waiting for him to climb down. 

“Wedge!”

“We’ve been trying to reach you for days!”

“ - where are the others?”

He ignored the many greetings and concerned questions that were being directed his way about the whereabouts of everyone else and quickly barked a few orders instead. 

“Medical to Red Nine,” he snapped, starting to push his way to Zach’s - now Cesi’s - X-wing. “Lieutenant Collins is injured and needs medical attention. He’ll need help getting out and then you’ll need to get him to the infirmary as fast as you can.”

Despite the crowd, Wedge got to Red Nine ahead of the on sight medical technicians and scrambled up the ladder himself just as the top of Cesi’s ship slid back. He was conscious but when Wedge placed a hand on his forehead, he was shaken by the fever he felt. 

Cesi blinked up at him, his head lulling on his shoulder. “We back?” he asked hoarsely, coughing slightly. 

“Yeah, we’re back home now. You’re going to be alright.” Wedge promised quickly. 

“...s’good.” Cesi nodded tiredly and then licked his lips. “Skywalker… Skywalker… he -”

Zach’s astromech twittered suddenly and a moment later, Wedge felt someone climbing up the ladder behind him. Wedge turned and was greeted by an unfamiliar but concerned face. “What the hell happened to you guys?” the med tech asked, his brow furrowed. 

Wedge moved to the side as much as was possible and let the man up the rest of the way. “Trust me, you don’t want to know,” he muttered. “Lieutenant Collins is the most injured of the three of us.”

“Holy shit - is he missing his arm?” 

Wedge nodded. “Get him to the infirmary,” he said quietly, before telling him that surgical care had been provided and that he had the release forms, as well as the name of the antibiotic that he was on before beginning his descent down the ladder.

He immediately got jostled by the crowd waiting below, questions and greetings coming at him from every direction. He pushed his way through, trying to make his way over to Tycho’s ship when a shockingly familiar face in the crowd threw him off. Wedge felt his heart skip a beat in response and he could feel the blood draining from his face and felt the chill of the mines against his skin and heard the now familiar though far away sound of Caleb’s dying screams. 

It sent a gross wave of nausea to his stomach and Wedge knew with an awful sort of certainty that he would be hearing those screams for probably the rest of his life as he found himself unexpectedly staring into Caleb’s face. Except it wasn’t Caleb.

It was Quinn. 

Caleb’s identical twin brother. 

“Captain Antilles,” Quinn greeted him with a bright, if distracted smile. The younger man craned his head to try and see over Wedge’s shoulder and through the crowd of people surrounding Cesi. “Where’s my brother? They didn’t announce his call sign when you entered atmo but I figured you would know where he… where….”

Quinn trailed off, looking back at him intently. Both he and Caleb were - or had been - very sharp people; the two of them had been successful small time thieves and very few things ever seemed to escape their notice. It was one of the things that made them both such great flyers. Quinn could tell from Wedge’s expression alone that something was wrong.

“Wedge…?” he asked, looking nervous now. “Where’s Caleb? Where’s my brother?”

I’m sorry. 

It was all that he had been able to say. The look of confusion that Quinn had given him had slowly given way to understanding when he realized what Wedge was saying. It would haunt him for a long time. 

Then he had been being pulled away, security insisting that High Command needed to speak to him immediately and there had been nothing he could do to protest. And if he were being honest with himself, he hadn’t wanted to stay a second longer. If High Command would let him, he would go and find Quinn later and apologize more professionally. But at that moment, he wasn't ready.

Wedge set his elbows on the table in front of him and buried his face in his hands at the thought of the painful memory. There was no amount of mentoring or training that could ever prepare a person for how heavy the burden of duty and responsibility actually was. He wasn’t a stranger to loss or grief but he was new to being the source behind it and it hurt in an entirely different way.

That was something that he never wanted to have to do ever again. He would rather get shot than have to watch that same look of realization and horror that had crossed Quinn’s face when he realized that his brother wasn’t ever coming back. Wedge only hoped that Quinn would be spared the details of what had happened to his brother. That he wouldn’t have to live with the knowledge that Caleb had been torn apart and eaten by a monster and that there had been nothing anyone could do to save him. No one should have to live with that in their head.

After being led out of the hangar bay, Wedge had immediately been taken to their Skyfighter Squadron Headquarters to report to his direct supervisor and give his official report on the still missing Rogues. It had been a short but tense meeting and the entirety of it could be summed up in fifteen words or less:

Zachary Harris: Killed in Action.

Caleb Cashbal: Killed in Action.

Luke Skywalker: Alive. Whereabouts unknown. 

He’d hesitated on Luke. The words hadn’t wanted to come out of his mouth and no matter what he said, Wedge had known that it was going to sound bad. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to call Luke a deserter - that wouldn’t have been fair since Luke only left because of their actions. But lying was also out of the question and in the end, all he could do was tell the truth and say that Luke had left them and gone with the Empire. 

The truth had put him in here. An interrogation room, isolated, and tired. He wasn’t certain what kind of panic was happening among the leaders of High Command but he imagined that it was a sight to see. 

Minutes ticked by and then before long, another half hour had passed in agonizing slowness. He was just contemplating the idea of trying to doze off for a little bit when the door finally opened and a beam of light briefly split across the floor before disappearing just as quickly once the door closed. 

Wedge sat up, lowering his hands into his lap and saw an older man that he’d never seen before step into the room. He was holding a datapad, a recording device, and was wearing a crisp, clean uniform. The expression on his face was cold and uninviting; Wedge knew and understood immediately that he wasn’t here to be anyone’s friend - least of all his.

The door clicked shut behind him and then he crossed the floor and sat down in the chair across from Wedge. There was a squeaking sound as he shifted closer to the table, staring at him with the same uninviting expression.

“Let’s get started, shall we?”

Wedge swallowed but nodded his head. “Lets,” he agreed.

The interrogator nodded and placed the recording device on the table and switched it on. The blinking green light on the top seemed to mock him somehow and Wedge wondered how many people were watching and listening from behind the two-way mirror.

“Start from the beginning.”

The interrogation went even longer than Wedge had expected it to. 

He had been ruthlessly pressed for every single detail of what had occurred. No question went unasked and he had been ordered to repeat the details of certain events more than once. Particularly the events surrounding the reveal of Luke’s parentage and everything that had happened after Vader’s appearance and the events at the Imperial Base. He related everything that he could remember until he thought his head would explode or his temper would finally get the better of him. 

It wasn’t as if it was that hard to understand. Unexpected, maybe - but it had been five hours, going on six now, since the start of all of this. He had said everything he could think of to say. Had explained how Zach and Caleb had died and the whereabouts of their ships and everything else in between. All Wedge wanted to know in return was how his people were doing and what was happening with them now - but any questions he tried to ask were completely ignored.

He’d known this would be a lot for anyone to take in - hearing that Luke Skywalker was Darth Vader’s kid was going to be a punch in the gut to anyone who heard it and believed in Luke as their symbol of hope. What Wedge hadn’t expected was for the interrogator to act as though he was lying about parts of the story. He had, perhaps naively, thought that his answering all the questions being presented to him would demonstrate his honesty about what had occurred. 

But there were points in the story that were clearly of some concern or suspicion for either the interrogator himself, or whoever was listening on the other side of the glass. The questions just kept coming.

“How did you escape the planet?” the interrogator demanded for the third time. 

“I already told you how we got off the planet,” Wedge groaned, frustrated and angry. “They let us go.”

“Why?” 

“Because Vader told them too!”

“Why would Darth Vader let members of the Rebellion walk free?” the interrogator demanded once again. “Surely, you see the problem I have with your ‘explanation’? It doesn’t make any sense.”

Wedge breathed out through his nose in an effort to stay calm. Keep it short and simple, he reminded himself fiercely. Only tell the truth. 

“Luke Skywalker asked him to let us go.”

“Luke Skywalker,” the interrogator had said Luke’s name with a hint of sarcasm ever since Wedge had told him the reason they had left Luke behind in the mines. The change in opinion about who his friend really was had started already and it made Wedge uneasy about everything that was still coming. “Vader’s son.”

“Yes. I don’t know how he did it but he must have arranged for our release from Imperial custody.”

The interrogator shook his head. “You said previously that Skywalker had only recently learned of this… relationship between him and Lord Vader. Isn’t that correct?”

“Yes. At Bespin. Vader told him the truth on Bespin. That’s all that I know. I’ve told you this already.”

“But he felt comfortable enough with Lord Vader to ask him for a favor. This is the same man that was reported to have cut off his hand, if I am not mistaken.”

Wedge pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know what to tell you,” he stressed. “But yes. All of that is true.”

The interrogator jotted something down on his datapad - there was a screen protector on it, so Wedge had no idea what it was that he was writing. Maybe he was keeping track of how many times Wedge repeated the exact same story. Or perhaps jotting down what he considered inconsistencies. Asshole.

“There is another option,” the interrogator said after a moment, looking back up at him. “Perhaps, given your Imperial background, you and Skywalker were working together undercover in the Rebellion, rising in the ranks of our top fighter squadron, and -”

“I am not a spy,” Wedge snapped at him before he could finish, slamming a hand down on the table. It made his palm sting fiercely but he didn’t care. This was a line that he would not allow anyone to cross. Not after all the shit he had gone through in order to come back. “The simple answer is this; Darth Vader let us go for no other reason than because Luke Skywalker asked him to. Neither I, Cesi Collins, or Tycho Celchu are spies for the Empire. You don’t have to like it but it’s still the truth.”

If the interrogator was startled by his outburst at all, it didn’t show. Instead, the man kept a calm, detached expression while Wedge glared daggers at him, both of them refusing to bend to the other.

“You have a remarkable disregard for the severity of what is happening here.” the interrogator finally said, tapping his fingers slightly on the table. Maybe it was just the way these guys were trained, but the way the interrogator was looking at Wedge made him feel as though he were dirt on the ground. 

Wedge felt his blood begin to boil. He had done nothing to warrant this kind of treatment. “You think I don’t know how big this is?” he hissed, pushing his chair back and standing up on his feet. “I lived it. I went to that planet and ran that damn mission for the sake of the Rebellion and I lost my best friend and watched two of my men die in the process. It wasn’t my fault the Empire was already there or that someone else sucked at their job when they scouted the planet! It wasn’t my fault Vader showed up or that Luke is his kid and it sure as hell wasn’t anything that I did that convinced the bastard to let us go in the end. Now I’ve told you what happened. More than once already and I’m not answering any more of your damn questions until I know how my men are doing.”

“Captain Antilles -”

“No,” Wedge snapped immediately. “I. Am. Done. So either let me leave or get the hell out.”

The interrogator was quiet, his expression switching to one of irritation for the first time. Silence stretched for a few long moments but whatever the man saw on Wedge’s face must have convinced him that he wasn’t going to win this fight. With all the dignity that he could muster, the interrogator quietly gathered his things and stood up, crossing the room and exiting through the door. 

Wedge watched as it closed behind him and heard the click of the deadbolt lock engaging. It took a few seconds of fuming before he could let out a slow breath. He ran another hand through his hair and began to pace again, frustrated and angry and cursing everyone that was responsible for putting him through this under his breath to all the nine hells. 

He knew this was big. He’d known there were going to be questions and that he was going to get his ass chewed out for what had happened. Wedge just hadn’t expected his stay with the Imperials to be the more pleasant and least frustrating experience. It hardly seemed fair.

It wasn’t very long before the door opened up once more. This time, it was a somewhat familiar face - one of the official aides that was usually following a member of High Command around, and a silver protocol droid standing behind him. Wedge didn’t know his name and right now, he didn’t care to ask and find out. 

“Is someone going to let me out of here?” he demanded. “Because if you’re all that fucking convinced that I’m a spy, you should just arrest me now and get it over with.”

“Captain Antilles,” the aide said placatingly, raising his hands. “I understand that this has been a long and frustrating process for you. I am here to inform you that you are being restricted to base and are hereby being relieved of active duty until further notice. Lieutenant Collins is in the infirmary and Private Celchu is being interrogated now. We ask that you avoid speaking to either of them for the time being. You will be notified when High Command is ready to speak to you. I suggest that you take the time between now and then to eat and get some rest.”

Relieved of duty. 

It felt like a punch in the gut. Who knew how long “further notice” would be? Even if he wasn’t being arrested or kept in a detention cell, it could very well signal the beginning of a court martial and the end of his career. He tried to breathe through the stress for a moment. He had had a good idea of what to expect when he got back. This exact scenario hadn't been outside the realm of possibility. He'd just have to deal with it.

“What about Tycho? When will he be done?” 

“They are wrapping up his interrogation now. That is all that I am allowed to say.”

Wedge nodded his head curtly. “I understand,” he said tightly. Then he pushed past the aide and made his way to the door, slamming it shut behind him.

He stopped by his quarters for a few minutes to shower and change into clean clothes. Once he was finished, Wedge briefly considered taking a nap but found that he wasn’t as tired as he had been last night upon arriving back home. Too much stress and adrenaline. Plus, there was more traffic in and out of the barracks than he was comfortable with at the moment and a lot of whispers and stares in his direction when people thought he wasn’t looking. 

It was beyond irritating. No one was really doing anything wrong but it was irritating. Wedge didn’t want anyone coming up and asking him any more questions about what had happened either. So, he grabbed a few things to keep himself occupied and then pointedly left to wander the base for a while. 

There was no particular place that he wanted to be - being idle just sounded awful. It left too much time for thinking and Wedge thought that if he had to relive anything that had happened at Cimiento one more time, he'd lose his mind. But, it turned out that being alone wasn’t much better. At least in the interrogation room, he’d had something to look forward to, even if it had sucked. Now there was just nothing. Going from pure survival mode to literally nothing wasn't an easy transition and Wedge honestly just felt lost. Aimless and more than a little useless. What he really wanted to do was check in on Tycho and Cesi and orders be damned, he'd intended to do that. But he'd met security as he'd rounded the corner to the infirmary and they were quick to tell him to leave, barring any entrance inside.

All he wanted was to make sure that his people were doing alright but he wasn’t even allowed to do that. Assholes.

After an ordinary mission, there would have been a few days of off-time before being given a new assignment. If the mission had gone the way that it was supposed to have gone, then right now, he would have been preparing for the new mission. He would have been doing flight checks on his ship and spending time with the squadron, swapping stories and boasting of new accomplishments or something else along those lines.

Now there was nothing except waiting around, drowning in his guilt and wondering just how fucked he was going to be at the end of this. Which wasn’t exactly productive but he wasn’t certain how to stop either. As the day progressed into the afternoon, he mostly found himself doing everything he could to avoid as many people as possible. Wedge had no doubt that if he dared to check his email, that there would be a mandatory order from his superiors to go get a psych eval at the first available opportunity. It was mandatory for everyone whenever there was a death involved on a mission. 

If the interrogation had been bad, Wedge was certain that a psych evaluation would be even worse. At the moment, he'd rather rebreak his ribs or get shot in the leg than sit through that.

At some point in his wanderings, he did spot some official looking people and heard whispers of his name in the air. As much as he wasn’t enjoying having nothing to do, Wedge wasn't interested in anything they wanted right now. He quickly ducked his head and slipped into the growing lunch crowd, hoping to avoid them.

Fortunately, the mess hall was busy and he doubted that anyone would chase him in here even if they had seen him enter, which he was certain that they hadn’t. Looking around, Wedge recognized a few of his friends - Wes, Derek, Hobbie, and a few others - all sitting at their usual spot in the mess hall. He hesitated for a moment, staring at them before looking away again. The last time he’d seen them, they’d been congratulating him on his first mission as team leader. Now, a quarter of their squadron was gone forever and it was all because of him.

Wedge got in line, wondering what they would think of him after all the details of the mission were released. He grabbed a food tray from off the line and didn’t even bother to check what it was. It didn’t matter. He wasn’t eating for pleasure. It was just fuel, at this point. He grabbed a cup of ice water and then looked around before ducking his head and meandering his way through the mess hall towards a secluded table sitting in the corner. 

It felt like people were parting the way for him as he walked. He didn’t dare look up and see if it were true. He only focused on getting to the table and sat down instead, placing his food tray in front of him. He wondered if this was what Luke would have felt like, had he stayed in the Rebellion. A spectacle to be judged and stared at. 

As bad as it felt right now, Wedge couldn’t shake the thought from his head that Luke would have had it a thousand times worse. The name Skywalker would have gone from being a symbol of hope to a symbol of fear. Who knew what type of shit he would have had to endure from people he had done so much to help? How many people in here would have turned on him - how many would have looked at Luke and saw Vader instead? It was sentient nature to react to something that wasn't easily understood with anger and distrust.

None of it would have been Luke’s fault but it would have been a heavy burden to bear and his alone. 

Wedge hated even thinking about it. He knew that Luke was a good man and he had done so much for all of them - he always seemed to put the safety of others before his own, no matter what the situation was. It wasn’t fair that this would have been his reality. Maybe… maybe going with Vader really had been the safer option in the end. 

Hard to say or know for sure. The Empire wasn't exactly a friendly place to be.

Wedge turned away from those thoughts, feeling depressed and sad. He ate and tasted nothing. 

After a few minutes, he sensed more than saw some movement coming in his direction from the corner of his eye and briefly looked up to see what it was.

It was Hobbie.

He came and sat down across from him. Wedge paused mid-bite, surprised that he had separated from a group of his friends to come sit with him. Or… or maybe he’d just drawn the short straw and was the one being sent to get more details out of him for the sake of gossip. That particular idea immediately set him on edge; he lowered his food (a sandwich, he realized) and stared at the other man for a long moment, waiting with an awful sort of resignation for the inevitable to happen.  

He didn’t know how much anyone else currently knew. The fact that Zach and Caleb were dead would have spread by now. No one who hadn’t been involved with the interrogation would know anything about Luke except for the fact that he wasn’t dead. Him going off on his own to do his Jedi stuff wasn’t uncommon - it was why he’d given up command of Rogue Squadron to begin with - but the circumstances being what they were… he should have returned this time. 

Anyone with half a brain cell would know that something was wrong. 

Fuck, being the man to throw Luke Skywalker out of the Rebellion wasn’t going to be fun.  

Hobbie didn’t say anything, barely even looked at him, and just took a big bite of his food, acting as though there wasn’t anything wrong at all. There were no words of judgment or any accusing stares. Hobbie wasn’t even asking questions. He was just eating his food and offering his company.  

Something tight and coiled inside Wedge loosened after a minute or so and he slowly took another tasteless bite of his sandwich, settling into the silence. It was only the clinking of their silverware between them and the distant murmurs of others eating their meals at different tables. Hobbie had been a good friend of his for a long time now. He was older by several years and had a reputation for being super quiet. His features were sharp and handsome, as far as men went, and some of the ladies in the Rebellion who found him especially attractive had nicknamed him “Stoneface”. 

Apparently, they were comparing him to marble statues depicting a perfect man or some other such nonsense. The other guys in the squadron, many of them dead now, had found it hilarious and the name had stuck. Wedge had always liked Hobbie immensely. 

It wasn’t long before their food was gone entirely. Wedge barely remembered eating most of it; it had been there and now it wasn’t. He didn’t feel any more or less hungry than he had earlier. It seemed like such an inconsequential thing to think about. He remembered that he had experienced the same disconnect from food when his mother and father had both died, respectively. It would come back, eventually. 

Hobbie stood up first, grabbing both their empty trays and taking them over to the trash and disposing of everything before coming back and tapping him on the shoulder. 

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” he said, tilting his head towards the exit.

Wedge paused, grimacing. “I’m kind of hiding right now,” he admitted quietly. 

“Psych eval?”

He nodded. 

“Bastards,” Hobbie tossed him his lieutenant cap. “This crowd won't last forever. Just keep that on and walk next to me. I’ll cover you.”

Wedge glanced around once more and then nodded. He was good with getting away from all the staring for a while and heaved himself to his feet, pulling the cap down low over his eyes. They crossed the mess hall together and Wedge felt acutely aware of everyone else watching him as he walked. It was probably the worst feeling he’d ever known.

Hobbie was good though, avoiding the larger crowds and groups of people like a true pro. Wedge only hesitated when it became obvious that they were going outside.

“I'm not allowed to leave the base.”

Hobbie rolled his eyes. “I know that. You’re not a prisoner though, Wedge. You can go outside for fresh air. And no offense, but you look like you need it.”

Not a prisoner. He felt something like a prisoner. He hadn’t been on the Rebellion’s bad side before and the last time he’d had to sit around and wait on pins and needles like this was when he had first defected from the Empire. 

Wedge pursed his lips. “Yeah, well… maybe not. But I’m still in some pretty deep shit, man.”

“Which is why a walk outside will be good for you. Come on,” Hobbie said firmly, pushing him towards the closest exit. “I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Wedge sighed, reluctantly allowing himself to be manhandled. “You know, I think I liked you better when you didn’t talk as much. You were a lot less bossy.” 

Hobbie only chuckled and then they were stepping outside into fresh air. The planet they were on was fairly lush and green and it had already cycled into summer, which meant that it was nice and warm outside. It wasn’t a main base like the one they’d had on Hoth. High Command had kept the fleet scattered since then, deciding that it was too risky to completely centralize like that again. Instead, they had been organized into cluster groups and would gather together only when necessary. This one was only referred to as the main base because the majority of High Command was assembled here. 

Immediately, there was a lot less staring than there had been inside. Mostly droids and some outside security doing their rounds. Some of the remaining tension he felt slowly began to ease up as they walked towards a garden type area not far from the flight landing pads. There was a walking path that followed the fence line and they gravitated towards it without words. The sound of the ships coming and going was a familiar one and it would be enough to keep prying ears from hearing anything they said unless they got particularly close.

“How much of this is just formalities?” 

Wedge looked up at Hobbie and then shrugged, kicking a rock with his shoe and watching it skip and roll aways. “It’s pretty damn serious.”

“You want to talk about anything?”

“Like what?”

Hobbie shrugged. “Whatever you want to talk about.” 

Was there anything he wanted to talk about? Not particularly. But at the same time, he recognized that there was also a clawing need building up in his chest to try and explain some of what had happened to a friend. Not necessarily to be questioned or interrogated like earlier but to… to have someone listen and maybe not judge or hate him for what he had to say. Someone who could just… offer some support, instead of looking for any sign or hint of betrayal or wrong-doing. 

Wedge huffed, having another unwanted realization that Luke had probably felt something similar at one point after Bespin. He could also understand exactly why Luke hadn’t dared say anything to anyone at all. Hindsight was a bitch.

“What do you know?” Wedge asked hesitantly. 

Another shrug. “Some. But nothing from the interrogations. Those haven’t been released yet. Probably won’t be for a few days, if they ever are. Cesi is in the infirmary. He hasn’t been questioned yet - High Command decided to wait while med staff tried to get his fever down. I went to see him with a few of the guys a few hours ago and he… said some stuff. Not a whole lot but… it was something. We got kicked out not long after.”

Wedge blinked. “Ah,” he said awkwardly. He hadn’t thought about that. Cesi had come out of surgery with the Imperials as well as he could have. There hadn’t been any complications and the antibiotics that they had been given were supposed to help stave off the post-op fever and infection. Just enough to get Cesi back home. Flying in his condition wasn’t exactly recommended but it was the situation they had found themselves in. Zach's astromech droid had been able to do the brunt of the flying while he rested in the cockpit, in any case. “How’s he doing? No one would let me check on him."

“He seems alright. Quiet, for the most part. Hard to tell if it’s because of his arm or because of Zach. Those two were really close.”

Wedge felt his mouth go dry. Shame and regret curled in his gut all over again. “Yeah… yeah, they were.” he agreed hoarsely. 

Hobbie paused, looking very apologetic. “Sorry. Bad topic.”

“I just don’t want to talk about Zach or Caleb right now.”

“I understand that. There’s no pressure.”

Wedge nodded and they continued walking along the dirt path that probably circled the air base. The silence was a little more solemn than it had been previously. Fifteen or twenty minutes had gone by and Wedge found himself talking about the mission without even realizing it - the building coming down around them and his snap decision to run for the mines for safety. 

“It was the only safe place to go,” Wedge said quietly, kicking another rock. “There wasn’t anything around us for two miles. I didn’t know that… that there was something inside.”

“How could you have?” Hobbie agreed. “Sounds like it was the right decision under the circumstances.”

“Yeah, but everything else went to hell right after.”

“I don’t see how any of that is your fault. Like you just said, you didn’t know there was anything inside the mines.”

Wedge tilted his head. Technically that was true but, “Luke knew.” And he should have listened from the get-go.

Hobbie paused. “Did he know or was it just one of his feelings?” he asked flatly.  

“It’s always a feeling with Luke.”

“You can’t run a mission based on someone’s feelings,” Hobbie continued, but managed to say it without it sounding like a lecture. “It doesn’t work like that. High Command would never accept that kind of excuse, even for him. Luke probably knew that too. You were sent out there to do a job and abandoning it wouldn’t have done you any favors.”

“But what if I was just trying to prove that I deserved a promotion -”

“Alright, shut up,” Hobbie said firmly, stopping for a moment and pointing a finger at him. “I’m going to stop that train of thought and I don’t want to hear it again. You did your damn job. Some people died and others didn’t - the blame for that doesn’t fall on you.”

“You can’t know that! You weren’t there and you don't know the decisions and mistakes that I made!”

“But I know the kind of person you are and I know that you would have done everything you could have possibly done. You did, didn’t you?”

Wedge hesitated. “Yes, but -”

“But nothing. If you did your best, then that’s what counts. Don’t crucify yourself - there’s going to be more than enough people willing to do that for you and you need to be able to defend what you did. Stand up for yourself. You really think there’s someone better than yourself that can take over this squadron and not royally fuck it up? You have more experience than any of us - hell, you're one of the best damn flyers that I've ever seen and you actually give a damn about the team, not just yourself. We need you and if you don't handle this the right way, then you're fucked and so are we." Hobbie shot at him ruthlessly. They both paused for a moment, letting a random person pass by them on the path. Once she was far enough away, Hobbie continued. "It might sound harsh man, but pull your head out of your ass. This is war and I'm not trying to sound insensitive but you don’t have time to sit around and be this damn miserable just because something didn’t go the way you wanted it to. Not when you still have a team to look after that needs you.”

Wedge stood still, his heart pounding at the end of the brutal rebuke. It felt like getting punched in the gut. Hobbie continued to glare at him, raising an eyebrow like he was daring Wedge to challenge him.

He couldn’t. 

We need you.  

All day he'd been feeling useless. It had felt like everything was over the second that he'd come back and all he could do was be resigned to what happened. Damn it, but Hobbie was right. He did have his head up his ass. Getting back home wasn’t the end of everything. Being relieved of active duty wasn’t the end of everything and losing Zach, Caleb, and even Luke wasn’t the end of everything either. He still had people under his command. He still had a job to do. He was still needed - and dear Force, he hadn't realized how badly he had needed to hear that.

The mission was over but his job was still to fight. 

Wedge slipped his hand into his pocket, feeling the recording pen that was still in his pocket with the very tip of his fingers. He might not be on the battlefield or in the skies for a little bit... but Luke was going to need people on his side. After everything that he'd done for them, Luke deserved to have people on his side. 

Convincing whoever would listen and saving Luke's reputation could be his fight now. 

“You're right,” Wedge said, pinching the bridge of his nose and then releasing a steady breath, trying to shrug the tension out of his shoulders. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He met Hobbie's eyes and gave him a curt nod. "I'm sorry."

“I don’t like people ragging on my friends,” Hobbie said firmly. “And I’m not interested in flying under anyone else’s command.”

Wedge nodded. "I understand."

“Good.” 

They began walking again and this time, Wedge took the next few minutes of silence to try and get his head straight. Hobbie was right - and things like this were what made him such a good friend. There wasn’t time for Wedge to sit around and be miserable. He needed to be thinking clearly. He wasn’t going to be able to do anything meaningful if he was a pathetic mess of emotions that no one would want to listen to or take seriously. 

They circled the flight path a twice in silence, both lost in their own thoughts for a while. Wedge felt some of his earlier exhaustion coming back but he also didn't mind so much. He was feeling more like himself than he had felt like in days and it was a nice change. He'd have to buy Hobbie a few drinks later as a thank you.

“I don’t want you to think that I have ulterior motives or anything for dragging you out here,” Hobbie said, once close to thirty minutes or so had gone by. The expression on his face was cautious and Wedge could tell that whatever was on his mind was something serious. “But can I ask you a question?”

Wedge felt his stomach clench uneasily. He was quiet, steeling himself and then he nodded once. 

“Cesi said something else when we were in the infirmary. I know he had a fever and probably wasn't himself but it was... big. It was about Luke and if it’s not true, then I want to put a stop to it before it gets too far. Otherwise, I wouldn’t ask. You know me. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“Go for it.”

Hobbie paused, looking around to ensure that they were alone. “Is… Force, it sounds stupid to even try to say out loud,” he ran a hand through his hair, sighing in frustration. “Is Luke… damn, is he actually Vader’s kid?” 

There it was. 

Wedge hesitated, staring at Hobbie for a long moment. Luke and Hobbie had been good friends - he wasn’t certain how that would hold up with Vader entering the picture but if he was going to convince anyone that Luke hadn’t betrayed them, he could try and start here. Wedge nodded his head again, the words of confirmation getting stuck in his throat. 

Hobbie’s eyes grew large. He turned around, scrubbing his jaw in with an expression of pure disbelief. He seemed too stunned for words. Wedge could tell that he hadn’t expected it to be true in the least and he could honestly say that he understood the feeling entirely. He waited, giving his friend what time he needed to process and wondering what would happen after. It was a little sad that he could only hope that Hobbie responded better to Luke’s parentage than he and the others had. Minutes ticked by while Hobbie paced a short distance back and forth. 

Finally, his friend turned back to him. “You’re serious about this?”

“I wish I wasn’t. But yeah… it’s true. Luke confirmed it himself.”

Another silence stretched between them before Hobbie blew out a slow breath, running his hand through his hair. “Wow,” he said quietly. His gray eyes stared at him for a long moment. “I, uh… take it that that didn’t go over very well?”

Wedge huffed, shaking his head. “No, it didn’t.”

"No offense but... what the hell happened on your mission?" 

He spent the next few minutes explaining the monster in the mines and how the information about Vader had all come about, as well as the split second decision that he had made to try and keep the group from falling apart. The decision that he had made, knowing it was the easiest way out but hoping it would keep Luke safe somehow. He kept waiting to see judgment on Hobbie’s face as he talked and to his relief, it never appeared. Stoneface was living up to his name for now.

“I never should have left him behind,” Wedge said quietly. “He hadn’t done anything wrong, man. I just… panicked. And in the end, despite everything we did and said… he still came back and saved us.”

They were both quiet and he took a few moments to pause and catch his breath. They had circled the flight path multiple times now and he was getting tired. The barracks weren't terribly far and Hobbie noticed him looking in that direction.

“Come on,” Hobbie said, tapping him on the shoulder. "I told Wes and Derek to clear it out for you. No one will bother you there and you look like you can use the rest. If you don't want to sleep, then we can have a few drinks instead. Force knows I need one right now." He began walking in the direction of the barracks and after a few seconds, Wedge followed after him, feeling touched by the gesture.

“You serious?”

“Absolutely.”

"Yeah. Just be prepared for some more questions. Trust me, I have a lot of them right now."

Wedge sighed in resignation. "Fair enough."

As promised, the barracks had been mostly empty. There was even a sign that had been posted on the door reading, 

The Captain of Rogue Squadron kindly requests that you all leave him the hell alone. 

Violators of said request will be punched in the face.

Wedge felt a smile on his face at the sight of it, shaking his head in reluctant amusement. He was willing to bet that Wes had been the one to put that up. He had a fiery personality and enjoyed nothing more than a good brawl. Wedge had lost count of how many times Wes had come back from leave with a broken nose and a black eye because he couldn't stop himself from hanging out in the fight clubs. His response to their exasperation was always something along the lines of, "You should see the other guy."

Hobbie locked the barracks door behind them as they entered and Wedge was greeted by the sight of two of his other squad mates - Derek and Wes - playing a rather intense game of Sabaac at the rec table, surrounded by snacks and a decent amount of alcohol.

"There they are!"

"Perfect timing - we can deal you guys into the next game. Derek just lost for the second time and Simon and Pepper had to bail a few minutes ago to report to their mandatory night shift. Sucks to be them right now."

"We all did our time on nights. It's a right of passage. And Sabaac is not my game and you know it." Derek groused, tossing his cards on the table. "Play me at pool and I'll win every time."

"Yeah, that's why we're playing this instead." Wes snatched the cards up and began shuffling the deck. He was good at it and took his time showing off his admittedly impressive skills while Hobbie grabbed two extra chairs so that they could sit down. 

"Thanks for keeping the room clear," Hobbie said, nodding his appreciation at the others. 

Wes smirked. "You know me, I'm always down to tell people to beat it. And for Wedge? It was my genuine pleasure."

Wedge rolled his eyes as Wes started dealing out the next hand. "I'm touched."

"As you should be."

It was silent for a minute or so as everyone took a moment to examine their cards and rearrange them the way that they liked. Wedge's cards weren't great but they weren't the worst either. He might even be able to make a few credits if he played them right. He'd known these guys long enough to know some of their more obvious tells. Derek didn't count because he really did suck at cards and his facial expressions gave him away every single time. There was a little more art and skill involved in playing with the others present though.

The first game went by and the only conversation to speak of was light chatter about nothing important. No mention of anything about Cimiento though Wedge could tell that Wes and Derek were both curious to know what had happened. The lack of conversation about any of it was blaringly obvious, even though it was appreciated. He needed to say something but he wasn't certain how to start. The game was an easy distraction - it took them a while and he lost in the end. 

He bit the inside of his cheek as Wes began shuffling the deck once more, trying not to be distracted by the fact that Hobbie was distracted. Usually he played better than this. Wedge knew he had questions and he was thinking... maybe he could start trying to preserve Luke's reputation among friends first. Snacks, cards, and alcohol - what better atmosphere than right here, with enough distractions to soften the blow? Maybe. Hopefully. 

Only one way to find out.

Wedge took an unsteady breath, trying to calm his nerves and then just began to talk. From start to finish, he explained what had happened. It was different than explaining it all to the interrogator. There was less pressure this time and his friends let him explain at his own pace, keeping silent and not asking questions. He couldn't make himself look anyone in the eyes when he told them about Luke; he wasn't certain that he was ready to see what their reactions would be. It was even harder to talk about Caleb. He downed a shot of Derek's Corellian whiskey after finishing that part of the story and then jumped straight into the rest, deciding to just be done with it as fast as he could. 

Luke and Vader showing up together. The fight with the monster. Zach's death. Luke agreeing to go with Vader and their plan to kill Palpatine. The Imperial Base. Cesi's arm and Wedge's plea for Luke to come back with them and then his refusal to do so. 

He had halfway expected to feel the same way he had after the interrogation - but this time, instead of feeling frustrated and angry at himself, he felt like there was a weight lifted off of him. It was a release instead of a punishment. The silence that follow was heavy and poignant but... it didn't bother him as much as he'd thought it might. He knew his plan going forward - to defend Luke, no matter what. And if there was pushback, then he'd deal with it. But it wasn't going to prevent him from doing what he needed to do. 

After a few minutes, Wes blew out a breath, dropping his cards on the table - the game had been abandoned not long after Wedge had started talking - and running a hand through his hair. After a moment, he stood up entirely, walking the length of the room and then turning around and coming back. "I'm not going to lie to you, Wedge... that's a lot to take in." he admitted. 

Wedge nodded. "I know,"

"Yeah, I don't really know how I feel about any of that," Derek added hesitantly. "I wasn't there, obviously... but if nothing else... I don't think Zach or Caleb were your fault."

Wes turned around from his pacing, pointing a finger at him. "I don't think that either," he assured quickly. "That was just... bad fucking luck. But it could have happened to anyone else."

"But the rest of it with Luke...." Derek shook his head in disbelief. "That's... a lot."

"I know," Wedge repeated. "Trust me, I know."

"I can't believe that Vader just let you guys go." Hobbie added in for the first time. He'd kept his questions to himself and Wedge wondered how many of them he'd answered while just talking. When he glanced at the clock on the wall, he saw that it had taken him a little over an hour to get it all out. 

"Trust me, you and I both." Wedge admitted. "I thought for certain we were dead men. That or prisoners in the best case scenario."

Wes came back to the table and sat down again, grabbing some whiskey and drinking straight from the bottle. "I'm starting another game," he said, stealing all their cards and reshuffling the deck. 

Wedge glanced at Hobbie and they both shrugged, deciding to roll with it. If they had questions, they could ask. But there was no yelling or even expressed anger. He'd take what he could get for now and just let it play out. They got about twenty minutes into it, none of them playing particularly well this time, before Derek spoke again. 

"You're certain that Luke didn't betray us?"

"I'm sure." Wedge said firmly, glancing up from his cards and meeting Derek's brown eyes. "I could see it on his face. And... and there was no reason for him to come back for us and risk his life going up against that creature if he'd always been Empire, you know? Besides... the way that they talked to each other... you could tell that they didn't know each other."

“And what did Luke think about that? You know, that they’re… family?” Wes added in, taking another sip of whiskey. His eyes were a little hard but he was listening for now. 

The echoes of Luke’s desperate pleas for understanding came to mind with a terrible sort of ease. Words from a conversation that Wedge didn’t think he could ever forget. 

He’s my father. I came from him. Everything that is good about me… some of it came from him. I know it did.

“Complicated.” Wedge finally said with a shrug. “I think... you know, without being a psychologist or anything... that Luke is trying to protect himself by trying to see something good in him.”

Wes snorted. "Yeah? And is there?"

Wedge paused for a moment. Was there anything good in Vader? A week ago, he'd have said hell no. But now... his thoughts going back to the fight and how Vader kept putting himself between Luke and that damn monster. "I don't know, man. I think he's a mean bastard that has done horrible things that he deserves to die for... but I also think he cares about Luke. I don't know if that really means anything in the end or not though." he shrugged, not sure how he felt about any of what he just said. It came way too close to feeling like he was defending the man. "Pass me that bottle. I need a drink."

Derek reached across the table and snatched the whiskey from Wes, handing it to him. "This hand sucks," he groused, looking at his cards with frustration. 

"Dude, even if you had a good hand to play, it would still suck." Hobbie threw at him, snatching a handful of peanuts from a dish and tossing them in his mouth. They ribbed each other for a few minutes, letting the tension ease up a little as they all tried to turn some of their attention back to their game. 

“So what was it like?” Wes finally asked, leaning towards him from across the table. Some of that hardness was still in his eyes but he seemed curious as well.

“What was what like?” 

“Come on, Wedge,” Wes said pointedly. “Vader. Fighting with him.”

Oh.

Wedge shrugged, thinking back to the mines. He’d only covered Vader to give the bastard a chance to try and save Luke. If he was being honest, it was Tycho who did the brunt of the work in that regard. He doubted that Tycho would be willing to talk about any of that though.

“I didn’t… it wasn’t really fighting with him. I just covered him for a few minutes. He and Luke did everything else.”

Wes made a mocking face, repeating his words with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “Dude, shut up. You covered Darth Vader in a fight. How many people can say that?"

"I just did it to try and save Luke," Wedge admitted.

"Still. Covering the Empire's Supreme Commander in a fight." Wes offered him a reluctant smile. "That makes you a damn legend in my book.”

It wasn't so much of an olive branch as it was Wes doing his best to make peace with everything that he'd heard. It was his way of saying that he didn't blame Wedge for what had happened and that he was glad that he was okay at the end of it all. 

“Short book,” Wedge said, giving his friend a half smile. “The guy is scary as fuck though,” he added after a moment. “I’m pretty certain he wanted to kill me at one point.”

“Yeah? What did you do?” Derek asked, patting him firmly on the back in support before throwing a few credits on the table. “Look at him the wrong way?” 

“No, I asked him a question.”

Wes snorted, choking on a laugh for the first time. “The audacity, man. What the hell were you thinking?” 

“Clearly I wasn’t.” 

“Bet.” Hobbie said, tossing a credit chip into the pile before shaking his head in amazement. “Damn, what a prick. How does Vader lead anyone if he's that uptight? I can't believe he’s actually Luke’s father. Those two literally couldn’t be any more different.”

Wedge stared at his cards for a moment before playing his next turn mostly on autopilot. “Trust me, once you see it, you can’t unsee it.”

The room and the atmosphere grew a little more solemn. Everyone's reactions were a hell of a lot better than they could have been and he was grateful that they had heard him out. It would probably take some time for them to sort out their more complicated thoughts but... they were sticking by him and that meant a lot to him.

He paused, putting his cards down on the table and lookin around at the others. They watched him, waiting for him to speak.

“Listen, I - I know that it might be a lot for me to ask… but I really need you guys to believe me when I tell you that Luke is still on our side. No matter what happens or what other people say about him when this all comes out… I just need you guys to know that he’s one of us. He saved my life and I'm going to stand by him, no matter what. I won't think any less of you if won't or can't... but I really hope you'll all help me with this."

It was quiet.

No one seemed to have anything to say and if he was being honest, Wedge was tired and ready to get some sleep. He tossed the rest of his credits into the pot and stood up. "I'm out. I'm going to sleep. But thank you for hearing me out. I appreciate all of you more than you'll ever know." He nodded his head to them and then turned, making towards his bunk but not getting very far before Hobbie called his name. 

Wedge turned, feeling his heart pound a little in his chest.

"We've all been through a lot of shit together and our team motto has always been to stick together," Hobbie said simply. "Luke has never done me wrong before and if you say that he's still one of us, then that's good enough for me. I'll follow you to the end of the galaxy."

Wedge swallowed thickly, touched and relieved more than he could say. Wes and Derek both glanced at each other and then nodded silently at Wedge. 

"We stick together," Derek agreed. 

"Through all the levels of hell and some very unexpected family revelations." Wes added, lifting his bottle of whiskey and tilting it in Wedge's direction. "I don't understand all of it... but I agree with Stoney. If you say Luke is one of us, then I believe you. And I'll fight anyone that says otherwise."

Wedge huffed a laugh at that. "Thank you," he said hoarsely. "Really. Thank you."

"Now go get some sleep, Captain." Hobbie said with a nod. "We'll hold down the fort for you."

They did and while it wouldn't be true for every night moving forwards, Wedge went to sleep and his nightmares didn't follow him.

Wedge received his official summons the next morning to appear before a private inquest that would be taking place in a week's time. The next five days passed by slowly, with the only noteworthy thing to happen being his psych eval, which he passed, an two other additional interrogations in order to go over certain aspects of his previous statement, as well as the news that Cesi had been released from the infirmary. Everything else was quiet, both at the base and in the galaxy as a whole. Knowing what he knew now, he felt that it would be safe to assume that no news was probably good news. 

On Telona 12th, Wedge was woken up before dawn and escorted to the meeting by two security officers. When the door to the conference room opened, he stepped inside and saw that both Tycho and Cesi were already seated and waiting. It was the first time that he had seen either of them since they’d come back and he couldn't stop himself from taking in the sight of them, needing the visual confirmation that all was well. To his utter relief, they looked alright. Healthy, though Cesi seemed more tired and haggard than Tycho did. The left sleeve of his shirt had been rolled up and pinned closed and hung limply at the shoulder. Wedge wondered if there was any chance that the Rebellion would be able to get him a prosthetic as a replacement. The quality wasn't always great, but they were usually able to make accommodations like that if people wanted it. 

He wondered if Cesi would blame him for the loss of it and then hesitantly decided that it didn't matter. Cesi could hit him or curse him out for it if he needed to. That was okay - Wedge could take it but considering the circumstances and how quickly the creature's venom had killed Zach... he also felt more sure that having the Imperials take it off was the right choice. He only hoped that Cesi would forgive him for it in the end.

Wedge stepped forward as an aide gestured him towards a chair beside Tycho. He sat down, nodding at his friend and received a half smile and a nod in return.

The entire council was present in the conference room, as well as a good number of aides and security members. Around the table, Wedge recognized Mon Mothma, General Ackbar, Leia Organa, General Cracken, General Ria, and Admiral Ho’ror’te, among many others. It seemed like everyone of importance was here. The atmosphere itself was solemn and there was no mistaking how serious this meeting was being taken by everyone present. 

Wedge tucked his hands in his lap, flexing his fingers slightly in anticipation. He was nervous as hell and had no idea of what to expect. High Command was whispering among themselves as the rest of the people arrived, and Leia Organa especially seemed to be glaring daggers at him from across the room. There was enough anger in her eyes to light everything on fire. Wedge ducked his head and tried not to make eye contact with her. 

Finally, the doors behind them closed for the final time and Mon Mothma waited for everyone to finish taking their seats before standing up and addressing the room.

“Thank you all for your attendance today," she said calmly. "There are many things which we will be addressing that are of a serious nature. However, before we move into those subjects, I wish to take moment to remember those who are no longer with us. Many of you doubtlessly are aware of the loss of two of our own in Rogue Squadron's mission to Cimiento Imperial Industries. Zachary Harris and Caleb Cashbal. They were brilliant pilots and valued members of the Rebellion. They supported our cause for a free galaxy and ultimately, they gave their lives for it. I ask for a minute of silence as we honor their sacrifice and mourn their loss."

Wedge ducked his head, blinking rapidly as tears pricked at his eyes. The next minute went by in complete silence. 

"Thank you," Mon Mothma said, clearing her throat once the minute had passed. "Now, I wish to address Wedge Antilles, Tycho Celchu, and Cesi Collins."

All three of them glanced at each other for a brief moment and Wedge saw the same trepidation that he felt reflecting in their eyes.

"We are grateful for your safe return to the Rebellion and appreciate your patience this past week while we have reviewed your reports about the events that happened. I understand that this has been a stressful situation for all of you and that at times you may have felt that you were treated unfairly. The actions that we took following your return were done in the best interests of the Rebellion." Mon Mothma said simply. It wasn't an apology and Wedge knew not to expect one either. They did what they thought was right and it didn't really matter if any of them liked it or not. "Be assured, that everyone present in this room has either read your reports or been debriefed as to the content of the audio recordings of your individual questionings following your return. After careful evaluation of the events and the statements given from all three of you in regards to the mission to Cimiento Imperial Industries and your surprising return... we have collectively come to the agreement that you three are not spies for the Empire.”

Well, that was something, Wedge thought to himself sarcastically. Glad that that was out of the way. 

"Do you any of you have any questions for us before we move forward with our main item of business?"

Wedge glanced at Tycho again and after a moment, he slowly stood up. 

"Thank you," he said, nodding his head to High Command. "I think that I can speak for all three of us when I say that we are relieved to be back. I know that there are important things to discuss but I wanted to ask if the family members of the deceased had been reached and... if anything further is expected of me in that area."

Mon Mothma nodded thoughtfully, looking down for a moment and clearing her throat once more. "The death notifications to the families were given. Your superior, Master Sergeant Reki made the notifications in your place while you were indisposed and resources were offered to Mr. Cashbal's brother. Nothing further is expected from you at this time."

Wedge nodded, swallowing. "Thank you, ma'am." 

He sat back down and neither Tycho or Cesi seemed to have anything to say. 

"If that is all, then we will continue into our main agenda. For security reasons, some of the information regarding the mission has been withheld from some of you while decisions were being finalized about how we will proceed moving forward. Now that we in High Command have come to a collective agreement, it is imperative that we all be on the same page with each other and united moving forwards. It is my regret to inform you all of some of the information which came out during the course of the Cimiento mission regarding Luke Skywalker," there were some huffs and sour expressions at the mention of Luke which seemed painfully obvious to Wedge. It both made him angry and made his heart pound in anticipation. Mon Mothma paused for a moment, before seeming to meet the eyes of every single person in the room and boldly continuing. "It was revealed, through the voice mimicry abilities of the Cimiento monster that Luke Skywalker is in fact the biological son of Darth Vader... who was once known as Anakin Skywalker."

There were murmurs and gasps of surprise from more than half the people present. The energy in the room changed as people began to speak all at once, asking questions and talking over one another until it was difficult to separate one voice from another. 

"- what the actual hell?" 

"Who else knows -"

"Where is Skywalker now?"

Tycho leaned towards him for the first time. "And here we go," he whispered softly. Wedge offered him a strained half-smile in response. This was not going to be fun at all.

Mon Mothma raised her hands, immediately trying to placate the room. "Please, quiet down. There will be time for questions and clarification. We understand that this development is shocking and upsetting to hear for everyone involved."

"I thought that Anakin Skywalker was dead!" someone argued loudly. 

"Are we in danger here?" 

"Where is Skywalker?"

"Enough!" Mon Mothma raised her voice for the first time and the room fell silent in response. She always presented herself as a serene figure - a lady through and through but it was moments like this where she reminded them all that she was a leader in the Rebellion for a reason. She was fierce and passionate and smarter than probably more than half the people in the galaxy and she was a woman that could command respect. 

She let the silence hold the room for a few more seconds before speaking again. "Thank you. I know that this is shocking and concerning for everyone," she repeated. "But we are not here to panic or to start a panic. Your questions will be answered momentarily." Mon Mothma paused, waiting to see if there would be further argument and then continued, “We have decided, based on the statements that were given by the three survivors, that Luke Skywalker will be stripped of his ranking in the Rebellion and given the official status of deserter. It is my regret to inform you all that he has abandoned the Rebellion and joined forces with Lord Vader and the Empire.”

Wedge stood up straight, knocking his chair backwards, startled and outraged. “That is NOT true!” he shouted though his voice was lost in the sudden renewed commotion and dozens of others shouting their shock and anger. 

Mon Mothma grabbed a mallet and slammed it on the table to quiet the room once again. It was harder this time and took longer before she could regain control. 

“Following official protocol for all deserters, there will be a warrant going out for his arrest. Should we cross paths with him again, he will stand and face trial and when we reclaim our Republic, he will answer for his Imperial allegiance the same as any other individual who resists or stands against us. Moving forwards, any active member of the Rebellion who engages in correspondence with him will be regarded as traitors and spies for the Empire and punished accordingly -” 

“This is bullshit!” Tycho shouted furiously. 

"Mr. Celchu, if you cannot keep a civil tone, then you will be asked to leave."

"But you're telling everyone a lie! You say that Luke betrayed the Rebellion and he didn't!" Wedge insisted angrily.

“By your own account, Wedge Antilles, that is what happened.” General Cracken spoke for the first time. His eyes were hard and seemed to be warning him to sit the hell down and shut up. Wedge remembered him being one of the ones to scowl at the earlier mention of Luke. 

“I said that he went with Lord Vader but I also made myself clear when I said that Luke did not betray anyone!” Wedge shot back at him. 

General Cracken stood up. “I cannot see how you can possibly believe that," he said, pointing a finger at him. "Luke Skywalker chose to join the Empire of his own free will and choice. That makes him a traitor to our cause and the fact that he chose not to disclose his relationship to Lord Vader to any of us is indicative to me of his own questionable loyalties.”

Did these people even listen to what he had said in his interrogations? Where in the nine hells were they getting this bullshit from? Wedge had gone out of his way to be absolutely clear about what he knew about the timing of Luke’s knowledge of his parentage and his own role in Luke’s decision to leave. It seemed perfectly obvious to him why Luke wouldn't have said anything at all. 

“Questionable loyalties? He saved us from that monster and got us out of the mines alive! He arranged for our release from the Imperials and got us back home and you -"

"We have heard your statements already," Mon Mothma interrupted. "This conference was assembled to discuss the official status of Luke Skywalker and ensure that everyone in leadership is on the same page moving forward as we deal with the fallout."

They were doing this on purpose, Wedge realized abruptly. Changing the narrative to fit the story that they wanted. Controlling the situation as best as they could but screwing Luke over and lying to everyone else in order to do it. Well, if they had thought that Wedge would just play along, they were dead wrong. 

"But the story you're telling everyone is wrong," Wedge insisted furiously. "I didn't endure over ten hours of interrogation and tell you the same story over and over again about what happened just for you to lie about my friend because you're panicking and scared."

This was not going the way that High Command had expected it to. Wedge could see it in their eyes and they were not happy with him. Good. He wasn't happy with them either.

"You said you wanted me to tell you what happened, then let me do so!”

"Security, please escort Wedge Antilles out of the room."

Wedge felt his chest heaving as two officers began to approach him. To his surprise though, General Ackbar stood up from where he was sitting before they had crossed the distance, clearing his throat.

"I would like to hear what Captain Antilles has to say," he said quietly, his bulbous eyes glancing at Wedge for a long moment. "This is not a small matter that we are dealing with and I think we who serve the Rebellion have a right to know about everything that occurred as it happened. If we say that we promote democracy but are not fair to our own people, then we are no better than the Empire we are fighting against."

"I am in perfect agreement with General Ackbar," Princess Leia added in for the first time. Her expression was calm but the fire from earlier hadn't left her eyes. "There is time for questions and clarification," she said, pointedly repeating Mon Mothma's earlier words. "Let us hear what happened from our primary sources. That way, we can all be on the same page."

Judging by the whispers of people agreeing with her, everyone else wanted to know what was being kept from them as well. 

Mon Mothma and others from High Command glanced at each other but they had been beaten and Wedge could tell from their expressions that they knew it. With a sigh, Mon Mothma waved her hand, gesturing for security to leave Wedge alone and go back to their places. Wedge waited for a moment before slowly sitting back down. Tycho patted him once on the back and Wedge took a moment to appreciate the support. 

“It’s true then? Skywalker joined forces with Lord Vader?” someone asked quietly.

Wedge glanced around but didn't see who had asked. Instead, he directed his attention back to High Command and nodded his confirmation. “Yes, it is. And forgive me for speaking boldly... but some of you knew, didn't you?”

Mon Mothma paused, staring at him oddly. Wedge could only assume that she hadn’t expected him to ask that.

From her seated position, Princess Leia sat up straighter, her sharp eyes glancing between the high ranking members of High Command quickly. “Know what? What did you know?”

Wedge spoke before anyone else could. “That Luke was Vader’s son. That Darth Vader is actually Anakin Skywalker. Some of you knew that, even before we told you," Looks of genuine surprise appeared on a few faces. Not at the accusation itself... but more confusion that he could have possibly known something like that. It was enough for Wedge to realize that Luke had been right along. They had been keeping secrets. "Luke told me that he thought some of you might have known. It was one of the reasons he chose not to come back in the end."

Princess Leia's expression tightened even further as her eyes turned to Mon Mothma, waiting for an answer. The whole room seemed to wait with baited breath and then...

“Yes,” Mon Mothma finally admitted, her eyes flickering briefly to Leia. “And we were afraid that something like this might happen. Which is why we chose not to say anything."

"Unbelievable," Tycho muttered under his breath.

"It was in our best interests that he not know the truth. We needed him." General Ria added simply. 

"Then this entire situation was completely avoidable," Princess Leia interrupted before General Ria could continue. "Luke had a right to know the truth instead of being blindsided by it on Bespin."

"It no longer matters. Skywalker is lost to us." General Cracken said dismissively. "Our trust in him was misplaced. In the end, he still sided with our enemy against us." 

There were murmurs of agreement from other people around the room. 

"But he didn't join the Empire," Wedge insisted again, feeling frustrated. "And he didn't betray any of us. If anything, we betrayed him." 

General Cracken rolled his eyes. "You keep making this distinction, Antilles, as if it means something. That Skywalker joined Vader but not the Empire. They are the same thing! We all know it. Skywalker could have come back. He could have argued his case here and proven his loyalty. If he had really cared about the Rebellion, he could have stayed and fought with us and he didn't. Instead, he let himself be swayed by a blood relationship that means nothing in the end. This war is bigger than family. And I don't know about anyone else but I'm not interested in fighting with someone who is weak-minded enough to think he can see something good in a mass murderer who blew up a planet."

There was more people nodding and whispering in further agreement.

This was not going the way that it was supposed to. Luke’s credibility was disappearing by the second and if he didn’t act fast, it would be too far gone for him to try and recover. Wedge fingered the recording pen that he’d kept in his pocket and hesitated for a moment. He had debated back and forth with himself about whether or not to reveal that he even had it since coming back. It was the only thing that he hadn’t disclosed in any of his reports.

It was good information. Important information.

He didn’t really have any right to keep it from the Rebellion at all, considering the stakes that were involved. All that had kept him from giving it up was that it was a private conversation and it had felt a lot like betraying Luke all over again. He had already done enough damage to his friend - stealing this from Luke when he knew that it had never been intended to be shared with anyone else had seemed like a step too far. 

But the hatred against Vader was strong. It was enough to beat any rational argument made in Luke's defense. This was the last card that he had to play - proof from Luke and Vader’s own mouths - and he could only hope and pray that it would work. 

Wedge ignored the conversation that had started up in his silence and fished the inky black pen out of his pocket, weighing it in his hand for a long moment. Then, he tossed it on the table and the room fell quiet once more as everyone's eyes turned to it.

“Why don’t you listen to that before you all pass your final judgment,” Wedge said tightly. He pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. "But know this. You're wrong about Luke. He's not the weak-minded bastard that you're trying to make him out to be. He's one of the very best people I know and I'll stand by him no matter what." he cleared his throat and then scrubbed his jaw. "Let me know when you're done and then maybe we can continue then."

Then he turned, stepping out into the hall and closing one of the main double doors softly behind him. He didn’t go very far though; he found a chair to sit in and sat down to wait. 

Silence reigned in the wake of Wedge Antilles’ departure. 

The black pen was left sitting on the table where he'd left it and Cesi had a good feeling that he knew what was on it. It was smart; that Wedge even had it in the first place and that he chose to reveal here, when everyone was present to hear what was on it before it could be potentially altered. High Command had clearly been trying to control what information they gave away, in spite of what they had been saying. They'd been effectively called out on their gatekeeping of information and clearly weren't happy with it. But the situation being what it was and what could happen to the Rebellion in the aftermath of all this was going to keep most of the opinions in this room on their side. 

Hatred for Vader was a powerful motivator, even when it came to turning on someone that people had previously trusted. 

Cesi had had a good idea of what was going to happen going into this meeting. He had his own contacts to get him information when he needed it; and he had known beforehand that the only one fighting for Skywalker’s reputation in High Command was Princess Leia Organa. She had been involved with everything from the very start and to everyone's surprise, had remained actively engaged in defending Skywalker’s actions. The rest, whether they honestly and truly believed Skywalker to be a traitor or not, were prepared and willing to cast him aside for the sake of the Rebellion's reputation. They needed to be in control of the narrative - they wanted to keep what support they had from their sponsors and if throwing Skywalker to the wolves was the way to do it, then that's what they were planning to do. 

A few other officials had tried to have Organa tactically disinvited from the proceedings in order to avoid this exact situation but they had been unsuccessful. She ranked too high, in Cesi’s personal opinion, for that to have ever worked. Though he didn't know her at all, he had a lot of respect for her. She was a powerful storm of emotions and had no issue with making her displeasure with everyone involved with this known. In the end, she had argued that if they were fighting for a democracy, then any proceedings taking place in the Rebellion would be treated democratically. Luke wasn’t present but if he was to be judged, then he had a right to represented. Someone needed to be there to argue his side. 

Her opinion was never going to be enough. Neither was Wedge's. Tycho's, or even Cesi's own. He had kept quiet, mostly interested in observing the other reactions in the room and figuring out where there might be room to influence opinions later but not finding a lot that seemed encouraging. General Ackbar had been a surprise and it was obvious, though the Mon Calamarian hadn't spoken much at all, that he wasn't pleased with the proceedings or how High Command was choosing to go about this. 

An aide approached the table and picked up the pen, turning it over and seeming to realize that it was a recording device and then saying so out loud.

Surprise appeared on Mon Mothma's face and she glanced at both Tycho and Cesi. 

"Did either of you have knowledge of this?" 

"No, ma'am." Cesi said quietly and beside him, Tycho shook his head as well.

High Command glanced between each other for a moment, obviously thrown off by this development. They had no way to know what was on the recorder and they weren't sure what to think. 

Princess Leia stood up before any of them could say anything. "Threepio, if you would be so kind as to play what's on that pen for us," she spoke politely to a gold protocol droid standing to the side of her. "I think we would all like to hear it."

"Yes, of course, Princess." the droid said quickly, walking forward with a funny sort of shuffling walk. "And I do so hope that this helps Master Luke. No one has asked for my opinion - I am just a droid, after all and it seems to be our lot in life to be ignored, but Master Luke would never join the Empire without telling me first." The droid shook its head in a fretful sort of way and then going on to say without any prompting whatsoever that he hoped Master Luke was getting enough sleep because he hadn't been sleeping well for weeks now and if this business about Lord Vader was true than it was no wonder at all. Honestly.

Cesi was getting a headache just listening to the damn thing and it had been less than a minute. What kind of person would program a droid to be this annoying? And why? If Zach was here... Cesi paused and then quickly turned away from any thoughts of his friend. No need to go down that road right now. It was a relief when the aide plugged the small connector point into one of the droids' power ports for download. The droid fell silent immediately, its eyes changing from yellow to blue for a few seconds. 

"Whenever you're ready, Threepio." Princess Leia invited. 

There was a long pause and then a staticky shuffling sound came from the droid as the recording began. For the next minute or so, it was nothing except the sound of Darth Vader's respirator and the occasional sound of Tycho coughing hoarsely.

"Droid, skip past any long pauses." General Cracken said. His tone wasn't as rude as it was earlier - he was curious. 

"Yes, sir."

"It feels better."

"Well done. You learn quickly."

Cesi leaned forward, forgetting for a moment that he only had one arm and tilting slightly to the side before he righted himself. Though he'd been there in person, he felt as though he were hearing most of this for the first time. Down in the mines, he had lost so much blood and his grief for Zach had come before anything else. Now, with a clear head, he found that he could appreciate the significance of everything that had been said down there. 

There was so much that he hadn't even realized he'd heard. 

He really had pegged Skywalker completely wrong. His secret had been a dangerous one, yes… but there was no proof anywhere that Skywalker had ever been a traitor or a spy for the Empire. Even now, listening back to the conversation he’d had with Vader… his loyalty to the Rebellion didn’t seem to be in question at all. His verbiage alone very clearly suggested that there was a division of ownership between the two of them. The Empire was referred to as Vader's. The Rebellion and the events surrounding it were claimed by Skywalker. There were no slip-ups or corrections; it was perfectly obvious that their political affiliations simply did not align.

Even more interesting was the fact that Vader tolerated Skywalker’s questions at all. There were a lot of them - mostly probing questions, as Skywalker seemed to be trying to work something out about Vader in his head. 

It wasn't a hard leap to make in assuming that Skywalker had wanted to know what kind of person his father actually was. Trying to figure out if he was indeed a monster or if there was more to him than that. Considering that Skywalker joined him in the end, he must have found enough to convince himself that it was true. Or maybe he was just an idiot idealist doing something incredibly stupid that he thought was the right thing. 

The thought would have made him sneer a week or so ago - now, he didn't feel like he had a lot of room to judge if that was indeed the case. Afterall, he was alive because Skywalker had gone out of his way to do what he thought was the right thing.  

Cesi remembered the bit about Vader disapproving of the Death Star and that he was proud of the fact that Skywalker had destroyed it but not necessarily the part where he had admitted the Empire had failed. There were new whispers that started up at that part but they were quickly shushed in favor of listening to the rest of the conversation. There was clearly some conversations that they had missed out on entirely - likely before they had ever crossed paths with each other in the mines. Things about the Emperor and slavery and a future or date that Skywalker was trying to avoid. He wondered what had been said but then figured he could guess well enough what the conversation had been about when Vader asked Skywalker to join him and his hesitancy to do so.

"Everyone has lied to me... about everything. And all I can think is that they're afraid I'll turn out like you."

“They are wrong to think that. You won’t turn out like me. You are better than I am. And whatever you do moving forwards, you will be better than I was too.”

“You really believe that?”

“I do.”

It was a strange feeling… to listen to a man known as a monster to the near whole of the galaxy and to think that it wasn’t fair that he was somehow a better father than his own had been. His old man had never said anything half as kind as that. Cesi had been told his entire life that he would amount to nothing in the end and he had become the person he was now to try and prove the bastard wrong. Anyone who didn’t have their head up their ass could tell, just by listening, that Vader gave a damn about Skywalker. 

That was important. 

Probably even more important than what High Command could comprehend right now, panicking the way that they were. It bothered Cesi a lot that there he'd been, thinking that he was ahead of the leaders of the Rebellion and being a hero when it came to suspecting Luke Skywalker and it turned out in the end that they had already known who he was all along. They could have saved themselves a hell of a lot of trouble if they'd just been honest from the start. The events in the mine would have played out much differently if that had been the case. Cesi would have still had his suspicions about Skywalker... but he also probably wouldn't have gone so far out of his way to crucify him the way he had either. Hindsight was a bitch that way. 

Even so, Cesi understood the politics of war. He knew that what was at stake was bigger than any one person was. The Rebellion couldn't actually make all their decisions revolve around Skywalker and they likely had done what they thought was in everyone's best interests. He understood their point of view. 

But... he also remembered that awful, awful feeling of falling into darkness… of knowing with certainty that he was going to die and then stopping abruptly, dangling over what would have been his death. 

Skywalker had saved him.

I got you - I won’t let you fall, just hang on!

And then again, later, when the creature had charged them and Skywalker had stood his ground, prepared to protect both Cesi and Wedge no matter the cost to himself. 

Stay behind me.

Even among soldiers, there weren’t a lot of people who could demonstrate that type of character and courage.

The Rebellion could sue him if he had decided that maybe Skywalker had deserved better from all of them in the end. 

After all that had been said and done to him, there was no reason for Skywalker to have put himself in harm's way and risk his life for people who had tossed him aside without a second thought. But he appreciated it… and if there was one good thing his old man had done for him, it was impressing upon Cesi the idea that you always repaid a debt that was owed. It didn’t matter for who or what for. Debts were meant to be paid - and if you couldn’t do that, then even on your best day, you weren’t worth anything. 

He wasn’t certain if he would ever see Skywalker again or what would happen in the future. But he had a strange feeling that, at least in this one instance… Darth Vader was right. Skywalker was the better man and there was a good chance he would remain so. 

The audio recording continued, taking them out of the mines and into the events that he had little to no recollection of. He further admired Wedge’s bravery and his determination to see everyone to safety. There were other bits of conversation that were difficult for them to hear because of increasing noise and distance; the droid enhanced what it could but all in all, the important takeaways were painfully simple in the end.

Skywalker was important to Vader. 

Vader was planning to kill Palpatine. 

...and Skywalker hadn't betrayed anyone. 

His decision about how to proceed moving forward only solidified as it all finally came to an end. Come what may, Cesi would repay the debt that he owed.

“Captain Antilles,”

Wedge stirred and looked up at the sound of his name. One of the security officers that had been stationed inside the conference room had appeared. Wedge glanced down for a moment to look at his watch and saw that almost two standard hours had passed while he’d been lost in thought. It would have been long enough for them to have listened to the bulk of the conversation. Wedge wasn’t entirely certain where it had left off… but that seemed about right.

“Yes?”

“Your presence is being requested once more.”

“Alright,” he stood up, taking a moment to straighten his uniform and smooth out any wrinkles. Then he squared his shoulders and reentered the room.

It was quiet again when he entered the room this time around. Just a few hushed whispers and the feeling of the air stirring with anticipation. Every eye was on him but Wedge couldn't help but think that there was less anger now. The room felt... contemplative. Regardless, Wedge was ready to fight and argue Luke's case for as long as they would let him and damn the consequences.

Mon Mothma stood up as Wedge sat down in his seat once more, nodding slightly to him. She was silent, taking a few moments to gather her thoughts. 

“These conversations are certainly enlightening,” she finally said. “And we are grateful for your quick thinking, Captain Antilles. Was this all that there was?"

Wedge huffed. They were back to using titles now, apparently. Go figure. 

“It was all that I was privy to. If they spoke to each other again after we returned to Opportunity Base, then it wasn’t where I could hear. As I told you before, I spoke to Luke once before he left but the battery in the pen had probably died by then. I… I tried to tell him to come back with us but he refused.”

She nodded once more. "I understand. Thank you, this was more than enough. Does anyone else have any thoughts or concerns before we continue?"

Princess Leia cleared her throat. "Judging by your question, can we assume that the Council's thoughts and feelings on Commander Skywalker have changed from earlier? Will we be proceeding forward differently now?"

For the first time, Mon Mothma looked tired. "There is room for discussion," she admitted with a sigh. 

"Is there though?" General Cracken cut in before anyone else could say something. "Yes, the conversation and implications of it are interesting, I'll admit. But the fact remains the same - we don't have Skywalker."

"But we can continue to treat him as our ally," Princess Leia defended. "Not a traitor or a deserter. I think the conversation we just listened to make it perfectly clear that he is neither of those things."

Admiral Ho’ror’te sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "For now," he said simply. "We don't know if that will last."

"Exactly!" General Ria said. "If he’s with Lord Vader now, then our alliance with him is history. We can kiss it goodbye. Vader will poison him against us more than Rogue Squadron already did. We just lost our best shot at winning this war.”

“The Rebellion was successful before Skywalker joined us," General Ackbar added in. "He isn’t the only one that is capable of fighting. And perhaps considering the circumstances, we should have a little more faith in him. Skywalker has an uncanny ability to beat the odds, after all.”

“If we support Skywalker, we will lose our sponsors," someone else argued. "Our recruitment will go down. Morale is going to drop. Him on the side of the Empire, friend to the Rebellion or not, isn't convenient for us. I don't see how we can publicly support this.”

Wedge rolled his eyes, frustrated. "Why does any of it have to be public? We could just keep our mouths shut and then no one will know."

"Oh, right -" General Cracken rolled his eyes, his voice sharp and angry. "Grow up, Antilles. You have a brain, so use it! This will eventually get out. Somehow. Somewhere. People are going to know what happened. It matters that we are ahead of it and that our position appeals to the people and planets and governments whose help we need and depend on. You think we can just sweep this under the rug and that there won't be consequences later? He abandoned the Rebellion! That is the position we need to take." 

"You all lied to him!" Princess Leia fired at him. "This wouldn't be necessary if you had just treated him as more than a tool to be used."

General Cracken gave the Princess a look that was so condescending it was almost palpable and he opened his mouth to respond.

“We didn’t know if he could handle the truth." Admiral Ho'ror'te interrupted quietly before Cracken could say anything, clearly attempting to deescalate the situation before it got out of hand. "We couldn’t take the risk that he would side against us. You must understand that.”

"I understand perfectly the need for subterfuge and all the necessities that come with war. But if we take this position against Luke, we will ruin him forever and he deserves better than that. There are other ways to handle this and we should at least try."

This time there were more murmurs of agreement.

"We can keep it quiet," Wedge agreed, adding his voice in. "If anyone asks about him, we can just tell him he's off doing his Jedi training. Hell, it wouldn't even be a lie."

General Cracken shot him a dirty look now, obviously displeased with the turn of opinion that was slowly happening in the room. Frustrated, he turned back to the princess, his previous condescension still painfully obvious. “Princess Leia, it seems to me and perhaps to others as well that your feelings for Skywalker are interfering with your better judgment."

Oh damn.

Wedge felt his eyes widen slightly as and he scrubbed his hand across his jaw at the sheer audacity the man had. Judging by the other looks of surprise and quick disapproval, he wasn’t the only one that was getting uncomfortable.

“My feelings?” Leia hissed dangerously. “What exactly are you trying to imply?”

“It’s not exactly a secret that you and Skywalker are close to each other or that you have been particularly active about defending him on this thing from the start! You regularly accompany him and the smuggler on a number of missions that someone of your standing has no business being on. What more can be assumed other than that you have an inappropriate bias regarding Skywalker and that your judgement in these proceedings are not sound. I doubt that your father would have approved. ”

The room instantly began dead silent. One could have heard a pin drop on the floor. Even Mon Mothma looked shocked.

In an instant, Leia’s face cleared of all emotion entirely though her eyes still blazed with fire. “I don’t see how you are in any position to assume what my father would or would not have approved of,” she said with a dangerous sort of calm. “As for Commander Skywalker, I am not currently, nor have I ever been romantically involved with him. Not that that would be any business of yours.”

“I was only saying -” 

“Oh, was I wrong in thinking that you were suggesting that because I am a woman, that my judgment is inherently flawed where men are concerned?” Leia interrupted ruthlessly. "Sexism against women is more than a little archaic, don't you think? And hardly appropriate seeing as how I rank higher than you."

“You are taking my words out of context!” General Cracken finally snapped, standing on his feet and pointing a finger at her in anger as he shouted. “Which is only further proof that you are too close to this! Feelings of the heart have no business interfering with matters of war! Your bias is preventing you from acknowledging that Skywalker has betrayed us in favor of Darth Vader and it will be our people on the battlefield who will pay the price!"

The silence in the room held, no one daring to interject. Princess Leia let it stretch, using the quiet to her advantage until even Cracken seemed to wince at himself, realizing perhaps for the first time that he had crossed a line. 

Then the Princess of Alderaan stood up then, slow and deliberate and drawing every eye in the room to her person. She was not dressed in jewels or a resplendent gown that marked her as royalty. She wore no crown, had no subjects, and the kingdom she would have once inherited was gone to the darkness of space and the brutality of the Empire. All the same, she lifted her chin and squared her shoulders, looking out at them all fearlessly, and the presence of authority that suddenly radiated from her person reminded them all that Leia Organa had been born to rule. 

“Do not,” Leia bit out tightly, her eyes flashing. “Raise your voice at me.” 

There was a painfully tense silence and after a few seconds, General Cracken stepped back, nodding his head once in apology. He glanced around the room but no one seemed willing to meet his eyes. He pursed his lips and slowly sat back down in his seat, clearing his throat and dropping his head into his hand.

"Any further comments of such nature will result in removal from the room," Mon Mothma said quietly. "Is that clear?"

There was a unanimous yes from everyone present. After a moment, the Princess sat back down and then to Wedge's personal surprise, General Cracken spoke again.

"I did not intend to be disrespectful or accusatory," he said, clearly working to keep an even tone. "I was only trying to express that this situation, if not dealt with properly, could go very badly for us. I have been on battlefields. I have lost... hundreds of my men and watched them die. I don't want to go to war, telling these people that they can trust someone who may yet still be convinced to side against us. We do not know what will happen with Skywalker. No one in here can say for certain that he will stay on our side. How can you ask me to tell my men to go war and not have them prepared to defend themselves in the worst case scenario? I can't and won't do that. You say that Skywalker deserves better? What about the rest of the people prepared to give up their lives for this?"

There was another silence and Wedge could see Cracken's point of view. His way of going about it was shit but... he had a point. A good point, even if Wedge firmly believed that it was an unnecessary one.  

Admiral Ho'ror'te licked his lips. “No one is asking anyone to compromise their safety. General, I understand your concern and I respect it. We cannot in good conscience tell our own people not to protect themselves. If we cross paths with Commander Skywalker on the battlefield, then we should consider him as a member of the Empire and a threat to Rebel forces. We will react accordingly and be prepared to meet force with force.”

“And if there is no force?” Tycho interjected. 

There was a moment of hesitation. “Then I suppose it will have to be left to individual discretion.”

Part of Wedge wanted to argue but he hesitantly decided that he wouldn't. After witnessing the fight in the mines and getting an idea of how powerful Luke truly was... he didn't think there was anyone in the Rebellion that could succeed in any attempt to kill him. And if Luke was going to be trained by Vader? Force help them all if he ever really did decide to side against them.

"Princess, your position and your families position in the Rebellion is quite significant," General Ria spoke after a minute or so had gone by. "Your opinion is going to matter to a great number of people moving forward. I suppose that I am just curious to know... how can you support Skywalker? After everything Vader has done, how can you of all people defend him so fervently?"

Princess Leia paused for the first time and Wedge imagined that it wasn't hard for anyone present to remember the destruction of her home planet. The loss of her family. Hell, even the torture she endured on the Death Star at the hand of Lord Vader himself.

"Me of all people?" she asked softly. Then she lifted her, squaring her shoulders a little. "General, I can support Luke because I know that Luke and Vader are very different people. I don't know what he has gone through or what thoughts and actions he thought to take since he learned of this relationship. But it doesn't change anything he has done previously. The Luke I know has always done what he thought was right. I suspect that now is no different. I won't give up on him for something as small as this."

“Luke chose to side with a monster,” General Ria said pointedly.

“His father, you mean.” Leia corrected coldly. There was a bitter sort of twist to her lips, just barely held in check, which made Wedge realize that no small part of her loathed having to defend Vader at all. She was only doing it for Luke - but by the Force, she was doing it. 

“If one can so name a monster, then yes. His father.”

“A relationship built on nothing but lies is a weak foundation; and as we have seen here and now, doomed crumble. It would seem to me that those who kept secrets are responsible now for the choice that Luke made.”

“You’re blaming us." Admiral Ho'ror'te said simply. 

Leia lifted her head. “I am only pointing out that Luke ultimately placed his trust in the one person who was willing to tell him the truth. I can only imagine that the situation might have been different if Vader were not the only option he felt that he had. That falls on us."

Mon Mothma glanced around and Wedge noticed for the first time how much time had gone by. It was past noon - they'd been here for hours now. “So, with all this in mind. How do we choose to move forward with this?”

“We don’t tell anyone,” Princess Leia said firmly. “And if anyone does ask, then we say that Luke returned to his Jedi training. We haven’t had contact but expect to hear from him again soon.”

“That excuse isn’t going to work forever." General Ria sighed, burying his face into his hands. 

“Well, we won’t know until we try. It’s not as though our sponsors are specifically checking in on Luke Skywalker every second of the day. He has disappeared from time to time and no one has ever expressed an issue with it before.”

“And when he makes his grand debut in the Empire and we lose all our credibility because our poster boy turned out to be the son of Darth Vader and turned his back on the Rebellion, what then?” General Draven added in for the first time. 

There were some murmurs of agreement at that.  

“There will not be a debut.”

“Princess Leia, you cannot know that - ”

“I listened to the same recording that you did, General Draven.” Leia shot back at him calmly. “And Lord Vader specifically mentioned timing and a desire to not attract attention. I can’t proclaim to know his mind and nor do I care to - but I am certain that given what we do know, that he is not looking to announce that Luke is with him at all. Whatever their plan moving forward is, they are planning to do it quietly.” 

“It has been almost two weeks since he left. Luke’s Imperial bounty is still active and rising.” Wedge added in cautiously. He knew because he had checked out of curiosity just last night. 

"So, we leave Skywalker alone then," General Ackbar said quietly. "For now at least. Let the cards fall where they may and go from there. I'm rather interested in the rest of their plans, honestly. Vader planning to usurp the Emperor? I think that bears some discussion, at least."

“One evil bastard has plans to kill another evil bastard. Who cares?” General Draven groaned in frustration. "Let them kill each other. It will make our job all the easier."

“I think we should care since it will directly affect us, whether they succeed or fail." General Ackbar replied calmly. "Who is to say that Vader taking control of the Empire wouldn’t be worse than Palpatine?”

“He’s not.”

The words were out of his mouth before Wedge could even process them but he knew it was true even as he said it. 

“And how could you possibly know that?” someone that Wedge didn't recognize asked. 

“Because Vader needs Luke to help him. I don’t know everything that they talked about before we crossed paths,” Wedge admitted. “I don’t know what kind of monster Palpatine is beyond a tyrant. But going up against Palpatine… it sure sounded like it was a fight that neither of them were certain they could win. They're planning to kill him or die trying."

That brought another solemn quiet to the room, different from the others. War was one thing - fighting men and sentients and playing the politics game with a clear end in mind was one thing. But addressing the root of it all and having to realize that one of the most terrifying and lethal forces ever to be created by the Empire had his own trepidation and doubts about dealing with the monster sitting on Coruscant throne was another thing entirely. 

If Vader couldn't do it, then what hope did the rest of them have? And then if he succeeded... what then? Wedge remembered how Vader was revered as almost a god on the battlefield. When he showed up, it was time to run. He could see the concern and the question in everyone's eyes now - how did they, men that they were, fight a god?

"Hell," one of the aides standing on the side of the room suddenly groused. "If Vader is going to do that, we might as well extend an invitation and see if he wants to join the Rebellion. That'll solve all of our problems."

The tension in the room eased and people laughed in response, chuckling at the absurdity of such an idea.  

General Cracken shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's great until they kill Palpatine and then Vader takes control of everything. If Skywalker is on his side, then what chance do we have of taking the Empire from both of them?"

"If we keep Skywalker as an ally, then maybe we won't have to take it from them." Cesi said suddenly, speaking up for the first time. Wedge glanced at him in surprise; he hadn't expected Cesi to speak anything in Luke's defense. 

"Vader isn't going to give up the Empire," General Draven scoffed. "Why would he? He helped build the damn thing - he said so himself."

"Yeah, but Skywalker doesn't want the Empire." Cesi said with the kind of patience that was reserved for people that were particularly slow. If Wedge wasn't so surprised, it might have been funny.

"And?"

"What Skywalker wants matters."

Mon Mothma caught on first. "You're suggesting that Skywalker could influence Vader to change his mind?" 

Cesi nodded once. "I am."

"Captain Antilles," she said, addressing him once again. It almost made his head spin with how quickly she jumped to him. "What are your thoughts? The rest of the room can only listen to words but you were there in person. Do you think that Lord Vader could defect from the Empire entirely?”

Wedge hesitated and then stood up slowly once more. The sound of the chair legs screeching against the floor behind him felt particularly loud as everyone else became quiet, waiting for his answer. Princess Leia's eyes seemed especially sharp. 

“May I speak freely?”

“Please.”

Wedge nodded. “I think that Vader has exactly one fuck to give,” he said bluntly. “I think the Empire has been his priority in the past and it might remain so but….”

“But what?”

“I don’t think it’s his first priority anymore. I think that if it came down to Luke or the Empire, then I think he would choose Luke.”

He licked his lips, waiting nervously for someone to try and contradict him but no one did.

“He’s not a machine,” Wedge added, the words feeling strange on his tongue. It felt wrong to say something in the defense of Darth Vader, especially to these people. Wedge understood their anger, after all; but he wanted them to listen. “I… I know that that sounds bad,” Wedge continued, running a hand through his hair. Then he huffed. “I get it. I do. I don’t like the bastard either and I know how much he’s hurt almost everyone here. And you can hate me for saying it and hit me for it later if it makes you feel any better… but Vader is a person. He has… feelings and motivations. And I think… if we want to do this right and have the best possible outcome… then we should at least consider his motives moving forward.”

"And you think that Luke Skywalker is his motivation?" General Ria clarified, making a bit of a face. He didn't seem to know what to think.

"Yeah, I do."

“Captain Antilles is right," Cesi added in after a moment of silence, glancing at Wedge for a moment before continuing. "Darth Vader doesn’t give a fuck about the Rebellion. It means nothing to him. We mean nothing to him. But Skywalker,” Cesi huffed, lifting his remaining arm to run his hand through his hair. “Skywalker might be the only thing he genuinely cares about. That’s… a different sort of power than we can ever hope to obtain.”

"We've treated Luke as our symbol of hope for the last several years," Princess Leia addressed the room once more. "If we genuinely trusted him all this time... then let's give him a chance."

Wedge glanced around and he felt a little thrill shoot through his heart when he realized that the room was listening. They were genuinely listening and considering what was being said. There was a chance now - as long as they didn't panic or screw it up somehow... there was a chance of this not ending in Luke being the most hated person in the galaxy. It was better than he had dared to even hope for. 

"All of this is nice and all," General Cracken sighed. "But you all realize that we're talking about placing our bets and our chance at winning this war on that chance that Vader will be a good father? You realize how insane that is, right?"

“If it helps, my old man would have fed me to the damn monster if it would have given him another minute or two of life,” Cesi shot at Cracken, getting annoyed for the first time. “Vader put himself in harm's way more than once for a kid he doesn’t even know. So yeah. I’d say that it probably means something to him.”

"And he let us go," Tycho added in, shrugging his shoulders. "He could have killed us but... he didn't. Because Luke probably asked him not to."

There was a long moment of silence while the room digested their words. It was Cesi who had thrown them off, Wedge realized slowly. His opinion and suggestion that had caught their attention. Cesi had been damn good at his job - High Command had assigned him to Rogue Squadron themselves because of all the work he had done for them. He didn't rank very high yet but his opinion mattered to most of them. He was trusted and his instincts were usually spot on. 

"Lieutenant Collins, you really believe that Skywalker could potentially be this influential?"

Cesi lifted his chin. “I think that Commander Luke Skywalker will determine the fate of the galaxy.”

He meant it. Anyone could see that he meant it. 

Wedge was going to have to buy him a drink after this. 

“I don’t know if Vader would go so far as to support the Rebellion or even a New Republic though.” Cesi admitted after a moment of hesitation. 

“Yes, he expressed his sentiments on the failings of the Republic quite forcefully.” 

“But I think,” Cesi continued patiently. “That Skywalker’s opinion will matter to him in the end. And if that is the way that things fall, it would be advantageous for us if we do not make an enemy of him. Skywalker needs some leeway - a reason to think that we won't be after him.”

“Then we stay neutral,” Princess Leia said, picking up where Cesi left off. “Or imply to our sponsors, if and when they ask, that Luke is still present in the Rebellion. We cover for him while he works from inside the Empire. And if we get to a point where we cannot continue this way... then we will do what is necessary. But only if we have no other choice. More people will offer their support to us if we promote that we have a Jedi on our side than they will if we say our Jedi betrayed us. This is what is in our best interest." she finished with an air finality, her tone making little to no room for further argument. 

Wedge couldn't help but respect the hell out of her. Even if the conversation had been swayed, anyone in here that was openly advocating for Luke was risking their reputations and credibility to do so. The silence stretched until it seemed as though no one else had anything more to say. Not right now at least, though Wedge imagined more points of contention would be raised later. 

"I think that we have all said our piece," Mon Mothma said quietly. "The facts and consequences of either option are on the table. How do we wish to proceed?"

"We're promoting democracy," Cesi said. "Let's put it to a vote. Let the majority decide. The voice of the people matters."

"All in agreement?"

There was a pause but then the room stirred once more with nods and murmurs of agreement.

"Alright," Mon Mothma seemed to steel herself for a moment. "We know the risks. Those in favor of branding Luke Skywalker as a traitor, please raise your hands now."

Wedge glanced around and saw that an uncomfortable number of hands were raised in the air, including Generals Cracken, Ria, Draven, and others. Even some of the security guards and aides. The count was taken: twenty-one voting in favor of abandoning Luke and moving forward without him. 

"And those in favor of keeping quiet for the time being and seeing where how events play out, please raise your hands now." 

More hands raised, including Princess Leia, General Ackbar, Admiral Ho'ror'te, and Mon Mothma herself. Wedge let his eyes dart around the room, counting them all quietly under his breath as fast as he could. 

...sixteen...

...seventeen, eighteen...

...nineteen...

"Twenty-four in favor of staying quiet, twenty-one against." Someone announced.

Wedge let out a disbelieving sigh of relief, dropping his head back and staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't believe it. Holy shit... as long as nothing went wrong... he ran his hands through his hair and then sat back up, glancing around. Some of High Command looked pissed, clearly disagreeing with the final outcome but... for now at least, things had gone literally as well as they could have. 

The fight wasn't over - but it was damn good start and he would take what he could get. 

“Then we will respect the vote and move forward according to the majority. For now and until something changes, we will be satisfied with the Skywalker's plan to kill Palpatine.” Mon Mothma said quietly. “Though it would be beneficial to us if we knew where and when they planned to attack. Captain Antilles, Commander Skywalker gave you no viable way to communicate with him?"

Wedge blinked. "No ma'am. To be honest, I hadn't thought to ask." And he personally doubted that Luke would have had anything to offer him in the way of communication. Or that he would have wanted to. 

"Very well. I know that it is getting late and that everyone is tired. We will adjourn this meeting for today and reconvene at another time to discuss some other specifics regarding the situation. If there are other concerns that were not addressed regarding anything that we spoke about, please send them in an email and they will be addressed next time...."

The next few days went by quickly. Wedge spent most of time getting some real sleep and otherwise waiting for news about when or if he would be allowed to return to active duties. He was hopeful, given how the inquest had turned out... but he thought it was safer to try and not get his hopes up too high though, just in case. 

Seven days after the inquest, he finally received another summons from Mon Mothma to report to High Command. Wedge put on his class A uniform and cleaned up as quick as he could before making his way to High Command Headquarters and finding the right room number. He swallowed thickly and straightened his clothes as best as he could before knocking on the door.

"Come in," a muffled voice called. 

Wedge flexed his fingers and then turned the doorknob, pushing the door open and stepping inside the room. 

Only the Senator was present. Wedge hesitated and then closed the door softly behind him. "Ma'am," he greeted with a nod of his head. 

"Captain Antilles," she said, offering him a smile and gesturing for him to take a seat. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

"Of course." Wedge sat down, trying not to fidget or seem overly nervous. 

"How has your recovery been?"

He blinked. "My injuries have healed, thank you. A little sore in some spots but the Imperials did a decent job of patching me up. I went in for a check-up a few days ago and they said everything seemed fine."

"I'm glad." There was a short pause and then Mon Mothma continued. “I don't want to keep you long but I thought perhaps that you might want to read this.”

To Wedge's surprise, she offered him a data pad that Wedge hadn’t noticed she was holding in her hand. He accepted it, nodding once to her before looking down to see what she had wanted to show him. 

To the leaders of the Rebel Alliance High Command, it began. 

It was a mission briefing, Wedge realized. Luke’s mission briefing. Dated on Telona 13th - the day after the inquest. 

Detailing all the events which had occurred from the time of their arrival on the planet, the destruction of the factory, the events which had taken place in the mines, including Luke’s expulsion from the group and all the things that had been said against him. There was one brief sentence in the aftermath of that which mentioned his encounter with Vader, explaining his presence. All other details of their interactions and conversations were entirely omitted. 

After a few hours, we came across Rogue Squadron, in a clear fight for their lives. I determined that I would offer my assistance and at my request, my father agreed to help me. 

Luke went into further detail, explaining the fight and even the 'hammer and anvil' tactic which he and Vader had determined to use. Wedge shook his head, huffing slightly. Figures he might have screwed something up for them as well. But that also might not be entirely fair - no one was expecting the lights to turn on. A few other things were mentioned, up until the death of the creature itself by both the transmitter chip and Luke's own hand. 

The conversation Luke had had with his father by the elevator was, once again, entirely omitted, only stating that, The two of us, as well as the remainder of Rogue Squadron, were able to exit the mines through an emergency exit elevator. 

From there, the details became more and more vague. Only brief descriptions of what had taken place at the Imperial camp were included, mostly regarding that medical care was provided for everyone and that Rogue Squadron would be allowed to return unmolested to the Rebellion.

You may consider this report as my official resignation from Rebellion activities. I have decided that it is in my own best interests to join forces with my father and assist him in killing Emperor Sheev Palaptine. Rest assured, I will continue to do all within my power to see that the galaxy and all the sentients in it are freed from the tyranny and oppression of the Empire. Our goals in that regard remain mutual.

With that being said, and regardless of whether or not my opinions hold any weight to you now, know that it is my honest feeling that Captain Wedge Antilles is not responsible for either the loss of Caleb Cashbal or Zach Harris. Rather, the blame falls on those who had scouted out the planet and declared it free of an Imperial presence. Nothing could have been further from the truth. The reports for our mission to Cimiento Imperial Industries were lacking in critical information that would have played a key component in the missions’ overall success and in their survival. The risks were obvious and it was and is my opinion that the mission should never have been signed off on in the first place.

I hold Captain Antilles in high regard and fully believe him capable of taking over as the Commander of Rogue Squadron. 

Cordially,

Luke Skywalker

…

…

…

That was it. The letter ended abruptly with Luke’s final recommendation. 

Wedge felt his eyes water and he huffed a wet laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. “He's got good timing," he said. "Right after the inquest."

Mon Mothma smiled a little. "Yes, he does. The rest of High Command has seen this already and of course, there are still some with doubts and concerns - valid ones, I might add. But for the moment, the majority have been set at ease regarding Commander Skywalker and what he is doing. We can only hope that he will be successful. Though again, I feel the need to remind you that if the situation appears to change, our position must change as well."

Wedge nodded. "I understand completely. Thank you."

“For what it is worth, I am sorry that the proceedings were so harsh. Our position at the beginning of the inquest was made in the best interests of the Rebellion. Sadly, we are not perfect and I won't deny that we panicked when we learned what had happened. But your loyalty and your dedication to your men is appreciated, Commander.”

He blinked, certain that he had heard incorrectly and looking up from the email so fast that something in his neck popped. “Commander?” 

Mon Mothma smiled and nodded. “Yes. Congratulations. You can return to active duty and assume the position and responsibilities of Commander. I imagine that your predecessor went through a lot of effort to send his recommendation to us. He must want you to have it."

“I… I’m not certain that I deserve what you're offering.” Wedge stuttered, feeling his heart pound in his chest. 

“Well, High Command is certain that we want you to have it.” Mon Mothma said simply. “And I hope that you’ll accept the position.”

Commander of Rogue Squadron. 

Rogue Leader.

Wedge couldn’t believe that after everything that had happened, the position had been offered to him. After everything that he had done wrong - after losing two lives and the Rebellion’s poster boy, and somehow, even after roasting him alive, they were offering him a promotion. 

He wasn’t entirely certain how he felt about it. 

Senator Mothma’s - and Luke’s - confidence in him felt misplaced. 

He wanted it though. A lot, actually. He hoped that didn't make him a bad person somehow. 

“Antilles!”

Wedge paused in his thoughts and glanced over his shoulder to see the Princess Leia storming after him. He hadn't seen her since the inquest and honestly didn't know her hardly at all. But he would be lying if he said this was an encounter that he had been dreading. He was certain that she wanted to kill him for his part in Luke's departure. Fear and unease twisted in his gut but he swallowed it back as best as he could and turned around to face her. 

She slapped him. 

Wedge was stunned, lifting a hand to his cheek in genuine shock. 

“How could you - ?” she demanded, raising her hand and slapping him again. “You lousy, no-good piece of trash!”

Wedge stumbled backwards, hoping not to get hit again. It didn't hurt - it was just the fact that it had happened at all that scared him.

In all of her five foot one glory, the princess had an aura of anger about her that could light a person on fire. She was terrifying and he had no idea how handle this.

Fortunately, there was a movement from the corner of his eyes - two security officers making their way over to see what the disturbance was about and put an end to it, no doubt. Damn. Wedge shook his head, trying to wave them off. They ignored him but seemed to wince a little when they realized that it was Leia Organa that they were about to deal with. 

“Are you two alright?” One of them asked as they drew closer. “Ma’am?”

“We’re fine.” Leia bit out sharply, her eyes not leaving Wedge’s. The security officers glanced at each other and Wedge was willing to bet they were both wishing that they hadn't reported to work that morning. They glanced at him instead. 

“Sir? Is everything alright here?"

Wedge nodded. “As she said,” he agreed quietly. “Everything is fine. Thank you.”

Neither of them looked convinced and Wedge felt their eyes linger on the red mark on his cheek.

“If you’re certain….”

“We are. Thank you.” Wedge repeated, offering both of them a small nod. The two officers hesitated for a moment longer and then began walking away, the sound of their shoes clicking on the tile. Both he and Leia waited until they had turned a corner and were certain that they had more privacy before looking at each other directly once again. 

“How could you do that to him?” Princess Leia hissed furiously. “Luke is supposed to be your friend and you just… threw him out like trash! Like he was nothing!”

“It wasn’t like that,” Wedge tried to explain but the princess didn't let him get that far.  

“The hell it wasn’t!" she snapped. "How many times has he saved us and this is how you chose to repay him? He's gone and there is no way to know if we'll ever see him again. He thinks we hate him and it's your fault!”

Ah. Understanding came to him quickly as he realized where her anger was coming from now, delayed as it seemed. Truthfully, he had expected something like this a week or so ago. Luke must have not reached out to her yet. She had probably been waiting and hoping that he would and he hadn't. Or maybe she had reached out to Luke somehow and gotten nothing in response. 

“I was trying to keep everyone safe.” Wedge admitted hoarsely. “I… I was trying to keep Luke safe. I know I didn’t go about it the right way. But at the time… it was all that I knew to do. It was wrong and I knew that it was wrong the second that we left him behind but I didn’t know what else to do. I’m so sorry.”

She was not appeased. In fact, for a moment, the look of anger on Princess Leia’s face was so similar to what he’d seen from both Luke and Vader in the mines that Wedge could have almost been convinced that they were all related somehow. He shook his head at the thought, huffing slightly to himself despite the fact that it wasn't funny.

The galaxy would never have survived that and everyone should probably be grateful that it wasn’t true. But it sure would have been something. 

"You could have tried to talk to everyone - to calm everyone down and talk to Luke instead of just branding him a pariah. Instead of casting him out and telling him he had no place here."

Damn, he wished it could have been that simple.

"I'm sorry," he repeated sincerely. "I wish that I could have done better. But I didn't. I tried to take it back and tell him to come home. But... the damage was already done. He'd made up his mind. I take full responsibility for what happened and if... if you want to hit me again, I won't stop you."

Princess Leia blinked, her eyes flickering to the mark she'd undoubtedly left on his cheek, before shaking her head. 

“He could have talked to me,” she said instead, sniffing for the first time. She raised a hand, brushing a finger underneath her eyes. "I would have listened. He... he could have talked to me."

It was then that Wedge realized she wasn’t just angry - she was hurt. Genuinely hurt that Luke had left her behind and hurt that he hadn’t felt like he could tell her his secret. As hard of a revelation as it probably would have been for her, Wedge was certain that if the princess had been the one to learn of Luke's parentage first, that she would have handled it with a lot more grace and understanding then they had. He hoped that Luke one day had the chance to learn that Leia would have stood by him. 

With nothing else to say to him apparently, Wedge watched the princess turn away from him, beginning to storm off and maybe terrorize some other poor soul before remembering the promise he had made to Luke.

“Princess Leia,” Wedge called out, stepping forward. He watched as the princess slowed her steps and then paused though she didn’t turn to look back at him. “Luke… he… he asked me to tell you that he was sorry. He wanted you to know that he was sorry. I... I don't think he ever intended to hurt you.”

Her shoulders stiffened slightly and one hand balled into a fist at her side, her fingernails digging deep into the palm of her hand. After a few moments, she flexed her hand out and turned back to face him once more.

“Luke has nothing to be sorry for,” Leia said fiercely and Wedge could tell that she meant it with every fiber of her soul. She took a small step towards him then and lifted a finger, pointing it at his face. “I don’t care how hard it gets for you or what kind of pressure you may start to feel - you will advocate for Luke. You will support him and his decision and you will convince everyone you talk to that he is still our friend and our ally. If you fail to do this, then just know that I will kill you. Do you understand me?”

"Perfectly."

"Good," she nodded, satisfied and then turned and left. Wedge waited until she was gone before releasing a slow breath. He had no doubt that she would follow through on her threat in a heartbeat if he failed to rise to her expectations. It was no wonder why Luke liked her so much. 

Without putting any thought into where he was going, Wedge began walking in the direction of the hangar bay. If he was no longer on restriction, then he wanted to go find his X-Wing and maybe going flying for a little bit. He missed being in the air. It relaxed him in a way that very few things could. And... he would take the promotion, he decided abruptly. A rise in rank wouldn't hurt if he wanted to have some influence over opinions and who knew what would happen in the coming weeks and months? 

All he knew was that Luke had given him a chance to do better. 

He was going to take it and he would do better than his best. 

It was the very least that he could do… and if by any chance Luke ever reached out to them again, then if nothing else, Rogue Squadron would be ready to come running when he called.

The End