"I really don't care," Luke whispered, his quiet, defeated tone more damning than any previous anger. "Please leave."
And that was it--against that resolute, determined denial, what more was there to be said? Vader turned to leave, but paused at the heavy door. Turning back, he dropped the small palm-held holo-projector he'd held to the ground at his feet. It clattered across the hard floor, rolling to a halt.
Neither looked at it.
"Your mother," Vader said simply, then turned and left without further comment.
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Alone, Luke stared at the small device laid on its side on the floor. Seconds turned to minutes as he stared at it, until its dark color against the white walls had burned an imprint into his mind so that it remained even when he closed his eyes.
But the truth he'd craved his whole life had become too hard, too damning. Especially now, from this source. He didn't want any more--couldn't take any more. He was tired and battered, body and soul both.
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From the main observation console in the ops room, Vader watched the image of the cell as Luke stared mutely at the device for a long, long time.
Willing him to pick it up...
Finally the boy leaned back his head, eyes closed. And Vader could sense the tangle of conflicting emotions which pulled him every direction at once. Loyalty to his friends, his cause. Fear that his hidden past would be a weakness, a method of control.
The desperate desire to see his mother's face, just once...
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Luke willed himself to remain still for a long time, but every single fiber of his being was attuned to the small, abandoned holo-projector that lay on its side just ten paces away. It had been a cruel thing, to leave it here...a cunning thing.
He opened his eyes and stretched out his left hand, and the projector skittered momentarily over the bare floor then launched across the cell to land neatly in his palm. He held it for long seconds, struggling against inner demons--the longing, the need to know despite his words, the resentment and bitterness which had driven him to rebuff even this.
He gazed at the device in his hand, aware that he was being watched, but uncaring, the relevance of this moment too great to disregard.
His mother. His past. Twenty-one years of forsaken abandonment compressed into this instant. A lifetime of craving, of yearning, of searching for any connection, no matter how faint...
And now, finally, the truth was being offered...at a price. Acceptance.
Of what he was...of what he could become.
Sighing deeply, he held onto this possibility--the potential to see her--for just a few seconds more...
But the price was just too high.
He twisted it onto its side in his palm, so that the three fine veins which projected the image faced his thumb. Without visible emotion he broke each of them off, rendering the projector useless, then let it fall from his hand.
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To be continued...
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Chapter 3
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CHAPTER THREE
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Luke knew. Long before the heavy double-door to his cell opened, he knew.
Even though the cell was soundproof, he knew the commotion going on in the corridor outside...
The inner door rasped open--
"...and your mother!" Han shouted, as he was practically thrown inside.
"Han!"
"Luke! Kid!" Han shouted his name as he turned toward him, blinking repeatedly as if trying to bring the world into focus. He set forward, arms open wide to embrace Luke as they met.
Luke winced, pulling in a sharp breath as Han pressed against the sutures in his back, but the moment was too precious to spoil. They pulled back, Luke studying Han. He looked tired and drawn, with a fresh cut over his left eye and a long open graze down his chin, already darkening into a bruise.
Still, Luke smiled. "You don't look so bad to me."
Han grinned. "Ah, you should see the other guy."
"Why, what does he look like?" Luke laughed.
"I have no idea--can't see a damn thing," Han replied glibly, though Luke could sense the subtle panic beneath his words.
"Can't see?"
"Well, I can see light and dark...vague shapes." He squinted at Luke, head on one side as if it would make a difference. "But you just look like a big thumb."
"You know, I have been told that before," Luke conceded lightly, nodding. Even in this, they joked...what else could they do?
"Where're the others?" Han pushed the conversation on and Luke followed his lead, rushing to reassure.
"They're okay. I think they're a couple of levels above us. Definitely way forward and on the other side of the ship."
"Why aren't they with you?"
Luke shrugged. "I'm guessing they know we wouldn't leave without each other. That means if by some miracle we get out of here, we still have to make our way through the length of a Star Destroyer before we can even think about getting off. Gives them plenty of time to get ready for us and organize any number of surprises."
"Wow, they're good," Han deadpanned.
"I think it's Vader."
"Yeah, we already met today--when they thawed me out. He grabbed me by the neck and told me if I gave him any trouble he'd turn my face inside-out. I'm guessing he's not a morning person." Han was leaning in to Luke now, eyes wide. "You know, you actually look like a thumb with two black eyes. I guess you've already given him trouble, huh?"
Luke looked away, uncomfortable. "I think we both scored a few hits."
Han paused, momentarily serious. "Listen, thanks for coming after us."
"For all the good it did."
Han remained stubbornly optimistic. "Yeah, but we're together now. We can start work on getting outta here. And we gotta get out and get to Chewie and the Princess before they get to us, or else I'll never hear the last of it from the Wook. Or Her Highness."
Luke could only smile in the face of such confidence. He hadn't realized how much he missed it. "Hey, who's the other guy with them? Dark, well-dressed..."
"Lando's here?" Han's hackles rose at that news. "He's the one who got us all into this. He handed us over to Vader."
Luke frowned. "Well he was shooting at Vader last time I saw him. And he's in a cell with the others now."
"Yeah, probably hittin' on Leia," Han growled.
"What happened?" Luke asked, realizing belatedly that he had no idea.
"Ah, we had to land on Bespin for repairs--Lando runs some tibanna gas mine there, and we needed a safe port. Took us weeks to limp there from Hoth and then Lando's all sweetness and light, saying absolutely he'll fix the Falcon up, but we gotta wait 'till he can ship the parts in. We spend weeks an' weeks waiting--admittedly in the lap of luxury--with Lando always sayin' 'Oh, they'll be on the next transport for sure.' Then her Highnessness starts gettin' all crampy and decides to contact Ackbar and ask for a pickup instead. Next thing we know, Vader appears, we're in the detention level, I'm strapped to an interrogation rack and they're firing up the carbon-freeze. Not my best day." A thought suddenly occurred, bringing Han's head up. "I thought he was after the Princess, but Lando said he was looking for you--we were just bait. What does he want you so bad for?"
Luke sighed, not wanting to get into this now. Instead he turned to walk back and settle gingerly against the pillar, making sure he kept his sutures clear of it. "I'll tell you later," he dismissed, hiding the avoidance behind another question. "What was wrong with the Falcon?"
"Hyperdrive. We didn't even make it to the rendezvous; stayed well and truly stuck in the Hoth System. Plus we had half the Imperial fleet on our tail..." The next he spok as if he was finally putting a puzzle to rest. "They must've thought we had you on-board!"