Chapter Text
"cherche et tu trouveras; seek and you will find"
Imperial officers whispered across the corridors and reverted their gaze when people of high ranks walked past them. No one spoke of it, but it was on everyone’s minds. The Empire didn’t understand the words “scandal” or “gossip”, but the rumours were there.
Coruscant was silent. The Imperial Security Bureau called every hour. The Admirals were inaccessible. The stormtroopers spent their time patrolling because there was nothing else to do. Imperial activity across the galaxy stopped. They tried to guess what happened, but no one got it right because it was impossible to get it right: only those who worked in the highest ranks knew the truth.
The Emperor went missing six days ago.
The ISB worked closely with the Emperor’s personal security, but the investigation led to nothing: no traceable flights from the Imperial Palace, no visitors, and all potential suspects had been interrogated and killed, but no one had any answers as to the Emperor’s location.
The Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet was torn between working with the ISB and fighting the Rebellion. The rebel attacks increased because his time was limited, and he didn't trust anyone with leading the defense.
These were dark days for the Empire, and what was an Empire without an Emperor?
DAY EIGHT
Admiral Piett ran through his schedule a few times before reaching the bridge. He walked towards the responsible officer for the transmissions, a pale young boy whose fingers were shaking as he kept glancing at the shadow that stood motionless staring at space.
He decoded a transmission they received hours ago and Piett sent it to the Supreme Commander. After the delivery of the message, the temperature in the Executor dropped a few degrees.
DAY ELEVEN
The Supreme Commander had vanished into his private offices, occasionally answering commlinks and giving vague orders that Admiral Piett didn’t understand. The ISB found ruins of one of Palpatine’s personal ships in the Malachor system, but it had crashed twenty-two days ago, and there were no corpses on board.
DAY FOURTEEN
The Supreme Commander’s temper had worsened because everyone thought he was the successor to the Empire. They couldn't be more wrong: Palpatine never planned for successors.
There were deaths in the Executor that were never reported. On day fourteen a cadet was killed because he made the mistake of running into the Supreme Commander, who had stopped noticing the bodies by his feet decades ago.
Admiral Piett looked away when the bodies were disposed of. He gave the cadet's squadron a day off under the pretense of illness.
DAY SEVENTEEN
The Supreme Commander ordered Admiral Piett to speak to him privately. Piett entered his offices with cold sweat at the back of his neck and found him standing at the viewport. They exchanged zero pleasantries, and a few minutes later Piett left the rooms as Commander of the Executor for the time being.
The Supreme Commander took his shuttle and left the next day.
DAY EIGHTEEN – Imperial Centre
From the outside, the Alliance was experiencing the two calmest weeks since their creation: with no defense attacks to plan and zero rescuing missions. Wishful thinking would make them believe that peace had been restored in the galaxy, and no one knew why.
From the inside, however, the Alliance was falling apart. General Mon Mothma had been missing for two weeks. She disappeared from the base in Coruscant where High Command currently resided. Bail Organa hadn't slept properly in weeks, and Leia and the remaining Generals struggled to properly lead a Rebellion without a leader.
Current circumstances led Bail Organa to take deep breaths in the main meeting room. It was wide and spacious, with a long table in the middle and a whiteboard near the door.
Luke Skywalker walked into the room, followed by a floating cup of coffee, a floating bag of sugar and a spoon in his mouth. He was dressed in black, and Bail wondered if it was intentional. “What’s up?” asked Luke with a yawn.
Bail wondered how to possibly address this calmly. He was anything but calm, and he didn't want to spread his panic, but if there was anyone in the base that could handle the truth it was Luke.
He took a deep breath. “Darth Vader is outside," confessed Bail, and the floating cup almost fell to the floor but Luke caught it, “He wants to talk.”
Luke took the spoon out of his mouth and stared at Bail as if he was a stranger. “He wants to talk? Oh,” he laughed, “I think I have some caf left. Should I go and ask him if he takes it with sugar before the kettle boils?”
Bail refused to see traits of Luke's father in him because Luke was nothing like Anakin Skywalker. He wasn't as close to him as Padmé was, rest her soul, but he heard stories from the clone wars. Luke wasn't impulsive or reckless, but sometimes they were too alike, and in moments like these he could firmly remember Obi-Wan Kenobi’s complaints about Anakin’s sarcasm.
“Enough. This is serious.”
Luke sat in an empty chair next to Bail, opening the sugar bag and mixing the beverage. “I am serious. Are you? We should be evacuating the base right now. How does he even know we're here?” he said as he blew air to the cup. He looked at the room and saw a bin on the other side of it, and used the Force to throw the bag of sugar into it.
“Leia’s onto it as we speak.” said Bail, who could hardly keep up with the Force gestures. He had been a Senator, not a Jedi.
“Is this about Mothma? I thought you said the Empire had nothing to do with it.”
“Force knows what he wants.” muffled Bail under his breath. If Darth Vader wanted to attack the base he wouldn't wait outside the door, and the perimeter around the base had been checked. He was alone, and there was no imperial presence within a few miles. Considering their base was near the center of Coruscant, a few hundred miles of no imperial control were rare.
“Are we seriously letting him in?” asked Luke, taking a sip of caf and ignoring how it burnt his tongue, at least it distracted his body from the adrenaline. He had run into Vader's TIE Fighter a couple of times before, but he had never met him in person, and up until a minute ago he never thought he would.
Bail smiled politely. “Five more minutes, let’s give Leia some time to evacuate everyone. I also need you to do something for me. It's not much but I must guarantee your safety.”
“I'm capable of handling myself,” protested Luke, and accidentally made a chair float on the other side of the room. "It's not my first day in the Alliance."
“Need I remind you that your father was a Jedi and you’re carrying his lightsaber and name for anyone to see? I suggest you use a different name,” said Bail, “and hide your weapon.”
Luke's lightsaber flew out of his belt and into the ventilation shaft. “Do you have any spare names, then?” asked Luke humorously.
Bail thought for a moment. “Ben Starkiller?”
The chair in the air hit the ground. “Ben Starkiller! You must be joking,” he laughed, “I admit my own name is ridiculous but a star killer? Bail, that was the death star.” A pinch of guilt stung his soul. “Are you meeting him in this room?”
Bail nodded. “I suppose, it's not like he called in for a reservation.” He wiped the cold sweat from his front. “We better get going now. I don't think it's wise to keep him waiting, Commander Starkiller.”
Luke rolled his eyes at the new alias and jogged along. Bail found it impressive that even under tense circumstances Luke remained cheerful. They reached the entrance and Luke was starting to feel cold, even under layers of black clothing. The Force felt weird. “How long has he been waiting?”
Bail looked at his watch nervously, his mouth dry. “Twenty minutes.”
“Rare for an imperial.”
“Even rarer for a Sith Lord.”
“What? Waiting?” asked Luke.
“That, and showing up to talk.”
Luke raised his shields higher than usual, nearly disappearing from the Force. He felt like he lost a limb, and knew he would have to adapt to this if he didn't want to die.
Bail took a deep breath and opened the door with shaky hands, and Luke felt someone's surprise on the other side.
He took a step back.
Darth Vader had already scanned the base from the few seconds the door was open. It was what he suspected. “I trust the evacuation has gone well.”
* * *
Luke had heard descriptions of Darth Vader, but nothing could have prepared him for the sheer cold that hit him through the Force. He had to physically hold himself back from shivering, or else he would give away his Force-sensitivity and that would be the last thing he would do.
Darth Vader was not a cyborg. The man in front of him was tall, but not a giant as people described. He wore dark clothing and boots with a bit of a platform and a silky black cloak, but what got the most of Luke’s attention was his mask. Luke heard that people with health complications wore masks to aid the breathing process, but the man had no medical systems attached to his body. It seemed pretty useless to him.
Bail opened his mouth to speak but Vader interrupted him. “Let us spare the pleasantries, General Organa. Regardless of what you thought would happen here, I come to discuss a proposition.” he said eerily calm, his voice half-robotic by the mask.
They both wondered how Darth Vader knew Bail's name since his identity to the Empire was a secret. But if Darth Vader somehow knew the location of this base perhaps the imperials knew more than they suspected.
“Of course, Lord Vader,” said Bail, clenching his teeth in fear, and then gestured to Luke, “This is Commander Starkiller and he will be joining us.”
Luke nodded in acknowledgment, ignoring his hatred and fear of the man, but Vader paid him no attention. They walked past him and Luke shivered. The closer he was to Darth Vader physically, the more the Force screamed in his ear. It felt like burning and then being thrown into cold water. All his senses ached, but he merely blinked and followed them.
The image was ridiculous: Darth Vader stood taller than Bail and occasionally tilted his helmet to inspect the base, and Luke was never more glad that Leia evacuated. There probably were missiles pointed at the base right now.
Bail guided them into the previous room and took a seat at the giant table and Luke hovered uncomfortably behind him. Darth Vader didn't sit but stood opposite him, hands behind his back. “I have been informed of the recent developments with your leader.”
Bail clenched his fists under the table but maintained his impassive face. Both Luke and Vader sensed his anxiety. “From what sources?”
“The Empire is not responsible for her disappearance.” said Vader.
“And why should I take your word for truth, Lord Vader?”
Vader created a tornado in the Force and Luke almost flinched. “It is not of my concern what you do. I wish to discuss a proposition. I am here to...” he said fast, and then hesitated at the next words, “...aid you in your search.”
Luke felt a shiver on his neck, but Bail Organa was, as most trained politicians were, unimpressed. “Now, why would you do that?”
“The Emperor has not been seen nor heard of during the last two weeks. This is an extremely rare occurrence, and I have received an anonymous transmission that stated he has been kidnapped.”
Luke couldn't believe what he was hearing. He wanted to jump into his X-Wing and leave the atmosphere to get rid of his adrenaline. The Emperor was probably dead. They should be celebrating. The war could be over!
Bail spoke. “I understand that both occurrences are not coincidental, but I fail to understand what are your personal interests in recovering our leader. You have enough work with rescuing the Emperor, why aid the enemy?”
“The aforementioned transmission we received,” said Vader, “was an ultimatum.”
Bail frowned for a second and then regained his façade back.
Vader's presence in the Force shifted towards annoyance. “The Empire must be disassembled or the life of the Emperor is at stake.”
“You must understand how beneficial that is to us.” said Bail without a second thought.
“Your leader is also missing, what are the chances this was a double kidnapping? The war would stop if both leaders are missing.” said Vader, his anger flooding the room. Luke only showed his discomfort by blinking slower and staring ahead. He felt like his bones would break any moment. He wanted to put distance between Darth Vader and him, or simply tell him to calm down.
“Why would anyone want to kidnap two leaders that oppose each other? It would only be natural to kidnap one of them and dismantle the other.” asked Bail.
“Precisely, General. Now that we have seemed to reach common ground, I suggest truce for the time being until both are rescued.”
“Truce will not rescue them.” stated Bail.
“Truce will give us a window of opportunity to collaborate in the search tasks. If I am right in believing that the same person is behind both kidnappings, then there is a high chance that the kidnapping circumstances were similar. I offer cooperation and suggest, for your sake, that you take it.”
Bail was beyond words. The Emperor missing explained the Empire's low activity the last two weeks and it was his duty to keep it that way. But if Darth Vader was telling the truth and there was someone capable of kidnapping Palpatine, a Sith Lord, there was a new danger to the galaxy. More than the Emperor.
“I accept.”
Darth Vader seemed to be immune to any sorts of emotions or physical reactions. “I trust this base has been evacuated for no reason?”
“I will not disclose–”
Vader, sensing his thoughts, interrupted him. “There is no time for that. We will take on the search ourselves, unless you have some other pressing matters at hand?” he asked with a hint of threat.
Luke's bones felt like they were being shattered, so he spoke without thinking. “I believe that is a yes. I think as of now there is nothing more important than rescue.”
Vader's never-ending rage was a tsunami that stopped at Luke's voice. Luke thought he might have overestimated his freedom of speech as a simple bodyguard, as sickening as that was to him.
“Commander Starkiller, was it not?” asked Vader, addressing Luke.
Luke nodded one time, maintaining straight eye contact with the man in front of him. To his own surprise, he didn't feel fear but curiosity. The only Force-sensitive he had ever met was Ben Kenobi and he hadn’t heard from him since he left Tatooine. But bonding with the enemy over something only one of you knows you share wasn’t a good idea. Neither was bonding with the Empire and certainly not bonding with Darth Vader.
“Are you a bodyguard?” asked Vader.
Bail spoke for him. “For the purpose of this meeting, yes. Commander Starkiller is the best at what he does. He will be of great assistance.”
Luke ignored what 'the best at what he does' meant. The Empire still had a bounty placed on the pilot that destroyed the Death Star. He couldn't afford the compliments now.
“Very well. I suppose the disappearance was in this building?” asked Vader.
“Yes, she had a meeting scheduled but did not come. Commander Starkiller found her commlink near the hangar doors.” said Bail. Luke refused to believe he was going to play detective with Darth Vader. Had he been told that when he woke up that this would be his life, he wouldn't have believed it.
Bail led them to an emergency exit near the main hangar where Luke found Mothma's commlink a week ago. Vader's presence in the Force was like glass that shattered and put itself back together every few minutes. Sometimes it shattered because of external stimuli, other times for reasons unknown to Luke. Darth Vader was curious to observe, he just had to make sure Vader didn't know he was being observed.
“Was she Force-sensitive?” asked Vader, “This room is flooded with the Force.”
Luke cursed himself for not realising he practically stunk from the Force. It was not a habit he was used to as nobody around him was Force-sensitive to notice his trails. “We don't know, sir. She might have been, but she's never shown any particular abilities.” said Luke. According to Han his years of spying made him a damn good liar.
“You do not need to show any particular abilities to be Force-sensitive, Commander.” spat Vader.
“I wouldn't know, sir. You're the first Force-sensitive I have met.” answered Luke, annoyed. Bail was throwing daggers at him with his eyes.
“Is that supposed to please me anyhow, Commander?” said Vader, his tone dangerous.
Bail was sweating. He didn't understand how Obi-Wan could handle Luke’s father, because he certainly couldn't keep Luke out of danger. The boy was a magnet.
Luke was testing waters to see how far he could go with Vader. If he had to work with him, he couldn't keep walking around eggshells and scanning for any signs of murder. “It would be better for you if it pleased you, but I just want to get this done so everything can go back to normal,” explained Luke, and all eyes landed on him. “Which, by the way, what does the Force have to do with anything? Maybe whoever took her has it.”
Vader snorted silently. “I believe that would not be possible.”
“Why not?” asked Luke.
“Because the Emperor is very strong in the Force. If whoever took him knew this, the kidnapping was suicide on their part.” said Vader, admitting to himself that he wouldn't have shared this information with anyone. He was going to kill Organa and the Commander by the time their work was over.
Luke moved to inspect a metal box connected to the gate, and Vader watched him closely.
“The gate is unopenable from the exterior. This system prevents it. Whoever took her came from the inside.” explained Vader. Luke sighed and continued dismantling the system wire by wire, careful not to break it so he could put it back together later.
“Impossible. Why would anyone from the Alliance kidnap its own leader?” asked Bail.
“Why do terrorist organisations end up dismantling themselves from the inside?” replied Vader with the same tone.
Bail flinched at the use of words and glanced at Luke. He knew it was a touchy subject for him after destroying the death star. Luke said he heard all the screams and panic within his own heart, but it had to be done. Bail saw traces of Padmé in him that day, and his heart grew for the boy.
“All organisations can be dismantled from the outside or from the inside. The method doesn't matter, the outcome does.” said Luke casually, as if discussing the weather and not being accused of terrorism by Darth Vader.
Vader was impressed. He knew that Bail was faking his calmness because he was a politician, but the boy was something else. Not only had he openly opposed him several times now, but he was also refusing his accusations. He was also impressed at how skilled the boy was in mechanics. He had only looked at the opening system and was already pulling out wires with surgical precision and discussing the wiring possibilities and how the gate could be opened. He kept interrupting Luke's monologue by correcting him on the most technical aspects of the wiring, but Luke just nodded and continued his work, not wanting to argue back.
Meanwhile, Luke was holding back hysterical sobs ever since Darth Vader mentioned the Force. Han’s assurances that he was a good liar maintained his confidence each time Vader stared at him, almost trying to look through him. Luke cared more about his cover as 'Ben Starkiller, the door-opening-system mechanic, a stranger to whatever “the Force” was', than his actual place as an investigator.
Vader had proposed dismantling the system to see if there was any wiring that could indicate the door was opened from the outside. Luke thought it was a good idea, even if he simply nodded and did what was asked of him. He took the opportunity to try his personal plan. After all, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and Force help him if he wasn't going to at least try to milk the cow.
“You're good at this, sir.” said Luke nonchalantly while following a wire with his finger to its start.
When Vader didn't answer, he tried again. “Have you ever worked with these types of systems before?” he asked, eyes locked inside the box. “The wiring is terrible.”
Vader deadpanned and wondered if the boy was attempting to make small talk with him. Just before he was about to scold him for inappropriate manners, Luke spoke again.
“Got it. This one's odd.” he said, handing over one small yellow wire to Vader. He took it hesitantly, almost expecting it to explode. Luke then stretched and yawned and Vader was grateful he was wearing his mask because he was annoyed.
“Your lack of manners is most unacceptable.”
“But this cable stands out. It doesn't match the manufacturer.” said Luke, ignoring the Empire's second in command scolding of him.
“This is what happens when you purchase wiring from external manufacturers. Since you clearly know enough about security systems, Commander, why don't you request you handle the wiring of all rebel bases yourself?” asked Vader, with a hint of mockery and warning in his robotic voice.
Luke was still actively milking the cow, searching for his lightsaber through the Force just to secure its location. “Nah, that’s too much work,” he said, wiping his hands on a cloth that lay in a shelf, “Besides, things like this don’t usually happen around here. Kidnappings!” he smiled, “Nobody would break in if it wasn't with a goal. Besides, again— if you wanted to enter from the outside you would need to change the entire wiring and that takes too long without anybody noticing. And not only change it but purchase it and hide any visible marks of modification. Besides–”
Bail, who had been watching the interaction with terror, had enough. “Ben.”
“Besides,” continued Luke, “the kidnapper would have to be very clueless to do that without first getting rid of that security camera.”
Bail's neck snapped into the direction of Luke's hand and saw a small black dot in the upper corner of a room. “The footage has probably been wiped after the evacuation.”
“I don't see any reasons for us to wipe it if we knew the evacuation was temporary and we would be staying here. Have any of the Generals checked it before they left?” asked Luke, and Vader couldn't believe their stupidity. The rebels wouldn't last a day aboard the Executor, where everything and everyone operated on millimetric precision.
Bail frowned. “What do you mean? I thought you checked it.” he whispered.
Luke frowned back. “No I didn't! Where did you get that from?”
“The lady in charge of security told me there was no need for checking because Commander Sk-Starkiller had already done so!” said Bail, dropping his calm voice.
Luke walked to him. “Well, I am telling you now, I didn't check anything. And who is that woman you’re talking about? Herik is in charge of security...?”
That's all it took for Vader to snap. “Do you agree that the kidnapping was an inside job or are you still going to argue over pointless matters?”
Luke tightened his jaw and simply nodded. It's not like had any other choice. He was sure Darth Vader was already being patient enough with them. He looked at Darth Vader and felt like he was staring at him too, but luckily they both sensed Bail's growing anxiety and turned to look at him.
Bail was reaching for his commlink as fast as he could. “Cancel the meeting. Do you copy? General, cancel the meeting.”
“What meeting?” asked Darth Vader with the loose wire in his black globe. Luke stood next to him, equally confused, wiping his oily hands on a cloth.
From the commlink a voice answered and Bail held onto the commlink for his dear life, forgetting his oath not to show weakness in front of Darth Vader. “Cancel the meeting and put the other base on lockdown.”
“What's going on?” asked Leia. “I can't cancel the meeting, everyone's already here.”
“Great, keep them in there. Invent some excuse, talk them through it— you know best. But under any circumstances, don't let anyone walk out of the building. Enhance the security measures and don't allow anyone but Herik,” he said and then stopped to look at Luke, to confirm if the name was correct, to which Luke nodded, “...to enter the security room. I will be there as soon as possible.”
Darth Vader crossed his arms and spoke. “You have decided to keep the other base in lockdown and search for the woman yourself. But going back and forth will only kill time, which we do not currently have. I suggest a split-up.” said Vader, and for a massive murderer Bail had to admit Darth Vader made sense.
“Commander Starkiller and I will inquire about this wiring at the manufacturers’ headquarters. You will keep the second base locked and find the woman. Commander, do you have any means to contact this man?”
Luke frowned at the strange use of words but nodded.
“Very well,” said Vader, storming out of the room. “Commander, follow me.”
Bail and Luke looked at each other in panic, trying to process what had happened in the last hour. They talked with their gazes and Luke nodded slowly, trying to reassure Bail that he would be alright. He jogged to keep up with Vader's speed, following the path of rage and ice through the Force.
It was in vain because Bail was already head deep as to how he was going to tell Leia that Luke and Darth Vader had just bonded over a wire.