Binary Skies

Chapter 5: Rebels

Vader scowled when he lost his grip on the mind of the Jedi he'd seen in the hanger. He'd hoped to dig around a little longer and hopefully kill the man from a distance, but it seemed the Force was on this Jedi's side at the moment.

Still...the appearance of this strange Jedi and the boy from the hanger...this gave Vader something to think about.

"Father!"

The younger boy—a blinding spot in the Force—had called the Jedi father. If this was indeed the case, than the boy could be of use to Vader, allowing Vader to dispose of both father and son in one move if the boy could be used as a weakness against the father.

Or...

Vader allowed himself to entertain another, darker train of thought as he pondered the Jedi's presence. While the son was pure and untainted in the light side of the Force, youth was so easily corruptible. All it would take was a push in the right direction, and the boy would start to spiral towards darkness. The father on the other hand, hadn't been as pure as the boy. Vader had sensed darkness inside the father, showing that he had already been corrupted. He was a bright spot in the Force, but still susceptible to darker influences. Perhaps if Vader managed to possess the son, he could also sway the father...

Or he could just kill them both and be done with it.

Either way, he was intrigued, and as soon as the Rebels were dealt with he would turn his attention to Obi-Wan Kenobi's surprise companions—if they were not killed with the Rebels as well.

Vaguely, Vader wondered why they had been with Kenobi in the first place.

No matter, Vader thought to himself. They will either be dead or under my control soon enough. What their relation is to Kenobi is of no concern.

Whatever Kenobi had planned with or for them will soon be irrelevant, and he will have failed again.

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When Luke saw the stars of space become a blur, he ripped off the headset and let out a relieved cheer of victory, simultaneously making the mistake of trying to stand. A yelp made it past his lips and he managed to catch himself on the chair on his way down.

Han had obviously heard the yelp, because he was there in the next moment.

"You okay kid?" he asked.

Luke nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine...ah...could I get a hand?"

Anakin had heard Luke as well and made his way out of the cockpit to where he found Han helping the young man up the ladder.

Anakin made a mental note to remember that Solo had a good heart beneath his callous outer shell.

Anakin waited patiently at the base of the ladder, at which point the duo touched the deck and turned. Han seemed a little surprised to see Anakin, but made way when the Jedi stepped forward to help Luke.

"Do you have any medical supplies on board?" Anakin asked the smuggler.

Han nodded. "Yeah, behind the lounge seats there's a small med station; it's even got oxygen masks. I'm sure you can find whatever you need there."

Luke sighed, already getting tired of being babied. "Great..."

Anakin chuckled at Luke's disposition, but led him away all the same. "You're a Skywalker, Son, our luck as far as avoiding med-centers goes isn't always the best."

Only after the words were out of his mouth did Anakin rethink them. He grimaced, hoping Luke wasn't stressed over this.

Luke sighed. "Doesn't mean I have to like it," he muttered as Anakin helped him to a sitting position on the small medical bed. Anakin started to poke around for whatever he needed, and Luke decided to risk looking at his leg.