Chapter 26

Are you ready, Liane?" Luke said, standing near a small speeder just outside Ben's home. Liane leapt the stairs and laughed at him.

"Here, I am, Luke,"She said.

"Get on the passenger's seat," Luke said, while he close the durasteel door. He walked to the other side of the speeder, jumped at the driver's seat and started the engine.

The first three days, Liane had taken plenty of time to rest as Luke had demanded. He had explained to her why she needed time to recover, not only from their unexpected flight from the Ewok village, but also from her very intensive care given to the last four wounded Ewoks. Liane had accepted his arguments, for she also recalls what Ben Kenobi had told her about her use of her own Force energy.

After three days which she spend leisurely, Liane had to admit that the obligatory long nights with deep sleep had given her her strength and energy back. Nevertheless, before falling asleep, her thoughts also had dwindled on her Force experience in Leia's cabin as she had touched the holographic image of Luke and felt his hidden pain. She also had recalled the strange voice which had told her that she and Luke formed a dyad in the Force. She had kept all these rather confusing thoughts to herself, as she decided she didn't want to bother Luke with it, feeling that he had enough other things to worry about.

Luke hadn't bothered Liane with any Jedi knowledge. He had spent much time telling her of his many adventures during his time with the Rebel Alliance, knowing she loved those tales. She had told him more about her life on Morantan; not her Force education under his father's guidance, but what knowledge the various teachers that Anakin had brought to Morantan had imparted to her. Luke was impressed by the many areas of knowledge that Liane had mastered. He had to admit that Anakin had taken his job as her foster father very seriously. He told her about his own education on his uncle's moisture farm and the Anchorhead schools which he had attended.

While Luke drove along at an average speed through the canyons of the Jundland Wastes, the canyons were coloring in the oncoming sunrise. Liane enjoyed the ride through the deep dry ravines, where the canyon walls were towering high above them, reflecting the light of Tatooine's twin suns in all kinds of colors, purple, brown-yellow and numerous variations of red. Finally the canyons opened up and revealed a broad spur of a sandy desert, the Dune Sea.

Curious and feeling excited, Liane looked through the windscreen at the horizon, where the already vibrating air caused the landscape to pass into the hazy blue of the sky. Around them there was nothing but dunes, some last rocky outcrops and sand, sand everywhere. Amazed, Liane cast a quick glance at Luke every now and then. He seemed to know exactly where he was heading.

The drive along the edge of the Dune Sea took some time, but at last they reached the sandy plains, where only a few far-off, half-hidden, domed homesteads hidden in the sand were the sole evidence of human life. Their residents were fighting a difficult battle with the hostile climate.

Liane's thoughts wandered to Morantan, a planet lit by a medium-sized star at a distance that life was possible. There were dense forests and green hills, high bare mountains and deep valleys cut out by rivers. There was plenty of water. She remembered the many expeditions with a raft on the rivers, which, especially in springtime, flowed through their beds with thunderous force. She compared her old memories with the other planets where she had been. From Dalmaran and Wegoyy she only remembered the spaceport and the prison complex; except for the mountainous range and the deep canyons on Wegoyy where she had lived with the Draga; Bestine on Rasth had been beautiful with many flower beds, the neatly maintained lawns and hanging flower pots; Endor had been a jungle with very tall trees; and now Tatooine a rocky, desert with a hot climate.

Once again she glanced sideways to Luke, but he had his attention in the controls of the land racer. The heat of Tatooine made her feel drowsy. Suddenly Luke cut off the engine and the speeder came to a stop. Liane looked up. Immediately she felt Luke's confusion and great discomfort. A few meters away she saw the nearly visible ruins of a destroyed, largely under-stewed moisture farm.

Luke's artificial hand was clenching the steering of the speeder. The strong emotions on his face, the devastated look in his eyes and the grim line of his lips, told Liane what they were looking at. These were the ruins of Luke's former home. With a gentle gesture she put her hand on his arm, reaching out to the Force to surround him with her feelings of compassion. In her mind some blurred images of the burning, smoking buildings with an devastated young farm boy who had lost everything of his youth in one fell swoop, watching the burning ruins, appeared. Luke was still staring at the ruins.

"I didn't intend to come across this place. I must have been mistaken in the direction," he murmured.

'Luke, the looks of this place are hurting you. I feel they do,' "You can share your painful emotions with me, if you want," Liane said partly using Jedi telepathy to comfort him without spoken words.

Tightly Luke grabbed her hand, as if he sought some comfort for the deep felt emotions that threatens to overwhelm him. Liane saw him swallow. Gently she put her other hand over his in an attempt to let him know, that she wanted to share his pain and give him comfort.

After some moment Luke slowly withdrew his hand and jumped out of the speeder. Liane followed him and slipped her hand into his gloved hand. Hand in hand they watched the ruins of a once flourishing homestead for a long time in silence.

Finally Luke began to speak, his voice full of emotions.

"I was here after those stormtroopers had set fire to it. The corpses of uncle Owen and aunt Beru had been dumped outside. Their remains were disfigured and burned. And now, after all these years this is all, that is left of the place that I once called home. It almost nothing, just ruins! The Jawa's, and Tusken Raiders must scavenge the place and have taken everything they could use."

He turned to Liane and his finger closed tightly around her hand, before he continued.

"My uncle, Owen Lars, was Anakin's step brother. He and his wife Beru adopted me, after Ben had asked them to take care of Anakin's son. Ben never told them I had a twin sister. I grew up as their nephew. Although uncle Owen gave me a tough upbringing; he and aunt Beru loved me and I loved them too. We cared for each other. I've blamed myself that I wasn't at home, when the farm was raided, but Ben was right, when he said that I would have been killed too. Darth Vader's stormtroopers were known to act without mercy."

He spoke more to himself than to Liane. He turned to her and grimaced bitterly about his memories.

"My uncle absolutely disagreed with my ideas, for I dreamt of becoming a pilot, just like my friend Biggs, I wanted to live a more adventurous life, fight the Empire, see other planets, a desire that became stronger, when I grew older. Uncle Owen wanted me to succeed him as a moisture farmer and I only wanted to find a way to leave Tatooine one way or the other. "

"Did you bury them, Luke? Did you say goodbye to them?" Liane asked in a whisper.

Luke shook his head.

"I couldn't. I felt so devastated and in shock, that I turned around and ran off as quickly as I could. I drove headlong back to the spot where Ben and I had discovered the ruined sandcrawler and the dead Jawas. I don't know if, afterwards, any of the neighbors gave them a decent funeral. I even don't know where they are buried. When I visited Anchorhead during one of my first longer stays at Ben's house, I lacked the courage to asked anyone. It must sound very odd, but nobody recognized me in Anchorhead as I visited the local market. Nobody seemed to remember a farm boy called Luke Skywalker. As a matter of fact this is the first time I've seen this place again, after Ben and I went to Mos Eisley and left Tatooine in a hurry. It isn't easy to face this part of my life, for I still feel guilty about what happened to them. They were the only family I've had. Even after I found out that Leia was my twin sister I've never had a family life again as with my uncle and aunt. I'm glad you're with me, Liane. for I sense you understand what I'm going through right now."

He still held Liane's hand tightly in his. Liane only nodded, surrounding him with her compassion and care. Luke withdrew his hand and put his arm around her shoulder, gently he pulled her to him. He sensed how she sought a way, using the Force, to comfort him and ease his pain.

"I will tell you more about my family later, Liane. I want you to get to know my uncle and my aunt through my stories. Living and working on a moisture farm isn't a very exciting life, but it has been the only life I once knew," Luke said.

He cast a last look at the ruins of the homestead, and nodded thoughtfully.

"Within a couple of years nothing will be left of it, and it will be, as if they never lived here, if they never have existed," He said in husky voice, "We're going back to Ben's house, Liane? I'm no longer in the mood to go to Anchorhead. I need to do some Jedi meditation to restore my balance in the Force again."

Luke pulled her with him to the speeder. Before Liane sat down at the passenger seat, she looked at the ruins of the underground farm. Luke's old home; ruined because the empire had been looking for some droids his uncle had bought from a bunch of Jawas. The empire had done so much evil to the galaxy: suppression, betrayal, murder. So many innocent people and other living beings had suffered under yoke of domination. Luke had followed her look and her train of thoughts. He felt how this unexpected encounter with his past, had touched her emotionally too. She turned to him.

"What you said about them, isn't really true, Luke. Maybe there won't be anything left of this house, but your uncle and aunt will be remembered by those who knew them well: you, their fellow farmers, the settlers in Anchorhead. Probably some of them still wonder what has happened to them."

Before he started the engine of the speeder, Luke gave her hand another grateful press. He turned the speeder around and without further comment he drove back to the Jundland Wastes.

"Welcome, captain Phylotar. I want a reliable explanation for the escape of the girl and that Jedi. You promised me, that your special elite forces would bring them to me in no time, "The voice sounded cold and angry.

"PROBABLY! POSSIBLY! YOU FAILED ME, CAPTAIN PHYLOTAR!" The voice rumbled outraged, "The girl and that Jedi have fled the jungle village, Skywalker's space ship has left the planet and nobody knows if he has taken his sister with him."

"I'll find them back for you, sir. I have my informants. I..."

Suddenly Rand Phylotar had the feeling that his body started burning. Electric bolts seemed to surround his body emanating from a point on the dais where the voice had come from.

"S...ir," he moaned, "I..."

"TOO LATE, CAPTAIN. I have set some bounty hunters on her. They will finish this job."

"S...ir, I... " Rand raised his arms, desperately trying to defend himself against the electric charges, that surrounded him and penetrated his body, causing an almost unbearable pain.

"S...ir, I..."

Then everything went black.

"Imprison him, but keep him alive. When the girl and Skywalker are mine, I will deal with him. Maybe the girl should should punish him. She certainly will enjoy his death, for he is her enemy."

Two droids dragged the unconscious captain away.

"Any news of the bounty hunters?"

"No, My Lord. But they will find her," His droid majordomos answered.

"It's time to take new measures. I have to do some investigations on Endor at once. If I put pressure on the leaders of that indigenous tribe of simple tree bears, they will reveal the location where I can find Liane Vader and her Jedi friend. That will speed up things."

The mysterious person rushed through the corridor to his communication center.

"Have you any news about the Basilisæa?" He asked.

"It's still fully operational and in use at the moment, master," One of the four droids replied.

"Is colonel Vestor still in command?"

"We're working on it, master, but we have to report an oddity," The droid said.

"What do you mean, droid?" The mysterious person asked impatiently.

"We have secretly send some probing reconnaissance audio signs to find the current location of the Basilisæa."

"Yes, and further,"

"Master, those signals bounced back almost immediately. The analysis of the echoing signals has pinpointed the Basilisæa in the Urervik cluster. The ship is in range of the Palomintar System."

"That's a very lucky coincidence. Are you able to relay messages to it?"

"Our communication system can reach the Basilisæa, master."

"Excellent, but first you have to make sure that colonel Vestor is the Basilisæa's commander. If he is, you should jam, or bypass their main communication systems and send an encrypted message to the private messaging system of the commander, but be cautious, don't reveal our communication system as the source. Order... no send a flattering greeting to the commander, telling him I want to have private holographic conversation with him as soon as possible."

"We will do as you wish, master," the droid answered humbly.

The dark figure returned to his main cave, sat down in his chair and activated the pedestal. With a soft hum the holographic image of Darth Vader appeared.

"Greetings, Lord Vader. Your son and daughter seem to have escaped me once again, but not for long. I will go after them myself very soon. And then, Lord Vader, together with your offspring I will annihilate the New Republic and the Provisional Council on Coruscant rebuild the Empire, a second Empire, greater and more powerful than the first one. Palpatine made a big mistake to oversee the final construction of the Second Death Star personally. He should have left that to you, Lord Vader, and stayed on Coruscant in seclusion, like he had done for so many years. He should have known that those rebels would take every chance to destroy him. It's a pity he refused an audience with me. I wanted to offer him my expertise in this matter, but I was denied access to his audience chamber, but I won't make the same mistake. As soon as your son and daughter have been brought to Palomintar Four I will keep them with me in this underground cave network and after I have them seduced to Dark Side, they will be my eyes and ears. I will rule this galaxy through them, but no one, except your offspring, will enter this hidden fortress. "

He laughed menacingly.

"I have learned from your mistakes, Lord Vader. They won't overthrow me as they did you and Palpatine."

'Your overconfidence will be your undoing, admiral Trevor Matrik.' A rumbling voice sounded.

The dark figure looked at the statue of the former Sith Lord.

"That rank and name don't mean anything to me, Lord Vader. I told you before that everyone's darker emotions can seduce him to the Dark Side, even a Jedi Knight, and so can your son and daughter. I have witnessed your daughter's emotional outbursts more than once. No, Lord Vader, everything is going according to my plans. The net is closing around your son and daughter and there's no one to help them. "

Ian Tydon woke up startled and sat upright on his couch. The images of a vivid nightmare made him feel agitated and nervous. He wiped some sweat of his forehead. His face expressed his deep felt concern and worry. Slowly he laid down on his back again and stared at the ceiling. Through the window the moving lights of Irithim were playing a chasing game on it.

"Liane is in danger," He murmured and wiped his forehead again, "There are bounty hunters after her! Darth Golluth has put a price on her head. He wants her to be brought to an underground cave."

Again he sat upright and frowned.

"Darth Golluth has ...? Who is Darth Golluth, anyhow? I've never heard of a person going by that name. Where does he live? Is that underground cave his stronghold? What does he want of Liane? What does he want her for? Does my master know this guy? I must ask her tomorrow and mentioned this strange name to her. Maybe she knows more about him?"

A soft knock on the door took him out of his musings.

"Ian," a woman's voice said softly, "You are awake, aren't you?"

Ian jumped off his sleeping couch and reach for his dressing gown.

"Coming, master," He said loud enough to be heard through the door. Quickly he tied the sash of his gown around his waist. He opened the door and looked into Leia's eyes.

"What can I do for you, master?" He asked politely.

"Are you feeling alright, my young padawan?"

He noticed her concerned look.

"I'm alright, master. I had a nightmare that's all. Is anything wrong?"

"That nightmare has disturbed you, hasn't it? I feel your worries. What's wrong with it? What did it show you?" Leia asked and looked up to him.

Ian nodded.

"Well yes, master. I saw Liane. She was running while some droids seemed to be after her. There also was a man in a strange uniform shouting at she should stop."

"Wasn't my brother with her?" Leia asked.

Ian heard a special Force intonation in her voice. She was using her skills as a Jedi to influence him. She wanted him to look further, beyond the images of his disturbing dream.

"I haven't seen master Luke, master. I only saw Liane. She wasn't on Endor either. She was ... "

He closed his eyes for a moment.

"She was running through a town, a city. I saw houses, streets, domed buildings. The surrounding looked eerie, because I only saw Liane, those droids and that man, but no one else, absolutely one else. The streets looked empty, deserted. The deserted streets made a strange impression, like they had been abandoned for a long time. The man kept yelling at her, but she didn't listen."

Ian stopped suddenly and stammered, "He yelled that someone called Darth Golluth was waiting for her. Master, who is Darth Golluth? Have you ever heard that name? He seems to be the one who is looking for Liane. What does he want her for?"

"Get dressed, Ian, and come to the living. We have to talk about that dream," Leia said seriously.

Ian heard a concerned tone in Leia's voice.

"Yes, master," He said.

He went back inside and grabbed his pants and his tunic. Quickly he dressed and strapped on his Jedi utility belt. Then he grab his brown robe. Before he left the room, he sat down in a meditation position and took some moments to turn inwards and use the Force to get calm. Feeling one with the Force again, he relaxed and went straight to the living room. Before he entered he straightened his outfit.

'Come in, my padawan, and have yourself a seat. I'll be right with you,' Leia's calm voice sounded in his mind as the door slid aside.

Ian Tydon entered the room. He saw no one, but he knew, how a Jedi could use the Force from a distance. Leia was probably still in her private rooms, but she had noticed his presence. She was a great teacher, patient and compassionate. Her knowledge of the Force was tremendous, she was as good as her brother.

"Feeling alright again, Ian." Leia asked as she entered the large common living room of the apartment, she and her brother had bought.

"Much better, master, I did some Jedi meditation. It helped me to get calm again."

"Excellent. I feel that the nightmare that woke you up, is no longer disturbing your mind."

Behind Leia Threepio and Artoo had come in. Ian nodded friendly to the two droids.

"Good evening, master Tydon," Threepio said and Artoo whistled a binary flow of beeps as a greeting.

"Good evening to both of you," Ian said with a smile looking at Artoo.

"Tell me, Ian, do you know why I want to have a word with about the images you saw in that dream?" Leia said quietly.

"Because I felt very upset about them, master? Or because I mentioned that strange name: Darth Golluth?" Ian said.

"Both. Ian, for you haven't been dreaming. You had your first Force vision. The Force has shown you some possible images about what might happen to Liane Solichor. It's the future you have seen. A lot of our knowledge comes from the ability we have to see things that are going to happen or might happen in the future."

Ian look puzzled and surprised.

"You mean, there really is someone, named Darth Golluth and he is really looking for Liane?"

"Possibly. We have to find out the deeper meaning of your vision. Can you concentrate on the Force at the moment and recall what you have seen in your vision. Tell me what you see."

Ian concentrated on the Force. Again the images of his dream appeared in his mind.

"I only see Liane, master. She seems to be alone in that city. No one else is with her, so I'm absolutely sure that master Luke isn't with her. At first there are seven droids going after her, later I saw only two and that man in an unknown uniform."

"Can you describe that uniform?" Leia asked in her soft Jedi voice.

"I don't recognize those clothes. It's grey with darker stripes. I've never seen something like it before. Wait, I can see him more clearly now. He is wearing odd badges on his cap and on the lapels of his jacket. I will make a drawing of it."

Ian raised his hand and from Leia's desk a stylus and a data pad levitated and floated in his direction.

Leia smiled amused and approvingly. Her padawan had completely surrendered himself to the Force. It was amazing how he trusted the influence of the Force on his actions so unconditionally. Luke had made a great choice; Ian would be a great Jedi Knight in the future. At the moment he also was a wonderful companion in her brother's absence. His old training as an officer had made him aware of servitude and his natural behavior was influenced by kindness, compassion and respect. Good skills for a future Jedi Knight. That was why she had decided to let him live with her in her apartment.

Ian had taken the stylus and the data pad and made a rough sketch of the insignia he had seen.

"It looks something like this, master," He said and showed Leia the result of his drawing. Leia cast a surprised look on the datapad and shook her head.

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely, master."

Leia pushed several buttons on the data pad and gave it back to Ian.

"Compare your drawing with this overlay, Ian."

Now Ian was astonished.

"Yes, that's it. You recognized it, master?"

"Yes, those are the insignias of the imperial forces from Coruscant."

"You mean: that man is wearing the former uniform of an imperial officer."

"Not former; imperial officers are still dressed like this."

Ian again turned inward and said confused, "I always thought it had ended with the death of the emperor, master?"

"In most parts of the galaxy we have established the peace of the New Republic. The New Republic has signed a peace treaty with the Provisional Government on Coruscant. Those two administrative bodies seek a peaceful co-existence in the galaxy, but on the far off borders of the galaxy, the Outer Rim territories, remnants of the imperial forces clash with the forces of the New Republic every now and then. Not everywhere in this galaxy peace has been established. "

"Then a loyal of the emperor is looking for Liane?"

"That imperial officer doesn't have to be a loyal servant of the emperor. He also might be a officer serving a group of imperial forces who haven't yet surrendered themselves. You mentioned the name of Darth Golluth. Possibly he has gathered some imperial officers and ground forces around him, hoping that if he will find Liane Solichor."

"Why would he?"

"Who was Liane foster father, Ian?"

Ian stared at his Jedi master.

"Your kidding, master. He can't be after Liane for that reason."

"He is, my young padawan. The resisting remnants of the imperial army have only one goal: find a new emperor to lead them to glory and restore the empire. They're seeking another emperor, a Sith lord, who possesses the power of the Dark Side to spread fear again. Now I want you to concentrate and look further. Concentrate on the Force and see if you can find out who's the person behind all this. You've already found his name and one of his men, now see if you can find what he looks like."

Leia's voice was now a soft whisper, almost inaudible, but penetrating her padawan's mind. Again Ian surrendered to the Force, but all of a sudden his eyes widened and his breath became quicker.

"Master, Darth Golluth has captured Liane. He is keeping her hostage. Master, we must go and help her, before he might ..."

"Control and listen to the Force, my young padawan. These are future images and although we can see images of the future; it's not sure that what we see, will really happen. Probably Liane is still on Endor with Luke ."

Ian shook his head.

"No, master, she isn't. She has left Endor. She has been captured in the deserted city! She's in danger."

He wanted to jump to his feet, but Leia grab his arm.

"I've told to mind the Force, Ian. Concentrate again on the person who is calling himself Darth Golluth, and control your anxieties. Let the Force tell you who he is, what he looks like. Here's the data pad again, perhaps you can make another drawing."

Ian's trembling fingers grabbed the stylus again. He reached out to Force and in trance he started to sketch the outlines of a person wearing a long cassock. Leia recognized the coat of the Jedi Knights, but the color of this one was darker, almost black. She noticed, that Ian's concentration became deeper now, more focussed on what she had asked him. He switched to a blank page on the data pad and line by line Leia saw how the lines revealed a face with a stern frown: a high forehead, dark eyes, a nose, high cheeks, a mouth with pinched lips. The hood of the cassock covered the head. Leia remembered the Sith image of Emperor Palpatine, she had seen so many times during the Civil War. This one had a similar look, but the face hadn't the evil expression of Darth Sidious. It was more a haughty face with an self-concealed look, arrogant and ambitious. Could he be a Sith Lord, like Palpatine had been, or was he still seeking Sith knowledge? Was the New Republic facing a new challenge with the Dark Side of the Force? Would their struggle start all over again? If this person was looking for Liane, then it was obvious that he wanted to exploit the knowledge she had gained from Darth Vader, her foster father. If that was true, than Liane had to be protected and her whereabouts had to be kept hidden from him. Ian had felt that she wasn't on Endor anymore, but that seemed odd. Luke certainly would have contacted her, if for any reason he would have left Endor.

"Luke, Liane still with you, isn't she? Is she alright?" She asked as she close her eyes too and became one with the Force. There was the Ewok village; she concentrated on her brother, but she didn't feel his presence among the tree bears' tribe. So Ian might be right. Luke and Liane weren't on Endor any longer. Had her brother left Endor and taken Liane with him, or had some mercenaries managed to capture Liane and had her brother gone after them.?

She opened her eyes and looked at the drawing on the data pad. The image of a man in his forties was looking at her. It was good, it almost seemed alive.

"Excellent, my young padawan. We'll send this to Quoith. I want our experts to have a look at it and check the old Imperial data for images that match this one."

"Are we going to Endor to find out what has happened, master?"

"Patience, my young padawan."

"But that imperial officer, master, and those droids. Couldn't it be that they have captured Liane on Endor and that master Luke is after them."

"I have give that a thought, young padawan, but remember your vision. You saw no trees; you saw houses and empty streets. So I don't think anything has happened to Liane on Endor. "

Ian sighed relieved. Leia smiled.

"Ian, you have to become aware of your strong emotional feelings for Liane, learn to stay passive, that's important for a Jedi Knight. Don't let those emotions control your behavior, for if that happens you are walking down a dangerous path. "

Although Ian's cheeks became red, he managed to control his embarrassment.

"I like Liane, master, she's an intelligent and friendly woman. Ever since I met her, I have a strong feeling I have to protect her. Tell me, master, if a Jedi Knight's feelings can't be passionate, how can he love and be loved by others?"

Leia laughed.

"Of course a Jedi Knight can give love, but his love must be pure and serene and not be disturbed with some kind of attachment to one single person, for that might lead to jealousy, suspicion, anger, hatred and other anxieties. A Jedi must be fully aware of those dark feelings. Personal attachment to someone in particular can be dangerous for a Jedi Knight, but in time you will learn to control those feelings and if you have, you will know how to express your love to any one without being entangled in a web of darkness."

Ian's face became red again and for a moment he averted his eyes.

Leia thoughts wandered to a rogue space traveler who she still loved. It was already almost six years ago Han had left Irithim. She hasn't heard anything about the Millennium Falcon and her crew. For a moment she cherished her deep love for him, then she rose and turned again to Ian.

"I've just made an attempt to get in touch with my brother. I didn't feel his presences on Endor, so he is no longer there, but Luke will undoubtedly contact me soon. If not , then I'll contact Endor's space port and ask for more information."