Categories > Movies > Star Wars > Vengeance
DISCLAIMER: See the Prologue.
SPECIAL DISCLAIMER: See the Prologue.
/IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:/ See the Prologue.
A/N: I am SO SORRY for the infrequent updates with this fic. Let's just say that I have other fics which demand more attention than this and have been meaning to get back to sooner.
NOTE: The meeting of our heroes has been glossed and tweaked, as has the meeting with Xizor and his Vigos and the subsequent scene between Xizor and Guri.
Chapter 4
Luke was standing next to the house when they arrived in the landspeeder, already knowing that they were coming.
As Chewie brought the speeder to a stop, Luke smiled and waved in greeting.
"Hey, Luke," Lando greeted him in return.
Chewie growled a greeting, Threepio and Artoo greeted their master in their own respective ways, while Leia just smiled back at her friend.
She may have been in love with Han, but that didn't mean she liked Luke any less. There was something about Luke that radiated calmness and friendship.
Lando explained that the Imperials had some new slicer droids in use, and that they didn't want to take the risk of having any transmissions intercepted. They were about to all head inside to escape the day's heat when Luke told them that they were waiting for someone else.
Luke?
Father, Luke mentally sent back in return. Where are you?
I'm coming right now. Look to the horizon, in the direction from which our friends came.
Luke turned to see a glimmer of something red flying low over the ground. Everyone else turned to see what he was looking at, and they saw it too.
It was a modified Naboo N-1 starfighter, with not the traditional yellow coat but a sleek, eye-catching red.
Where have you been, Father?
Not too far away, Luke. I have spent the past months trying to make reparations for those whom I have wronged in the past, and my host has granted me a brief reprieve.
Why, how did that happen? Luke asked, puzzled.
I'll explain later, Vader promised his son.
The Desert Angel touched down several feet away from them. Vader's new R2 unit, nicknamed "Midnight," disengaged while Vader opened the cockpit and jumped to the ground, using the Force to slow his descent. A hood was drawn up over his head to disguise his mask and help him keep as much anonymity as possible.
Hello again, Father, Luke said, giving his father the mental equivalent of an embrace. He had to forego a physical embrace, since that would have looked odd to their friends.
Son, Vader replied, returning the embrace.
Artoo warbled a happy greeting, and Vader said, "It is also good to see you again, Artoo."
"Hello, Vader," Lando said almost casually. It had been a bit of a shock for him to meet the once-feared Dark Lord of the Sith at first. However, after a few sabacc games and discussions about spaceships like those which Vader had with Han during the former Sith's recovery after the confrontation with the Emperor at Cloud City, Lando got along with the masked man quite well.
"Lando Calrissian," Vader greeted him, with a small bow.
"Come, let's go inside," Luke said, knowing how hot it was and how they had business to get down to. Everyone else happily complied.
Luke was cooking something in the kitchen, and a nice big jug of juri juice sat on the counter.
Ah, so this is where Obi-wan lived after... Vader's train of thought broke off there. It was still something of a painful topic, speaking about Obi-wan Kenobi, especially after regaining his memory. One way or another, Mustafar came to mind...
..."It's over, Anakin!" Obi-wan shouted. "I have the high ground!" he proclaimed, gesturing to the area near the lava flow.
Still standing there on the hovering platform, Anakin only looked up at his former master, who he now saw as an enemy. "You underestimate my power," he said arrogantly.
Obi-wan shook his head, not wanting to have to fight anymore, especially since he knew what his former student was likely to try next. "Don't try it," he said.
Anakin's face hardened, and coiling up his legs whilst calling upon the Force, he leaped high in the area, echoing a battle cry as he came down...
...and landed upon the hot, dirty ground, only his prosthetic right arm remaining, screaming and groaning in pain.
Obi-wan deactivated his lightsaber, looking appalled at what he had to do just to defend himself.
After a moment, his emotions finally broke. "YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE!" he screamed, his voice straining and almost sounding like he wanted to cry. "It was said that you would /destroy the Sith, not join them! That you would bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!"/
Anakin, whose eyes were now glowing like the lava flow he was slowly slipping down towards, looked up at Obi-wan, who had just collected his enemy's lightsaber. "I HATE YOU!" he screamed, his voice now hoarse as he struggled to climb up, away from the deadly lava flow.
Obi-wan looked down at what Anakin had become and turned to, almost too upset for words...
"You were my brother, Anakin," he said sorrowfully. "I loved you."
For one brief moment, Anakin's anger was replaced by sadness, wishing it hadn't come to this -
- and the next moment, his sadness was replaced by excruciating pain as one of his leg stumps caught on fire...
Vader suppressed those memories as best as he could, trying to focus on the here and now.
After pouring cups of juri juice for everyone, they got some small chitchat out of the way and got down to business.
As Vader sipped the refreshing drink, Luke found out why they had come. He even jumped up, ready to go and rescue Han that very moment.
"Whoa, hold on, Luke," Lando said. "Not only do we have to make sure that Sing's there, but we also have to consider that little matter with the Imperial navy."
"Lando's right, Luke," Vader added. "Especially about the Imperial navy. Assuming that nothing major has changed in the past few years since when I still served the Empire, the Enclave stationed at Gall should still be as tough as I remember. Or at least as tough as two Star Destroyers with their seventy-two TIE fighters each can be."
Neither response seemed to deter Luke. "So? I'm sure we can fly circles around those guys."
Leia, Lando and Vader all exchanged glances. Luke certainly didn't lack self-confidence when it came to his flying.
"Besides, Wedge is currently in command of Rogue Squadron, and I'm sure our rejoining them will be fine, since we originally came here to rescue Han, after all. So, I say let's do it."
"Uh, Luke, we should still wait for confirmation that Sing is on Gall, remember?" Lando reminded him. Leia could clearly see Luke's lack of patience here.
Vader wisely took this opportunity to chip in. "You know, Luke, we could still just contact Wedge and the other Rogues first while we're still waiting here."
Luke thought about it for a moment and seemed content with that. Vader was pleased that he could do his part as a father without sounding too fatherly, should anyone else be nearby. The fact that Vader was Luke's father was still a secret that neither of them were ready to reveal to anyone, at least for the moment.
"I'll speak to the leadership," Leia said, going for her comm unit.
Vader could sense that Leia was also impatient to get Han back, but in her own way. As a seasoned former ambassador for the late Imperial Senate, Leia knew how to hide her feelings better. And considering how she wanted Han back more than anyone else, her ability to disguise her emotions was impressive.
Xizor sat at the head of the long table in his private meeting room, conducting a meeting. His nine lieutenants sat around it with varying looks of nervousness on their faces, while Guri stood dutifully behind him.
Each of them had ascended to this level of Black Sun and had earned the honorific of "Vigo" (derived from the old Tionese word for nephew). The point of that was to foster the illusion that the top managers of the organization were family, this making them appear stronger to outsiders.
Unfortunately, however, the appearance was not always the truth. As the old saying went, "Appearances can be deceiving."
One of them was a spy.
It didn't matter who the spy was working for, because that spy would be punished. And just because such things were to be expected in this business did not mean that they could be allowed to let slide.
Around the table, there were Xizor's nine lieutenants... but by the end of this meeting, he would have eight.
But first, there was that normal business of Black Sun to attend to and properly settle.
One by one, they all gave their reports: Lonay the Twi'lek, Sprax the Narloni, Vekker the Quarren, Durga the Hutt, Kreet'ah the Kian'thar, Clezo the Rodian, Wumdi the Etti, Perit the Mon Calamari, and Green the Human.
What a truly diverse group this was, with some of them having worked their way up through the ranks of Black Sun, while others merely built upon fortunes inherited from their fathers (or, in the case of Kreet'ah, his biological mother). They all differed in their ambitions, their aims, their goals... and how they panicked when they realized that they could be in trouble.
After letting them sit and worry for a few minutes, Xizor nodded to Guri, who started to pace around them like a bird of prey around a nest of tempting rodents. Time to get down to business of a different kind now...
"A final item on our agenda, my Vigos. One of your number has seen fit to use his office to betray us. Not content with the millions of credits he has made by my largesse, the awards, bonuses, dividends, and unreported skim that you all indulge yourselves in, this... person has dishonored the title of Vigo."
As Guri continued her slow walk around the table, Xizor continued speaking, slowly, evenly, and betraying nothing in his voice. "There are sublieutenants among your ranks who would cheerfully wipe out entire planets to be given such an opportunity as you all have been given. To be a Vigo in Black Sun is to enjoy more power than all but a handful of beings in the entire galaxy."
As Guri started her rotation around the table yet again, Xizor thought about each Vigo she passed behind. He didn't know who the traitor was yet, but that wouldn't keep him from guessing as he analyzed the likelihood of any of them actually betraying him.
Lonay was too much of a coward to risk betraying his "uncle."
Sprax was too smart to try to cross Xizor.
Vekker was content with his job and status quo, having no ambition to rise any higher.
As Guri stopped behind Durga, the tension in the room thickened to where it almost became tangible.
Xizor, watching the real-life drama, thought that was a nice touch. Durga would be likely enough to go for a coup, he certainly had plenty of ambition to go around, and Xizor remembered full well how Durga came into the fold with the circumstances surrounding the business from Ylesia ... but it wasn't him. However, Guri did take the time to whisper to the Hutt to think long and hard before trying to take Xizor's place, especially with Xizor keeping an eye on him.
Guri passed Kreet'ah, passed Clezo, passed Wumdi, passed Perit... and finally stopped at Green.
A small, cold smile totally befitting of the Falleen graced his reptilian face.
Simultaneously, Green shot up from his seat just as Guri pinned him down and began to choke the life out of him. She held her grip on him...
A few moments later, Green was released and he slumped forward onto the table, lifeless. The sound his head made against the table sounded too loud for the comfort of the other Vigos.
"I will accept nominations for a new Vigo now," Xizor said.
No one spoke for a moment; they were still too unnerved by witnessing the death of the traitor Green. A pity about Green, Xizor thought as he kept his face bland. Green was one of the smartest Vigos under his command, but unfortunately, humans were quick to treachery and could hardly ever be trusted.
Xizor took another glance at the unnerved Vigos and was glad that the lesson was well-taught here:
To contend with Xizor is to lose.
Never forget that.
After the other Vigos had left and the body had been removed, Xizor attended to a more personal kind of "business."
"You have assembled all the information on Skywalker?" he asked Guri.
"Yes, my prince."
Granted, Xizor must have had tens of thousands of people working for him, but since this was personal, this was kind of... sensitive.
"All of the material has been checked and rechecked?"
"As you ordered."
"Very well. Let the bounty hunters know the price for Skywalker's head... and Vader's. Black Sun's hand must be invisible. There must be no mistakes."
"There will be none, my prince."
"Oh, and I would like to speak to Jabba the Hutt."
"He will be online when you return from midday meal, my prince."
"No. Have him come here by the fastest ship; I would speak to him personally."
"As you wish."
Xizor's reasoning to the prices was this: The Emperor would pay generously enough for both Skywalker and Vader to be brought to them alive. Black Sun's prices superseded those of the Empire's, but while Xizor also wanted Vader alive, it was so he could witness or at least hear of Skywalker's death.
As for Kain, he would not be immune to his superior's anger for failing to bring in Skywalker and Vader, even though he was the Emperor's right-hand man.
Xizor knew full well how capricious the Emperor could be. He had been known to have whole cities destroyed because a local official defied him. He'd once had a wealthy family banished from the core systems because one of the sons had plowed a ship into one of the Emperor's favorite buildings, damaging it - and not incidentally killing the pilot responsible.
The trick was to give the Emperor no excuse or reason to do away with you.
And Xizor was very good at getting away with things.
The vengeance for Vader, the dishonoring of Kain... both hinged upon one thing, and that was the death of Luke Skywalker.
A/N: Just another transitional chapter, I know, but I at least tried to make it interesting.
Note about Durga and this thing about Ylesia: If you want to know how this Hutt wound up with Xizor and Black Sun, then you can read about it in the Han Solo trilogy by A.C. Crispin.
Next chapter is just more stuff going on with the heroes and the villains (although it may be a while before I get to that next chapter)... -Quillian
SPECIAL DISCLAIMER: See the Prologue.
/IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:/ See the Prologue.
A/N: I am SO SORRY for the infrequent updates with this fic. Let's just say that I have other fics which demand more attention than this and have been meaning to get back to sooner.
NOTE: The meeting of our heroes has been glossed and tweaked, as has the meeting with Xizor and his Vigos and the subsequent scene between Xizor and Guri.
Chapter 4
Luke was standing next to the house when they arrived in the landspeeder, already knowing that they were coming.
As Chewie brought the speeder to a stop, Luke smiled and waved in greeting.
"Hey, Luke," Lando greeted him in return.
Chewie growled a greeting, Threepio and Artoo greeted their master in their own respective ways, while Leia just smiled back at her friend.
She may have been in love with Han, but that didn't mean she liked Luke any less. There was something about Luke that radiated calmness and friendship.
Lando explained that the Imperials had some new slicer droids in use, and that they didn't want to take the risk of having any transmissions intercepted. They were about to all head inside to escape the day's heat when Luke told them that they were waiting for someone else.
Luke?
Father, Luke mentally sent back in return. Where are you?
I'm coming right now. Look to the horizon, in the direction from which our friends came.
Luke turned to see a glimmer of something red flying low over the ground. Everyone else turned to see what he was looking at, and they saw it too.
It was a modified Naboo N-1 starfighter, with not the traditional yellow coat but a sleek, eye-catching red.
Where have you been, Father?
Not too far away, Luke. I have spent the past months trying to make reparations for those whom I have wronged in the past, and my host has granted me a brief reprieve.
Why, how did that happen? Luke asked, puzzled.
I'll explain later, Vader promised his son.
The Desert Angel touched down several feet away from them. Vader's new R2 unit, nicknamed "Midnight," disengaged while Vader opened the cockpit and jumped to the ground, using the Force to slow his descent. A hood was drawn up over his head to disguise his mask and help him keep as much anonymity as possible.
Hello again, Father, Luke said, giving his father the mental equivalent of an embrace. He had to forego a physical embrace, since that would have looked odd to their friends.
Son, Vader replied, returning the embrace.
Artoo warbled a happy greeting, and Vader said, "It is also good to see you again, Artoo."
"Hello, Vader," Lando said almost casually. It had been a bit of a shock for him to meet the once-feared Dark Lord of the Sith at first. However, after a few sabacc games and discussions about spaceships like those which Vader had with Han during the former Sith's recovery after the confrontation with the Emperor at Cloud City, Lando got along with the masked man quite well.
"Lando Calrissian," Vader greeted him, with a small bow.
"Come, let's go inside," Luke said, knowing how hot it was and how they had business to get down to. Everyone else happily complied.
Luke was cooking something in the kitchen, and a nice big jug of juri juice sat on the counter.
Ah, so this is where Obi-wan lived after... Vader's train of thought broke off there. It was still something of a painful topic, speaking about Obi-wan Kenobi, especially after regaining his memory. One way or another, Mustafar came to mind...
..."It's over, Anakin!" Obi-wan shouted. "I have the high ground!" he proclaimed, gesturing to the area near the lava flow.
Still standing there on the hovering platform, Anakin only looked up at his former master, who he now saw as an enemy. "You underestimate my power," he said arrogantly.
Obi-wan shook his head, not wanting to have to fight anymore, especially since he knew what his former student was likely to try next. "Don't try it," he said.
Anakin's face hardened, and coiling up his legs whilst calling upon the Force, he leaped high in the area, echoing a battle cry as he came down...
...and landed upon the hot, dirty ground, only his prosthetic right arm remaining, screaming and groaning in pain.
Obi-wan deactivated his lightsaber, looking appalled at what he had to do just to defend himself.
After a moment, his emotions finally broke. "YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE!" he screamed, his voice straining and almost sounding like he wanted to cry. "It was said that you would /destroy the Sith, not join them! That you would bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!"/
Anakin, whose eyes were now glowing like the lava flow he was slowly slipping down towards, looked up at Obi-wan, who had just collected his enemy's lightsaber. "I HATE YOU!" he screamed, his voice now hoarse as he struggled to climb up, away from the deadly lava flow.
Obi-wan looked down at what Anakin had become and turned to, almost too upset for words...
"You were my brother, Anakin," he said sorrowfully. "I loved you."
For one brief moment, Anakin's anger was replaced by sadness, wishing it hadn't come to this -
- and the next moment, his sadness was replaced by excruciating pain as one of his leg stumps caught on fire...
Vader suppressed those memories as best as he could, trying to focus on the here and now.
After pouring cups of juri juice for everyone, they got some small chitchat out of the way and got down to business.
As Vader sipped the refreshing drink, Luke found out why they had come. He even jumped up, ready to go and rescue Han that very moment.
"Whoa, hold on, Luke," Lando said. "Not only do we have to make sure that Sing's there, but we also have to consider that little matter with the Imperial navy."
"Lando's right, Luke," Vader added. "Especially about the Imperial navy. Assuming that nothing major has changed in the past few years since when I still served the Empire, the Enclave stationed at Gall should still be as tough as I remember. Or at least as tough as two Star Destroyers with their seventy-two TIE fighters each can be."
Neither response seemed to deter Luke. "So? I'm sure we can fly circles around those guys."
Leia, Lando and Vader all exchanged glances. Luke certainly didn't lack self-confidence when it came to his flying.
"Besides, Wedge is currently in command of Rogue Squadron, and I'm sure our rejoining them will be fine, since we originally came here to rescue Han, after all. So, I say let's do it."
"Uh, Luke, we should still wait for confirmation that Sing is on Gall, remember?" Lando reminded him. Leia could clearly see Luke's lack of patience here.
Vader wisely took this opportunity to chip in. "You know, Luke, we could still just contact Wedge and the other Rogues first while we're still waiting here."
Luke thought about it for a moment and seemed content with that. Vader was pleased that he could do his part as a father without sounding too fatherly, should anyone else be nearby. The fact that Vader was Luke's father was still a secret that neither of them were ready to reveal to anyone, at least for the moment.
"I'll speak to the leadership," Leia said, going for her comm unit.
Vader could sense that Leia was also impatient to get Han back, but in her own way. As a seasoned former ambassador for the late Imperial Senate, Leia knew how to hide her feelings better. And considering how she wanted Han back more than anyone else, her ability to disguise her emotions was impressive.
Xizor sat at the head of the long table in his private meeting room, conducting a meeting. His nine lieutenants sat around it with varying looks of nervousness on their faces, while Guri stood dutifully behind him.
Each of them had ascended to this level of Black Sun and had earned the honorific of "Vigo" (derived from the old Tionese word for nephew). The point of that was to foster the illusion that the top managers of the organization were family, this making them appear stronger to outsiders.
Unfortunately, however, the appearance was not always the truth. As the old saying went, "Appearances can be deceiving."
One of them was a spy.
It didn't matter who the spy was working for, because that spy would be punished. And just because such things were to be expected in this business did not mean that they could be allowed to let slide.
Around the table, there were Xizor's nine lieutenants... but by the end of this meeting, he would have eight.
But first, there was that normal business of Black Sun to attend to and properly settle.
One by one, they all gave their reports: Lonay the Twi'lek, Sprax the Narloni, Vekker the Quarren, Durga the Hutt, Kreet'ah the Kian'thar, Clezo the Rodian, Wumdi the Etti, Perit the Mon Calamari, and Green the Human.
What a truly diverse group this was, with some of them having worked their way up through the ranks of Black Sun, while others merely built upon fortunes inherited from their fathers (or, in the case of Kreet'ah, his biological mother). They all differed in their ambitions, their aims, their goals... and how they panicked when they realized that they could be in trouble.
After letting them sit and worry for a few minutes, Xizor nodded to Guri, who started to pace around them like a bird of prey around a nest of tempting rodents. Time to get down to business of a different kind now...
"A final item on our agenda, my Vigos. One of your number has seen fit to use his office to betray us. Not content with the millions of credits he has made by my largesse, the awards, bonuses, dividends, and unreported skim that you all indulge yourselves in, this... person has dishonored the title of Vigo."
As Guri continued her slow walk around the table, Xizor continued speaking, slowly, evenly, and betraying nothing in his voice. "There are sublieutenants among your ranks who would cheerfully wipe out entire planets to be given such an opportunity as you all have been given. To be a Vigo in Black Sun is to enjoy more power than all but a handful of beings in the entire galaxy."
As Guri started her rotation around the table yet again, Xizor thought about each Vigo she passed behind. He didn't know who the traitor was yet, but that wouldn't keep him from guessing as he analyzed the likelihood of any of them actually betraying him.
Lonay was too much of a coward to risk betraying his "uncle."
Sprax was too smart to try to cross Xizor.
Vekker was content with his job and status quo, having no ambition to rise any higher.
As Guri stopped behind Durga, the tension in the room thickened to where it almost became tangible.
Xizor, watching the real-life drama, thought that was a nice touch. Durga would be likely enough to go for a coup, he certainly had plenty of ambition to go around, and Xizor remembered full well how Durga came into the fold with the circumstances surrounding the business from Ylesia ... but it wasn't him. However, Guri did take the time to whisper to the Hutt to think long and hard before trying to take Xizor's place, especially with Xizor keeping an eye on him.
Guri passed Kreet'ah, passed Clezo, passed Wumdi, passed Perit... and finally stopped at Green.
A small, cold smile totally befitting of the Falleen graced his reptilian face.
Simultaneously, Green shot up from his seat just as Guri pinned him down and began to choke the life out of him. She held her grip on him...
A few moments later, Green was released and he slumped forward onto the table, lifeless. The sound his head made against the table sounded too loud for the comfort of the other Vigos.
"I will accept nominations for a new Vigo now," Xizor said.
No one spoke for a moment; they were still too unnerved by witnessing the death of the traitor Green. A pity about Green, Xizor thought as he kept his face bland. Green was one of the smartest Vigos under his command, but unfortunately, humans were quick to treachery and could hardly ever be trusted.
Xizor took another glance at the unnerved Vigos and was glad that the lesson was well-taught here:
To contend with Xizor is to lose.
Never forget that.
After the other Vigos had left and the body had been removed, Xizor attended to a more personal kind of "business."
"You have assembled all the information on Skywalker?" he asked Guri.
"Yes, my prince."
Granted, Xizor must have had tens of thousands of people working for him, but since this was personal, this was kind of... sensitive.
"All of the material has been checked and rechecked?"
"As you ordered."
"Very well. Let the bounty hunters know the price for Skywalker's head... and Vader's. Black Sun's hand must be invisible. There must be no mistakes."
"There will be none, my prince."
"Oh, and I would like to speak to Jabba the Hutt."
"He will be online when you return from midday meal, my prince."
"No. Have him come here by the fastest ship; I would speak to him personally."
"As you wish."
Xizor's reasoning to the prices was this: The Emperor would pay generously enough for both Skywalker and Vader to be brought to them alive. Black Sun's prices superseded those of the Empire's, but while Xizor also wanted Vader alive, it was so he could witness or at least hear of Skywalker's death.
As for Kain, he would not be immune to his superior's anger for failing to bring in Skywalker and Vader, even though he was the Emperor's right-hand man.
Xizor knew full well how capricious the Emperor could be. He had been known to have whole cities destroyed because a local official defied him. He'd once had a wealthy family banished from the core systems because one of the sons had plowed a ship into one of the Emperor's favorite buildings, damaging it - and not incidentally killing the pilot responsible.
The trick was to give the Emperor no excuse or reason to do away with you.
And Xizor was very good at getting away with things.
The vengeance for Vader, the dishonoring of Kain... both hinged upon one thing, and that was the death of Luke Skywalker.
A/N: Just another transitional chapter, I know, but I at least tried to make it interesting.
Note about Durga and this thing about Ylesia: If you want to know how this Hutt wound up with Xizor and Black Sun, then you can read about it in the Han Solo trilogy by A.C. Crispin.
Next chapter is just more stuff going on with the heroes and the villains (although it may be a while before I get to that next chapter)... -Quillian
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