* * *

Luke tested his control on Vader for the fifth time that day. It was as strong as the first time he had checked. It was time to fetch Leia. It had been several standard weeks since he had arrived on Coruscant, and he was enjoying his position as ruler behind the throne. He left for the Nioba system, planning to contact Leia as soon as he reached it.





Wedge searched his mind for a way to locate General Solo. He felt responsible for the disappearance of both the occupants of the Millennium Falcon and Leia Organa, and had set himself to find them both. Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar did not hold him responsible, but he knew both were very worried about their most visible heroes. Since the news had come that Luke Skywalker was on Coruscant, Organa and Solo were the strongest figures in the Rebellion, and no one knew where they were. The Empire had been silent since the defeat several weeks before, and the Rebel Alliance took the time to lick its wounds. This meant that the fighter pilots like Wedge had plenty of time on their hands.

Finding the missing by a random search was extremely improbable, since both the X-wing and the YT-1300 had functional hyperdrives. Wedge had racked his memory again and again for some hint to their location and consistently found nothing. He decided to search the ruins of the Imperial shield generator in case anything of value remained. He took a speeder bike and left the new base. The former site of the stormtrooper garrison was still clean blasted ground scattered with twisted metal and melted plasteel. Wedge scuffed at the dirt, searching for something, anything that could help him.

After about half an hour, he decided it was fruitless and headed back to his speeder bike. On the way, he tripped. Cursing softly, Wedge stood and searched for whatever had tripped him. He kicked angrily at the dirt and uncovered the shine of buried metal. Curiosity struck and he brushed away more. He had uncovered a door in the ground. He estimated that it had been at the center of the building housing the shield generator. Carefully, Wedge unburied and opened the door. The bright Endorian sunlight illuminated a set of steps. He walked down them cautiously, one hand on his blaster.

Some sensor or other turned on the power to the chamber as soon as he scaled the steps. Overhead lighting sprang into action, and there was the soft hum of a computer starting up.

He pulled up a small chair and sat at one of the three keypads, navigating through the system like so much open space. Nothing asked him for authorization; the Empire was entirely too cocky. There were troop lists of the squadron assigned to the shield generator, their commanding officers, their weaponry, generator maintenance staff, then the atmospheric sensor logs. Most Imperial controlled worlds housing important bases had them, the Alliance knew. There was a listing of all the recent departures and arrivals of Rebel ships, their classes, weaponry and destinations. Imperial sensors could pick coordinates out of most older navigation systems- something that might save Organa and Solo now. The X-wing did not have sensor blocking programming, and the Falcon was unlikely to have it, even with Solo's heavy modifications. It had been a while since he smuggled anything. Wedge looked into the older logs and found what he sought. He did not recognize Organa's destination, but his X-wing could reach it within a few hours. Then, the Falcon. He almost laughed: it had gone roaring off and come straight back. Rather predictable, since the ship had been damaged in the Death Star. It was foolish to go off after a battle without repairs, but Solo had certainly paid for it by now. Wedge considered the amount of food he had stocked them with. The Wookiee would have had to have rather tight rations, but they would be all right.

He shuffled through the debris and dust next to the keypads and found a datapad. He recorded Han and the princess's location, formulating rescue plans as he did so. The X-wing could carry some basics for repairs on the freighter, and considering the extent of damages, there couldn't be too many complicated things wrong.

Wedge closed up the computer banks and returned to the Rebel base. There, he checked his memories of the needed repairs against the data banks. He also gathered supplies and looked over his own ship. The fighter was a little cramped, but he left, cruising through the atmosphere of the moon in search of General Solo.

He smiled to himself as he spotted the familiar outline of the Millennium Falcon near the recorded location. The X-wing was easily landed nearby, and Solo ran up with his Wookiee companion. "Wedge! How'dya find us? Thanks for coming!" Wedge was manhandled out of the cockpit by an excited Chewbacca, and wondered for a moment if he would sustain bruises.

"Oh, just a little Empire secret I discovered. Imperials don't like being ignorant about arrivals and departures on their own planets."

"Imperials?" Solo eyed Wedge warily. "How do you fit in with what the Empire knows?"

Wedge raised a hand in protest. "It's not what you're thinking! I found a subterranean tracking computer under the remains of the shield generator. It kept the sensor arrays up when the whole thing was destroyed. And they didn't bother to guard it at all."

"I'm sorry, but we can't be too careful." Han paused to think fir a moment. 'If you found us so easily, do you know where Leia went?"

Wedge grinned and held up his datapad. "I knew you'd ask that. May you know where these coordinates are."

Han grabbed it, and looked at the numbers, then sighed. "I have no idea. Not far away though. Even your X-wing could reach it in a few hours." He looked distinctly relieved as he gave the hand computer back to Wedge. "Commander Antilles, you have proven yourself to be a miracle of planning. Did you bring a few things for my Falcon? She's in bad shape."

"What's new?" Wedge grabbed his box of ship parts out of the storage compartment and handed it to Solo. We should be able to get your bucket of bolts off the ground in a few hours if the damage was as superficial as the techs thought. Oh, and if you didn't crash."

Han glowered at him. "Crash? Me? Never! The damage was pretty light, at least to the engines and all. Calrissian just took out my comm and powercells." Wedge nodded as he pulled out three powercells. Han and Chewie each took one and they carried them to the Falcon.

With three pairs of hands, work on the ship went quickly. They removed the inbent bits of wiring that had caused the short circuit and the power drain. Then, they installed the new cells. After everything was fixed, the three Rebels sat inside the Falcon and ate a well-earned lunch. Wedge and Han discussed their plan of action. "As soon as we're done eating, I'm going off to wherever Leia is." Han stated.

"Do you really think that that would be wise?" Wedge objected, and was supported by Chewie. "You still don't have any comm."

"But I've got to find her! We don't know what's happening to her, or what she's going through. I'll never forgive myself if I don't try to find her and something happens to her," Han protested.

"But we might not have fixed everything that's wrong with this ship," countered Wedge, the voice of reason. He saw that Solo was about to fight again and blurted, "I'll go after her. My X-wing is fully stocked, and she's got a ship too. I'll bring her back, or bring you news of her."

Han stared at him a moment, startled. "I suppose that would work. But only if you contact us the minute you find her!"

"Of course, of course I would. And they won't miss me for the short trip. I'm absent without leave as it is, and I didn't tell anyone I was going after you." He looked at the General defiantly. "I'll do it, sir. What have I got to lose?"

"Apparently nothing, mister Antilles." An idea occurred to Han and he drew himself into his 'General Solo' posture. "As a matter of fact, sir, I order you to go to these coordinates and search for Princess Leia Organa. Understood?"

Wedge stood and saluted, grinning broadly. "Understood, Sir. Permission to leave Endor -after escorting your ship back to the main camp?"

"Permission granted, sir. Let's get this bird off the ground." Wedge left the Millennium Falcon and gave his X-wing a onceover, then hopped in and started it. The Falcon took off with no difficulty and followed him to the Rebel camp. Before long, the hangar clearing was visible beneath them. Solo planted the freighter carefully and ran out. He was evidently calling for techs, because a crowd of people gathered in a moment. Solo looked up and gave the hovering X-wing a thumbs-up. Wedge engaged the engine once he was a little farther away from the base. He programmed in Organa's location and was on his way.

As the green moon of Endor fell away behind him, Wedge contemplated what he had just done. It amounted to desertion. He doubted that Mon Mothma would accept Solo's spur of the moment order as official. On the other hand, if he returned with Leia, he would earn quite a bit of forgiveness. Wedge pulled the lever and accelerated into hyperspace, pondering.



As soon as the Falcon touched down, Han opened the door and ran out yelling for Lando. He had a score to settle with that pirate. A crowd of curious Rebels came to welcome him back, but he ignored them. Looking up, he saw that Wedge was still above them. He gave the Commander a thumbs-up and saw it streak away. The task at hand loomed. As the roar of the departed ship died away, Han yelled for Lando again.

Lando had heard his name shouted and was just coming down into the hangar field when Han stormed up to him. "Calrissian, we have a lot to discuss." Han shoved him back against the ladder. Lando gasped for breath. "First, there's the matter of the Falcon. I was going to forgive you those scratches until she gave out on us and I had to be rescued. Rescued!" Han snorted. "That brings me to item two. Do you have any idea what it is like to be frozen in carbonite for months?"

"Hey, I had no choice! I'm sorry!"

"Had no choice? It sure didn't look that way from inside that sculpture. I spent every miserable second dreaming about what I would do to you when I could move again. What did you gain by putting me through all of that? Nothing except the pleasure of seeing me frozen!" Han punched Lando in the stomach and Chewie growled behind him. "And then you flew around with Leia, my Leia, for months!" He punched his victim again and Lando doubled over. "Some friend you are!" Han shoved Lando to the ground and strode away, thoroughly disgusted. Chewie followed him. The crowd of people that had gathered to watch got out of his way as Han stomped back to his ship. That was the end of that friendship, he thought. Good riddance! The only good he'd ever gotten out of Calrissian was the Falcon and a repaired hyperdrive. The scum had taken months of his life and then, to top it off, nearly lost the Falcon. Han slumped into his accustomed pilot's seat, exhausted. The Han-shaped groove in the cushion was comforting. Chewie blustered in shortly afterward and patted him gently on the shoulder, trying to be comforting. Han shut the door to keep out anyone else; he didn't feel like entertaining. He just sat there, looking at the Falcon's control panel and listening to the Wookiee make soft noises. He felt his anger leaving him slowly, and sighed, satisfied. He'd been waiting to do that for months.

They heard a knock on the hull. Han didn't move, so Chewie went to see what was going on. He returned, holding a package and looking at it in bewilderment. Han took it from him and read the tag: "To Leia with apologies". "Well, if it's for Leia, I'm not gonna open it." He put the package in one of the smaller freight lockers. "Lando won't win my praise with presents." The thought of Leia made him wonder- what was she doing then? How soon would Wedge reach her?



Leia blocked Valena's mental probes again and again, strengthening her defenses under the barrage and succeeding in keeping out the old Jedi. "Good!" exclaimed Valena. "You learn quickly. Relax your mind." Leia released her focus and listened to the Force. Valena probed again and Leia blocked her without thinking. They sparred for a timeless moment until Valena pulled away. "That's enough for now. Allow me into your mind. Yes, that's it." Valena's mental touch searched through Leia's mind, peering into the dark place where her worst fear lurked. "Failure. You fear failure."

Leia unconsciously shielded her mind and brought herself out of trance. She thought for a moment. "Yes, that's true." She tentatively felt where Valena had been and shuddered. "You took away my fear of my father when I first met you, and that had haunted me for many years. Thank you for that, Lady."

"You're welcome, but you must also release your fear of failure to be successful."

"But how can I not fear failure?" Leia protested. "Luke will stay with the Dark Side if I can't save him, and my father-" she paused, swallowing heavily. "And I might fall too. How can I not fear that?"

"Leia, the decision to turn to the Dark Side is yours alone, and no one can make it for you. If you do not allow yourself to be influenced by others, then there is no reason to fear that you may become Dark. Avoid anger, fear and aggression, and the Light is yours. The Force will be with you, if you stay calm. There is nothing to fear, nothing to hate, nothing to fight. Remember that." Leia touched the dark fears in her heart, studied them carefully.

She spoke again, miserable. "I still can't let it go. How can I get rid of something that is part of me?"

Valena sighed. "Perhaps you can reason your way out of it. Tell me, what will happen if you fail?"

Leia looked at her oddly. "Luke and my father will keep the Empire strong. They will defeat the rebellion. Han will die." She paused, and swallowed the dread she felt at finally voicing her fears. "And I- I will either fall to the Dark Side, or I will die too."

"And if you win?"

"The Rebellion will have a fighting chance of defeating the Empire."

"What good can it do you to worry?"

"Absolutely none." Leia took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she looked at the Jedi again, her eyes were free of fear.

"Congratulations, my student. You have passed your first test. Let us work on the shielding again."

Leia composed herself, quelled the pride she felt and went on the defensive again.





As soon as he reached Nioba again, Luke contacted his father through the holonet connection of his shuttle. All was well on Coruscant, well ordered and ticking over nicely. He had managed to gather the remaining Imperial fleet, but repairs and new construction was underway. Luke gave a few simple orders through the Force and signed off.

He relaxed again into the Force, letting his consciousness spread out, seeking his sister. He searched planet after planet, touched minds as alien as their homes. Where was she? Leia!

She responded at last. Luke! Where are you?

I'm in the Nioba system. He gave her the coordinates. Once you reach the planet, I'll guide you. You will come to me, won't you?

I will. She hesitated. I will, but I don't know how soon I can.

I'll wait for you, Leia. Please come as soon as you can. He broke off the contact, analyzing her touch. It was much more concentrated than it had been when she reached out for him before, and also much more controlled.It was almost as if she had received some sort of training, but who was there to train her? Perhaps it was just her natural evolution. In any case, she would come soon. It would be impossible for her to resist, and why would she want to? Luke roused himself and looked around his bare home. It was wilderness, and perfect for training.



Leia felt Luke draw away from her and opened her eyes. Valena was standing over her. "Good morning, dear. What did he say?"

"He told me where he is." Leia stood and found a datapad from her box of simple supplies, then recorded the coordinates he had given her. "And that he wants me to go there. Soon."

Valena sighed. "I suspected as much. Why don't you leave tomorrow?"

Leia gaped. "But- I don't feel ready at all. Are you sure?"

"My dear, you are as ready as you can be, for now. If we had had more time, I would have given you the full training. as things stand, you should go as soon as possible. Now that you have a destination, I must bid you farewell. When you succeed, I will be glad to welcome you here once more."

"All right, Valena. I will be more than happy to return, and-"

Valena held up her hand. "Wait. Someone is coming. A human. Looking for you." Leia stared at her in disbelief. "He's seen your ship and landed beside it. Let us go and greet him, shall we?" They ran swiftly across the valley floor, making the trip in half the time it had originally taken. As they approached, Leia saw that there was indeed another X-wing by her own and a man examining her ship. He wore the orange flightsuit of a Rebel.

"Hello down there," Leia called.

The man turned and grinned at her, shielding his eyes from the sunlight in order to get a clearer look. "Leia Organa! Good to see you, ma'am."

The voice was familiar. "Wedge! How in space did you find me?"

"Well, y'see, there's this little thing called an Imperial tracking computer. I found it under the ruins of the shield generator, and Han insisted I come after you."

Leia's mouth quirked. "I'll bet he did, but why didn't he come himself? The Falcon's faster than any X-wing- no offense intended."

"None taken. He did try to come after you when you first left, but he had a breakdown. Don't worry, he's fine" Wedge added hastily to forestall the anxiety her saw on Leia's face, "but the Falcon wasn't in flying form, quite."

"Leia, where are your manners? Why don't you offer your friend some lunch?" admonished Valena gently from behind the princess.

"Oh, pardon me," said Leia, blushing. "Valena, this is Commander Wedge Antilles of the Rebel Alliance. Wedge, this is the Jedi Mistress Valena." Wedge saluted and then laughed.

"What was that about lunch? I'd really rather have dinner, but I'll take any food I can get," he said, then made a wistful face at the two women.

"Follow me for the meal of your choice," Valena told him, and they walked the distance to her home.

"How has everything been going on Endor?" Leia asked once they were all situated with food.

"As well as might be expected, I suppose. Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar have been supervising repairs since the second Death Star went up, and the Empire's been pretty quiet; they haven't given us a minute's trouble, but then they're probably in quite a tizzy without the Emperor."

Valena looked at him sharply. "What do you mean, 'without the Emperor'? How do you know that he is dead?"

"We've been listening in to Imperial frequencies around Coruscant, and they haven't been quiet there. Vader's in charge now, and" Wedge paused, reluctant to deliver his news. "And Luke's his second in command."

Leia kept her face calm, although her heart skipped in her chest. "Is he, now? I had wondered why he didn't return after the battle."

"You still need to go, Leia," Valena told her gently. "The time is now."

Wedge looked from one to the other in bewilderment. "You're going somewhere, Leia? Han really wanted to see you as soon as possible."

Leia sighed. "I know, but I have to see Luke. He's not on Coruscant anymore, and he needs me." She spoke in a rush, then stared down at the table, daring Wedge to contradict her.

"But he's an Imperial! You're delivering yourself right into a trap, I'm sure of it. You can't just give yourself up like that, we need you too much. Leia, don't be a martyr to our cause, there's been too many so far. Don't go!"

"I have to go, Wedge. Luke- is my brother, and he needs me, not as a hostage, but as a sister." Wedge stared at her in shock.

"Brother? But still, you can't! My own cousin was a stormtrooper, and just because I've got his genes doesn't mean that he wouldn't shoot me in a battle. Stay here, where you're safe, or come back to Endor with me, please!"

Valena snapped her fingers and Wedge looked at her, suddenly captivated by her gaze. "Commander Antilles, you will go back to Endor and assure General Solo that Leia is well," she told him firmly. "There will be no wavering in this."

"I will return to Endor," Wedge murmured. His gaze went blank as he left the house and headed back to his X-wing. Leia followed behind him, a little worried about his well being. She returned after some time had passed, and her face was sad.

She sat down at the table with a sigh. "I suppose that was necessary, but it feels so unfaithful, somehow, to twist the minds of other people. He was just trying to help, you know."

Valena sighed as well and sat in the chair across from her. "I know. Even so, it must be done sometimes. It is only the situation and the intent that separate the Darkness from the Light in these sort of actions. Be careful in this sort of borderline, because the boundaries blur.

"Today, we could not have Han and the Alliance fretting over you, and so it was better to do as I did. And you, young lady, are going to sleep now. Tomorrow will be hard enough even if you are fully rested." Leia submitted silently and went to bed.



When she woke, Leia met the dawn with dread. She ate her last breakfast with Valena in silence, then bade her a quick farewell. "I will see you soon, Valena, if all goes well." She almost choked on the words. "Thank you for everything."

"The Force will be with you, Leia." The girl ran out and started the journey to her X-wing before the tears came and she begged to be allowed to stay in the safe haven.

She left the planet quickly and keyed in the coordinates from her datapad into the nav computer. Leia went into hyperspace as soon the computer signaled her and relaxed into a light trance to dispel her nervousness. The instant she entered hyperspace into the Nioba system, she felt Luke's presence. Leia, you came sooner than I expected.

Yes. I thought that sooner was better. Leia was a little disconcerted. She felt as if she were not only touching Luke's mind, but another as well, somehow intertwined.

Sooner is indeed better. Come. Leia's ship entered the atmosphere of the blue planet, and she surveyed the surface. Turn on your repulsorlifts and cut the main engine. I feel where you are; I can guide you from your current location. She complied and felt a tiny jerk as her brother took hold of the X-wing through the Force. Oh, I'm sorry. Are you all right?

I'm fine, thank you. Below her, she could see a landing field and a small Imperial shuttle. Luke was standing by the shuttle, watching her ship intently.

Turn off your repulsorlifts. She did it without thinking, then realized that he had used a Jedi command voice. She would have to be more careful. The X-wing touched down and she popped the canopy. "I've missed you, Leia." Luke helped her out and embraced her. "It's been such a long time since Endor."

"It certainly has. What's this I've heard about you being on Coruscant?" She struggled to keep her tone light.

Luke looked worried. "Leia, that's past now. I realized Vader was manipulating me, drawing me towards the Dark Side. Before, I played along. Back at Endor I had no choice; the Death Star was about to go and he had the only ship out. I chose to live and deceive until I could get back to you, rather than die fruitlessly." Leia touched him through the Force as he spoke and felt only innocence. The darkness she had felt previously was gone- she thought perhaps it had only been her own fears.

"That makes sense to me; it was a good strategy." Leia felt reassured- this was the Luke she remembered, the one who had introduced himself to her in a detention chamber in perfect confidence of acceptance. What had she suspected of him? How could she doubt her own brother? "You can come back to Endor with me now," she told him. "Everything will be all right. You will come, won't you?" she almost begged him. The Alliance needed its war heroes back, to fight the Empire and lead them. She had been wasting her time with the old Jedi, she thought. Luke was perfectly fine.

"Of course, Leia, of course. We can leave now, because I'm all ready." He picked up a full bag and showed it to her, grinning. "Everything here is all closed up. Let's go." He helped her back into the cramped confines of the X-wing and then started up the Imperial shuttle. Go on, he told her. I've got Endor's coordinates in the nav computer and I'll be right behind you. The blue planet Nioba shrank behind them, then vanished entirely as they entered hyperspace.



Leia was surprised to see all the developments that had been made in and around the Ewok village. Several new shelters had been built, and a large fleet of fighters crowded every available clearing. On the way in, they passed the biggest cruisers which would not fit between the trees. She sought out a suitable place for her X-wing and set it down first so that she could explain Luke's presence in the Imperial ship. Leia had purposefully chosen a berth nearby the Millennium Falcon, and Han pulled his head out of ubiquitous repairs and looked up. When the princess emerged from the cockpit, he ran to her. "Leia, Leia! I'm so glad to see you!" He embraced her, then pushed her away and held her at arm's length. "Never, ever go off like that again without telling me, understand?" He pulled her back into his arms before she could respond, and she almost laughed. After a few moments of reminding themselves what the other's arms felt like, Han asked, "So, where's Luke? Wedge said you were going after our own budding Imperial dictator."

Leia pulled away from, offended. "Luke's no Imperial! The only way he could survive getting off the Death Star was to play the part for a while. Now he's done with that, and he's waiting above us in an Empire ship."

Han looked at her skeptically, then gave into her conviction. "All right, all right. Lend me your comm and I'll authorize his landing. Where he can put it down, I don't know, but he can get permission." She examined his latest repairs while he climbed into the X-wing and spoke with the deck officer. After a few moments, he emerged shaking his head. "I got him clearance, and I talked to Luke, too. I believe that he didn't like faking it one bit, and he sure sounded glad to be back."

"See what happens when you don't listen to me, Han. That'll teach you, won't it?" Leia laughed.

"Yeah, that'll teach me," Han replied, and kissed her. Then, they walked together to welcome Luke back to Endor and the Rebel Alliance.