Missing and Presumed Dead

Darth Vader's News

"Luke Skywalker was..."

Leia paused, trying to come up with words that would be adequate for who Luke had been. Who he still was. She stood in front of an assembly of Rebels: from those in High Command to pilots to foot soldiers. She wore her best white dress; everyone else wore their best uniforms. It reminded her of the medal ceremony on Yavin IV, except much sadder.

But most importantly, their own media crew, who broadcast important Rebellion calls to action through the underground" broadcast system, was in attendance, recording everything she said.

If Vader hadn't already gotten the message by that point, he would when the Imperial spy network or Imperial Censorship Bureau caught wind of the broadcast.

She needed to make this speech count.

"Luke Skywalker was the face of the Rebellion. He didn't just save us and billions of other life forms by destroying the Death Star, but continued to save lives through the work he did.

"And Luke Skywalker was also another thing: he was a friend. He was a friend to anyone who needed one, whether he knew them well or not." She hesitated. "And... and he was my best friend. Not because he rescued me from the Death Star. Not because our line of work frequently had us working together... but because he was loyal. He was loyal to what he believed in, to who he believed in. And he was good. Pure, innocent, and so, so damn good . He was a light in my darkest moments, and he was the pillar that people could believe in. It was that loyalty that prompted him to put himself in danger for the good of others. It was that loyalty that caused him to sacrifice his life so that others may have the tools needed to fight the Empire.

"So I refuse to let Luke's death be in vain. I will fight in his memory. I will bring down the Empire in his memory. Because that's what Luke would have wanted." She lifted her chin, staring down the faces of those who stood in attendance. "For Luke Skywalker. For the Rebellion."

"For Luke Skywalker!" came the answering shout as the soldiers in attendance saluted almost as one. "For the Rebellion!"

Hear that, Vader? she thought as the crowd began to disperse. The broadcast wouldn't be quite done yet. She'd managed to get Wedge to agree to an exclusive interview to talk about what happened, though he hadn't looked happy about it. You don't get to have him. Luke is dead to you, dead to the Rebellion, dead to the galaxy.

You won't touch him ever again.

______________________________________________

Something was wrong.

It was the first thing Vader thought when he left his meditation chamber that morning, though it was fleeting and he barely registered the thought. It wasn't that uncommon for something to be wrong. They were at war, and it was a large galaxy. Something wrong was happening somewhere at any given moment, and if he concerned himself with every single one of those problems he'd be driven mad.

But then, an hour later as he marched towards his first meeting of the day, where he expected a full report on the Rebellion's movements--on his son's movements--the thought came again.

Something was wrong.

He slowed a step, but then pressed on. Perhaps whatever it was that was wrong would be revealed in the meeting. If that was the case, then it likely meant the rebels had achieved a victory even he couldn't scoff at, and that was a problem, indeed. One people would die for. He would be sure of that.

He was most interested in the main cell of the Rebellion, where his son currently sought refuge. A refuge he hadn't left since Bespin.

Hiding from him.