Birthright

Six months after ANH. AU

The undercover agent had been pleased with the substantial reward, and left the Star Destroyer more than eager to continue his work as a spy, doing whatever the Sith ordered him to do.

The Sith was also pleased. Vader now knew he had a chance to find his son before it was too late. He picked up an old holograph, staring at the lovely face. The face of his wife, his one true love. Yes, he'd felt love at one time, and now that he knew his son had joined the Rebellion he felt a stirring inside his heart he hadn't felt in years. Emotions other than rage, bitterness, loss... hate. His son...Padmé's child. Feelings that not so long ago would have been foreign to him were now bubbling to the surface. Protectiveness. Pride. He hadn't been able to hide this fact from the Emperor, unfortunately. Obi-Wan had betrayed him one last time when he allowed Luke to leave Tatooine and join that foolish Rebellion. So now Palpatine had discovered what Vader had kept as a secret for nineteen years, and was demanding he find his son and turn him to the darkside so Palpatine could use Luke, like he'd used Vader for all these years.

There was only one problem with that command. Vader didn't want to turn Luke over to Palpatine. He was tired of being a puppet, a pawn for the Emperor. Flicking the holo of his wife off, Vader realized he not only wanted his son by his side as he took down the Emperor, he needed Luke by his side. Palpatine wasn't the Chosen One. Anakin Skywalker was. Anakin Skywalker, a name he'd given up years ago, only now he wanted it back. All he had to do was locate his son, and that may happen faster than Vader anticipated.

The smuggler that had saved Vader from taking his own son's life was on his way to Acoda to pick up supplies for the Rebellion. The only person waiting for Solo on Acoda would be Darth Vader. There were no supplies, just a trap.

Acoda

The Corellian and Wookiee found themselves strolling on sidewalks down the rather narrow, winding streets as they tried to locate the proper building. A cold breeze whipped through the streets, and Han found himself wishing he'd worn warmer clothes. No one in the Alliance warned him Acoda was downright cold this time of the year. Of course, a certain Princess might have warned him, if Han wouldn't have gotten into another war of words with Her Worship right before he left on this supply run. Just thinking about the dark-haired Princess caused Han all sorts of conflicting emotions. A Princess and a guy like him... it wasn't gonna happen, just like Luke pointed out. So why did she occupy much of his waking thoughts, as well as a large portion of his dreams? He was chasing a shooting star, and he knew what would happen if he allowed himself to fall in love - he'd get burned. Better to keep up the impression he was just a cynical smuggler, only in this for the money. Chewie's bark interrupted his musings.

/Perhaps we are lost,./ Chewie wuffed in concern as they struggled against the stiff wind.

"Corellians can't get lost," Han growled at his co-pilot, then broke into a large grin as he pointed toward a non-descript building. "There it is... that's the number and description Madine gave us."

No sooner had the words left Han's mouth than a dozen stormtroopers appeared from both directions down the narrow street, blocking their exit. Automatically Han drew his blaster, feeling his body tense and hoping the Imperials were looking for someone else. That hope was quickly shot down as the stormtroopers rushed toward them, firing their weapons.

The Wookiee brought up his bowcaster while Han shot back at their enemies, pushing Chewie toward a parked landspeeder.

"Get inside the speeder," Han ordered sharply. "I'm gonna hotwire this thing so we can blast our way through the Imps."

Using the sides of the craft as cover, Chewie remained outside, covering his partner. There was no way he would get inside the speeder, allowing Han to remain exposed. The Corellian opened the engine cover, desperately trying to connect wires and make the machine run. Sparks flew, forcing Han to drop the cable and he swore loudly, in several different languages.

Chewie turned his head and looked at the engine. /You need to connect that wire with - / He got no further, as a blaster shot burned into his side. The giant Wookiee roared in pain, nearly dropping his bowcaster.

Han felt his heart sink. "Chewie! Get inside the speeder... NOW!" He watched as the Wookiee pulled himself into relative safety inside the vehicle, then turned his attention back to the engine, dragging the wire Chewie had indicated over to the starter connection. The engine roared to life. With no time to celebrate, the Corellian moved to the side of the speeder intending to leap inside - he almost made it. Burning pain ripped down his left leg, and Han crumpled to the street, just as Chewie let loose another roar of warning.

Han turned his head, instantly seeing what Chewie was talking about. Darth Vader was heading toward them, another dozen stormtroopers covering his approach. "GO!" Han yelled toward Chewie. "Get out of here!"

The Wookiee reached over the side of the speeder to pull his partner into the vehicle, while Han tried to struggle to his feet, knowing Chewie would never leave without him. Clutching his leg, Han tried to fire past the stormtroopers and hit the Sith, until a second shot from close by hit his right arm, forcing him to drop his blaster. The stormtroopers quickly moved in, and the two smugglers found themselves outnumbered, outgunned, and completely surrounded. A trooper snatched up the DL-44 blaster, then pulled Han to his feet, while Chewie was forced to throw down his bowcaster and hobble out of the vehicle, his arms raised above his head. Han nearly passed out from the pain of the two blaster shots, but forced his focus on the Sith.

"I have been waiting for you, smuggler," Vader hissed at the man. "Your ship has already been impounded and taken up to the Executor."

"You got the wrong guys," Han quickly bluffed. "We're just independent shippers, pickin' up some medical supplies for a field hospital out on the Rim. Our records are in order, and we've got the disks to prove it."

For a moment, Vader only stared at Solo. Then he replied, "Your cooperation is unnecessary, Captain Solo. As long as you are friends with my son, that is all that matters." Without giving the confused Corellian a chance to respond, Vader ordered his troopers, "Take Solo and the Wookiee to the Executor and have their wounds treated before confining them."

The Dark Lord watched as the injured smugglers were hauled away. His first step toward ensuring Luke's birthright was completed.