32
Luke took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and sought to clear his mind. Now that they had the time and space, he wanted to try again to reach Leia.
He had removed the stolen uniform and discarded the blaster, and now he sat in the kneeling posture Master Yoda had taught him for meditation. The new clothes Dash had gotten for him felt appropriate: a coarsely woven, dark gray hooded cape and cowl, a plain shirt and a simple vest, pants and jacket, knee boots, all in black, without any insignia. Maybe it was not quite the uniform of a Jedi Knight, but it was close enough.
Relax. Let go …
He concentrated, focused, said the name aloud: “Leia …”
Waited a moment. Then, “Leia, I’m here. I’m coming for you.”
She was using the computer, trying to find a floor plan for Xizor’s castle. He wasn’t so foolish as to leave one where she could access it; too bad—
Leia …
It was not telepathy so much as empathy, and since it had happened before, on Bespin, she recognized the sensation quickly.
Luke.
She took a deep breath and let part of it out, held her silence. She was being watched; she must give no sign of the connection with Luke. She pretended to look at whatever the computer image was, but she was seeing through it, into the distance beyond it, beyond the walls.
Leia, I’m here. I’m coming for you.
That’s what Luke was saying, if she could have put it into words. But it wasn’t expressed in words; it was a feeling, and she felt the truth of it.
Luke was here, on Coruscant, not far away. He was coming for her.
There was a calmness about Luke she hadn’t felt before. He had grown stronger; his control of the Force was better. She was afraid for him and at the same time heartened at the connection. The sense of his confidence was very powerful. Before when she’d felt him touch her this way, it had been when he’d been injured, when Vader was on the brink of destroying him, but now, now he felt strong, in control, potent. Maybe he could rescue her. Maybe they would survive all this somehow.
Leia …
She smiled. Luke, I’m here …
Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight, smiled.
In his chamber, Darth Vader felt the ripple in the Force. It was elusive, but he recognized it this time.
Luke.
He was here. On Imperial Center.
The knowledge sent a chill through his body.
Vader reached out, tried to touch his son: Luke …
He frowned. The way was … blocked. It was not only as if Luke’s power had increased; it seemed also to be in two separate places.
Impossible. He was interpreting the energies wrong. There could be no other as strong as Luke in the Force; the Jedi were all dead. The Emperor was gone, light-years away.
What could be causing that echo effect? Surely that was all it was, an echo, some reverberation in the Force.
Of a moment the ripple passed and Vader was alone again.
He waved his hand, raised the lid of his chamber. Stood and moved for his armor. Luke was here, and he was going to find the boy. Find him—
—and bring him to the dark side.